The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1893-05-13
TILE CHURCH A GARDEN.
DR.. Talmage DiscOurses ON May
Time Thoughts.
The Cactus, tho Gia of Battles" the
Snowdrop and the Violet as Rep
rescntatiVe of Christian
Dispositions.

Dispositions.
While in Philadelphia attending the
ordination of his son to the ministry
the first Sunday in May, Rev. Il. Dewitt
Talmagc dictated the following sermon
on a timely and seasonable topic,
"May-time Thoughts" the text being
the words of Solomon's Song, Nv. 10,
"a fountain of gardens, u well OF llv-
inc waters, and streams from Lcb-
anon"
Some of the finest gardens of oldcn
times were to BE- found at the foot of
Mount Lebanon. snow descended, and
winter whitcned the top of the mount
ain: then, when the warm spring
weather came, the SHOWS melted and
poured down the side of the mountain
and cave great Insurance to the gar
dens at the foot, and you see low the
~allusiou of my text when it speaks OF
the fountain of gardens and streams
from Lebanon.
Again and again the church is repre-
santcd as IL garden, all mp and down the
Word of God, and it is figure specially
SilIIt'StlNt III lillN 1tsifN''ll VI bilt tti :
when the parks and the orchards are
about TO put forth their blossoms, and
the air is filed with bird voices.
a mother wishes Ia Impress her child
with the love OF God, and SO, in the
spring-timc, after the ground had been
prepared in the garden, she took Il
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 sun
shine had done their work, and n day
the child came in and said: Mother,
come quickly to the gardeu-come now"
The mother followed the child to the
garden, and the little one said: Look
here, mother! See, it is spelt all over
the ground in flowers, God is Love-"
Oh, my friends, if we only had faith
enough, we could see gospel lessons all
around and about us-lessons in 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 beautiful
gardens created. There was the garden
of Charlemagne, and you remember
that this king ordered gardens laid out
all through the realm, and decided by
decree of government what kind of
flowers should be planted in those gar
dens. Henry w., at Montpelier, de-
creed that there should be flowers plant
ed throughout his realm and gardens
laid out, and he especially decreed that
there should be Alpine pyrena and
French plants. Shenstone, the poet, was
more celebrated for his gardens than fol
his poetry; his poetry has faded from
the ages for the most part, but his gar.
dens are immortal; to all the beauty Of
his place he added perfection of art
Palisade and arch and arbor and fount
ain and rustic temple had their most
wonderful specimens, and the oak an(
the hazel and the richest woods of the
forest were planted in that garden. III,
had genius and he had industry, ant
all his genius and all his industry he
applied to the Identification of tina
garden. He gave for it $500 and h,
sold it at last for SS5, 900, or what wa!
equal to that number of dollars. i
was an expensive garden, laid put will
great elaboration. And yet / have t.
tell you now of Il garden of vaster eX
pense-the garden spoken of in my
text-a fountain of gardens with
stream from Lebanon.
Walter Scott had the great ambition
of his life to builS Abbotsford and 1ay
out extensive gardens round ah1lASRt
1t broke his heart that he could no
| complete the work as he desired it. A
his last payment of -e100, 900, after lay
ing out those gardens and building tina
palace of Abbotsford, at that time hi
heart broke, his health failed, and h
died almost an imbecile.
A few years ago, when l walked
through those gardens, and though
at what vast expense they had beer
laid out, at the expense of that man
life, it seemed / could see in the Grim
son flowers the blood of the old man.
broken heart. But have to tell yol
now of a garden laid out at vaster eX
pense-who can calculate that vast eH
pense? Tell me, we women who watche,
him hang; tell me, yc e2ecutioners VIII
lifted and let him down; tell me, tho
sun that didst hide, and We rocks tina
did fall, what the laying out of thi
garden did cost. This morning, ami
the aroma and brightness of the sprin
time, it is appropriate that | show yo'
how the church Of Christ is u garden.
/ remark, first, it is n garden becaus
of the rare plants in it. That would h
a strange garden in which there wcr
no flowers. If you cannot find then
anywhere else, you will find them alon
the pathways and you will find them q
the gateway.
If there be no especial taste and n
especial means, you will find there til
hollyhock, and the daffodil, and tn
dahlia. If there be no especial means
you will find the Mexican cactus, an
the bluebell, and the arbutus and til
clusters of oleandcrs.
Flowers there must be in every ga
den, and | have to tell You that in I'll
garden of the church are the rare.
plants. Sometimes you will find I'll
violet, inconspicuous, but sweet 4;
Decentralization souls, with no pr
tense, but of vast usefulness, compar;
lively unknown on earth, but to I
| SlOTIOuS III SIlSobidi SphSiCn' iolt
and violets all the time. You cam,
tell where these Christians have bee
save by the frightening face ef the il
valid, or the steaming turee5k II
stand near the sick pillow Of ne ne
curtain that keeps out the 3 u
sun from the poor mani
characters are perhaps betfef <X0{fs
by the ranunculus that g6S ettf@fif
between the thorns and fhe3hfiars
this life, giving a kiss for sting, Oh
many n man has thought hal life b
fore him was n black rock of troubl
and foundit covered all over with d
lightsome jessamine of Christian syI
pathy.
In this garden of the Lord find Il
Mexican cactus, loneliness with
thorns without, men with great shar
ness of behavior and manner, but wit
in them the peace of God, the love
God, the grace Of God. They are han
men to handle, ugly men to touch, ven
apt to strike back when you stril
them, yet within them all loveline!
and attraction, while outside so cor
plet2ly unfortunate. Mexican cactt
all the time.
Said Il placid elder to a Christia
minister: Doctor, you would do we
to control your temper All" sal
the minister tn fbn nJuni1 nlInr {