Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-05-08
MAYTTME THOUGHTS.
DR.. TACMAGE SENDS OUT A SEASONA-
BILE SERMON.

Is Drawn From the Mountains, the
Woods and the FieIds-Lessans of the
Season.
PHILADELPHIA, May REV. DR.. Tai
mage is in this city today participating
in the services at the ordination of his
son, Rev. Frank Talmage, to the minis
try. He has dictated the following SER
mon on a timely and seaSOnable topic,
'sMaytiIne Thoughts, the text selected
being the beautiful words Of SOlomon's
Song iv, IS. "a fountain of gardens, a
well of living waters and streams from
LebanOn:"
Some of the finest gardens of olden
times were to be found at the foot of
Mount Lebanon. Snow descended, and
winter whitened 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
1uxuriance to 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 Lebanon.
Again and again the church is repre-
scented as a garden all up and down the
word of God, and it is q figure specially
when the parks and the orchards are
about to put forth their blossom and the
air is filled with bird voices.
A 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 a handful Of
flower seeds 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 came in and
said, Mother. come quickly to the gar
den-cone now" The mother followed
the child to the garden, and the little
child said: Look here, mother. See! It
is spelled all over the ground in flowers.
God Is Love-"
GOD IN EVERYTHING.
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 if sparkles on the
wave. lessons in stars on the sky. lessons
In flowers I'll over the earth.
Well. my friends, you know very well
that there have been some beautiful gar
dens created. There was the garden Of
Charlemagne, and you remember that
this king ordered gardens laid out all
through the realm and decided by de-
cree of government what kind Of flowers
should be planted in those gardens.
Henry " at MOntpellier d6creed that
there should be flowers planted through
out his realm and gardens laid out, and
he specially decreed that there should be
Alpine pyrena and French plants Shen-
stone, the poet. was more celebrated for
his gardens than for his poetry His po-
etry has faded from the ages for the most
part, but his gardens are immortal. To all
the beauty Of his place he added perfec-
ton Of art. Paisade and arch and arbOr
and fountain and rustic temple had their
most wonderful specimens. and the oak,
and the hazel and the richest woods Of
the forest were planted in that garden.
He had genius. and he had industry, and
all his genius and all his industry he
applied to the Identification OF that gar
den He gave for it 81 500, and he sold
it at last for 295,000, or what was equal
TO that number Of dollars. It was an
expensive garden. laid out with great
elaboration And yet | have to tell you
now Of d garden Of vaster e1pense-the
garden spoken Of IN my te1t-a fountain
of gardens with the streams from Leba-
non.
Walter Scott had the great inhibition
of his life 10 build AbbotsfOrd and lay
out extensive gardens round about it. It
broke his heart that he could not com
plete the wor!, IS he desired it. At his
last payment OF 10000 after laying
out these gardens and building that pal
ace of AbbotsfOrd. at that time his heart
broke. his health failed. and he died al
most an inbecile.
THE GARDEN OF DELIGHTS.
4 few years ago, when l walked through
those gardens and I thought at what
vast expense they had been laid out-a1
the expense Of that mans life--it seemed
/ could see II the crimson flowers tn:
blood Of the old mans broken heart
But I have to tell you now Of q garde1
laid out at vaster expense. Who ca1
calculate that vast expense? Tell me
We women who watched him hang
tell me, We executioners who lifted an6
let him Down; tell me, thou sun tina
didst hide and ye rocks that did fall
what the laying out Of this garden cost
This morning, amid the aroma ant
brightness of the springtiTne, it is appro
pirate thaL snow you now Ine CuuFcl
of Christ is q garden.
| remark first 1t is q garden because 0
the rare plants in it. That would be
strange garden in which there were NJ
flowers. IF you cannot find them any
where else, you viii find them along tn
paths, and you viii find them at tn
gateway.
If there be no especial taste and no es
pecial means, you viii find there TIT
hoIlyhoclz. and the dafodil, and the dab
liz. If there be no especial taste and II
especial means, you VIII find the Mexican
cactus. and the bluebell, and the arbutus
and the clusters of oleanders.