The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-05-19
TIE CHURCH 4 GARDEN.
DR.. Ta-mage Discourses on May
Time Thoughts.
Tho Cactus. the aGiant of Battles the
Snowdrop and the Violet as Rep
resentative of Christian
Dispositions

While in Philadelphia attending the
ordination of his son to the ministry
the first Sunday in May, Rev. T. Dewitt
Talmage dictated the following sermon
on a timely and seasonable topic,
''Mav-time Thoughts" the text being
the words OF SOlOmon's Song. iv. 10,
"a fountain of gardens. a well of iv-
ing waters, and streams from Leb-
anon"
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 mount
ain: then. when the warm spring
weather came. the SHOWS melted and
poured down the side of the mountain
and gave great luxuriance to the gar
dens 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-
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 blossoms, and
the ali i filed with bird voices
4 mother wishes 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
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 one day
the child came in and said: Mother.
come quickly to the gardeu-comen 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
On. my friends. If we only had faith
enough. we coull see gospel lessons all
around and about us-lessons in shells
on the beach. lessons IN sparkles on the
wave, lessons n 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
"a Charlemagne. and you remember
that this king ordered gardens laid out
all through the realm. and decided by
decree Of government what kind of
lowers should be planted in those gar
dens. Henry ". at Montpelier. de-
creed that there should be flowers plant
ed throughout his realra and gardens
laid ont. and he especially decreed that
there should be Alpine pyreaa and
French plants Shenstone, the pOet,was
more celebrated for his gardens than for
his poetry; his poetry has faded from
the ages for the most part. but his gar
dens are immortal; 90 all the beauty Of
his place he added perfection of art.
PahSade and arch and arbor and fount-
ain 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
al rs CeniEs and al his industry he
applied TO the Identification OF that
garden. lie gave FOR It $500 and he
sold It at last for SS5.OoO. or what was
equal 70 that number OF dollars. 1t
was AZ expensive garden. laid out with
great elaboration And vet I have to
tell you now Of a garden OF vaster ex-
pease-the garden spoken of in my
text-a fountain Of gardens with a
stream from Lebanon.
Walter Scott had the great ambition
OF his life TO build Abbotsford and lay
cut extensive gardens round about it.
L broke his heart that he could not
complete the work as he desired 1t. At
his last payment OF 500, 600. after lay
inc ont those gardens and building that
palace of AbbotsfOrd. at that time his
heart broke, his health failed. and he
died almost an imbeciIe-
y few years ago. when 1 walked
through those gardens and I thought
81 what vast expense they had been
laid out. At the expense Of that mans
LIE, Il seemed / could see in the Grim
son flowers the blood OF the old mans
broken heart But have to tell YOU
now Of a garden laid out at vaster ex-
pense-who can calculate that vast ex-
pense? Tell ne. We women who watched
him hang; tell me, We executioners who
lifted and let him down: tell me, thou
sun that didst hide. and We rocks that
did fall what the laying out OF this
garden did cost This morning. amid
the aroma and brightness of the spring
time. II ! appropriate that l show you
how the church of Christ is a garden
remark. first II Is q garden because
OF the rare plants in Il That would be
a strange garden in which there were
no flowers II you cannot find them
anywhere else you viii find them along
the pathways and You VIII find them at
the gateway.
II there be no especial taste and no
especial means, you viii find there the
hollyhock. and the daffodiI. and the
dahlia- IF there be no especial means,
you viii find the Mexican cactus. and
the bluebeIl- and the arbutus and the
clusters Of oleanders.
Flowers there must be in every gar
den and have to tell you that IN the
garden of the church are the rarest
plants Sometimes you viii find the
violet, ineonspieuous, but sweet as
Heaveu-Christian souls. with no pre-
tense, bat Of vast usefulness, compare
lively unknown on earth. but 70 be
glorious in celestial spheres Violets
and violets all the time You cannot
tel where these Christians have been.
save BY the frightening face of the il
valid or the steaming tureen on the
stand near the sick pillow, or the new
curtain that keeps out the glare Of the |
sun from the poor mans cot Such |
characters are perhaps better typifed |
By the ranunculus that goes creeping |
between the thOrns and the briars of /
this life, giving kiss for sting; and |
many q man has thought that life be 1
fore him was black rock Of trouble, |
and f0undit covered all over with de- |