Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-05-08
MAY TIME THOUGHTS
REV DR.. TALMAGES SERMON IN PHILA-
DELPsIa.
n. Ordination Of dis son to The Ministry.
A Ssasonable e.ai Powerful Dis
curse plcaid By the Eni-
p.A brooklyn Divine

pu.LADELPHIA, May REV. DR..
1,[lmage is in this city to-day, partiei-
Dating ia the services at the ordination
Of his son, Rev. Frank TalmaRe, TO the
ministry. He has dictated the follow
ing sermon Oh a timely and seasonaoie
topic, "May-Time Thoughts" the text
selected being the beautiful words or
Solomon's Song, 4; Is, "a fountain OF
gardens, q well Of living waters, and
streams from Lebanon.
some Of the finest gardens or olaen
times were to be found 81 the foot or
Mount Lebanon. Snow descended, and
winter whitened the top OF the noun
tain: then, when the warm spring
weather came, the SHOWS melted and
poured down the side OF the mountain,
aud gave great luxuriauce 70 the gar
dens az the foot; and you see now the
allusiou of my text, when it speaks Of
the fountain Of gardens, and streams
from Lebanon.
Again and again the church Is repre-
sented as garden, all up and down
the Word OF God, and IL is figure spe-
cially suggestive at this season OF the
year, when the parks and the orchards
are about to put forth their blossom,
and the air is filed with bird-yoiees.
MOTHER WISHED
to impress her child with the love OF
God; and so in the spring-time, after
the ground had been prepared In the
garden, she took Z handful Of flower
seed, and scattered these seeds in the
shape Of letters all across the bed OF
the garden Weeks passed by, and the
rains and the sunshine had done their
work, and one day the child come in
and said, Mother, come quickly 20 the
Qarden-come now" The mother fol-
lowed the child to the garden, and the
little child said, "LoOk here, mother!
see, it is spelt all over the ground in
flowers. God is love,
0 my friendsl il we only had faith
enough, we could see Gospel lessons all
around and about us-lessOns ia shells
on the beach, lessons in sparkles on the
wave. lessons in stars on the sky, les
sons in flowers all over the earth.
Well, my friends, you know very
well that there have been some beautl-
ful gardens created. There was the
garden Of Charlemagne, and you re-
member that this king ordered gardens
laid out all through the realm and de-
cided by decree OF government what
kind OF flowers should DO planted in
those gardens. Henry ~, at Mont
pellier, decreed that there should be
flowers planted throughout his realm,
and gardens laid of, and he specially
decreed that there should be Alpine
pyrena and French plants. ShenstOne,
the poet, was more celebrated for his
gardens than his poetry; his poetry has
faded from the ages for tho most part,
but his gardens are immortal; to all the
beauty Of his place he added
PERFECTION AND ART.
Palisade and arch and arbor and foun-
tain and rustic temple had their most
wonderful specimens, and the oak and
the hazel Aud the richest woods OF the
forest were Mnted in that garden.
isenius aRtNs ha3 industry, and
all bis genius and all his industry, he
applied 20 the Identification OF that
garden. He gave for IL 81. 500 and he
sold il at last for SIS. 900, or what was
equl to that number of dollars. 1t was
an expensive garden, laid out with
great elaboration. And yet / had to
tell you now Of garden Of vaster ex-
panse-the garden spoken Of IN my
text-a fountain Of gardens with the
streams from Lebanon.
Walter Scott had the great ambition
of his life 10 build AbbOtsfOrd and lay
out extensive gardens round about il.
1t broke his heart that he could not
complete the work as he desired il. At
his last payment Of 100000, after lay
ing out those gardens aud building that
palace of Abbotsford, at that time his
heart broke, bis health failed, and he
died almost an imbecile.
A few years ago, when 1 walked
through those gardens, and l thought
at what vast expense they had been laid
out. at the expense OF that mans life,
il seemed l could see in the crimson
flowers the blood OF the old mans
brokA heart. But have TO tell you
now garden laid out 50 vaster ex-
pe who can calculate that vast ex-
2 Tell me, ye women who watch
I'M hang, tell me, ye executioners
Ylifted and let him down; tell me,
On sun that didst hide, and ye rocks
hat did fall, what the laying out Of
Us garden did cost. This morning,
the aroma and brightness Of the
kgtime, il is appropriate TO show
pw the Church Of
CHRIST Is A GARDEN.
lark first, IL a garden because
are plants in it. That would
kange garden in which there
flowers. II you cannot find
where else you will find them
paths and you will find them
eway.
- be no especial taste and no
ci2l means, you will tind there the
yhOck and the daffodil and the
)hlia. II there be no especial taste
I'D no especial means. you will find the
Mexican cactus, and the blue-bell, and
he arbutus, and the clusters OF Olsand-
RS.
Flowers there must be in every gar
en-, and ] have to tell you that in the
arden of the church are the rarest
ants. Sometimes yeu will find the
olet, incOnspicuOus, but sweet as
Aeaven-Christian souls, with no pre-
ence, but OK vast usefulness, compare
vely unknown on earth, but to be
lorious in celestial spheres. ViOlets
nd violetS all the time. You cannot
ell where these Christians have been,
avs by the Frightening face Of the In
aid or the steaming tureen on the |
Rand near the sick pillow, or the new |
curtain that keeps out the glare OF the /
un fg5I6 the poor mans cot. Such /
ehaTScters are perhaps better typihed !
pyfhe ranunculus which goes creeping /