Democratic messenger., 1893-05-13
IN FIELD AND WOOD.
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE'S THOUGHTS SuG-
GESTED BY MAYTIME.

Beautiful Imagery of the Bible Drawn
From the Woods and FicIds-The Gar
den of the Lord Open to All Who Will
Enter.
PHILADELPHIA. May 7.-Rev. DIR. Tai
mage is in this city today, participating in
the services at the ordination of his son.
Rev. Frank Talmage. to the ministry He
has dictated the following sermon on n
timely and seasonablc topic. "Maytime
Thoughts" the text selected being the
beautiful words of Solomon's Song iv, l5
~ fountain of gardens. a well of living
waters and streams from Lebanon"
Some Of the finest gardens of olden times
were TO be found ut the foot of Mount Leb
anon Snow descended. and winter whit
ened the top of the mountain. Then when
the warm spring weather came the SHOWS
melted and poured down the side of the
mountain and gave great !uXuriance 10 the
gardens at the foot. and you see now the
allusion OF my text when it speaks of the
fountain of gardens and streams from I.eb
anon
Again and again the church is repre-
sented as "A garden all up and down the
word of God, and it is a figure specially
suggestive at this season of the year, when
the parks and the orchards are about To
put forth their blossom and the air is filled
with bird voices
A MOTHERS DEVICE
y mother wished TO impress her child
with the love of God. and 50 in the spring
time. after the ground had been prepared
III The garden, she took Il handful of flower
seeds and scattered these seeds in the shape
of letters across the hed of the garden
Weeks passed by. aud the rains and the
sunshine had done their work, and one day
the child came in and said. Mother, come
quickly To the gartien-comc now" The
mother followed the child To the garden
and ihc little child said: Look here
mother! Scel 1t is spelled all over the
ground in flowers, God Is Love-"
Oh. my friends. il we only had faith
enough. we could see gospel lessons all
around and about us-lessorts in shells on
the beach, lessons III sparkles on the wave
lessons in stars on the sky. lessons in flow
ers all over the earth.
Well, my friends. you know very well
that there have been some beautiful gar
dens created There WAS the garden of
Charlema.nc, and you remember that this
king ordered gardens laid ont all through
the realm and decided by decree of govern
ment what Kind of flowers should he planted
in those gardens. Henry " at Montpcl
ier decree, that thcr. should be flowers
planted throughout his realm and gardens
laid out, and he specially dccreed that there
should he Alpine pyrcta and French plants
Shensi one, the poet. w;t> more celebrated for
his gardens than for his poetry. Ills spociry
has failed from the ages for the most part.
but his gardens are immortal To all the
beauty OF his place he added perfection of
art. Palsa,e and arch and arbor and foun
tain and rustic temple had their most won
derful specimens. and the OAK and the hazel,
and the richest woods Of the forest were
planted i'll that garden. lie had genius and
he had industry. and all his genius and all
his industry he applied To the Identification
OF that garden He gave for il 81 800, and
he sold 1t AT last for $500 or what was
equal To that number of dollars IL was an
expensive garden. laid out with great elab
oration Ard yet have to tell You now of
Il garden OF va>ter expense. the garden
spoken OF i'll my text. IL fountain Of gardens
with the streams from Lebanon.
AFFECTING STORY OF WALTER SCOTT
Walter Scott had the great ambition of
his life TO build Abbotsford and lay out ex
iensiye gardens round about il. IL broke
ms heart that he could not complete the
work ;is he desired it. At his last payment
of ti0.0n. after laying out those gardens
and bni,iing that palace Of Abbotsford. at
that time his heart broke. his health failed
and he dieti almost an imbecile.
y few wears ago. when walked through
those gardens and Thought mt what vast
expense they had been laid out-at the ex
pcusc of that mans ifc-it seemed could
see in the crimson flowers the blood of the
old mans broken heart. But have To tell
you now of garden laid out mt yaster ex-
se-who can calculate that vast expense?
Tell me. yc women who watt tchcd him hang
tell me, yc eXecutioners who lifted and let
him down. tell me. thou sun that didst
hide and yc rocks that did fall. what the
laying out ol tins garden cost? This morn
ing, amid the aroma and brightness of the
sprinsiimc. it Is appropriate that ] show
you how the church of Christ is garden
| remark first il Is IA garden because of
the rare plants III it. That would he IA
strange garden in which there were no flow
ers II you cannot find them anywhere
else. you will find them along the paths
and you will find them ut the gateway
Ii there be no especial taste and no espc
ciai means. you will find there the holly
hook. and the datfodil. and the dahlia II
there he no especial taste and no especial
means. you will find the Mexican cactus
and the bIucbcll. and the arbutus. and the
clusters of oleslu,ierS
THE GARDEN oF THE LORD
Flowers there must he in every garden
and have To tell yon that in the garden Of
Z Ia. church ar,. fh.. r;ar,.sf rlnnfS Snna
times You will find the violcts. inconspicu
ous. but sweet as hcavcn-Christian souls
with no pretensc. but of vast usefulness.
comparatively unknown on earth. but to be
glorious in celestial spheres. Violets and
violetI all the time Iou cannot tell where
these Christians have been save by the
Frightening face of the invalid. or the steam
ing turcen oa the stand near the sick pill
low. or the new curtain that keeps out the
glare OF the sun from the poor mans cot.
Such characters are perhaps better typified
by the ranunculus which goes creeping be
tween the thorns and the briers of this life
giving Kiss for a sting. and many a man
has thought that life before him was a
black rock of trouble and found il covered
all over with ,iclightsome jasmine of Chris
tian sympathy
In this garden of the Lord find the Mex
.can cactus, loveliness within, thorns with
out, men with great sharpness of behavior
and manner. but within them the peace of
God, the love of God. the grace Of God
They are hard men to handle, ugly men TO
touch, very apt To strike back when you
strike them, Yet within them all loveliness
and attraction, while outside so completely
unfortunate. Mexican cactus all the time
Said a placid elder To IA Christian minis
ter. Doctor. you would do better to con
troll Your temper" AIR said the minis
ter to the placid elder, Il control more TEN
per in five minutes than you do in five
years These people. gifted men. who
have great exasperation OF manner and
seem 10 he very different from what they
should he. really have in their souls that
which commends them To the Lord, Mcxi
Eau cactus all the time. Soa man said tn
me years ago. DO Won think ought to be
! have been great sufferer from dry
4