The Bossier banner., 1893-05-25
MAY-TIME THOUGHTS.
A Seasonable Sermon by Rev. T.
Dewitt Talmage.
The Garden of Christ, Unlike Those oi
Man, Are Not Hedged About, But
All May Enter In and Par
take of It's Beauties.

T. Dewitt Talmage on the occasion Oh
his recent visit to Philadelphia to take
part in the ordination of his son, Kew.
Frank Talmage. 1t is based on the
text:
A fountain of gardens, well Of living'waters,
and streams from Lebanon.-Solomons song
iv., Is.
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 noun
tain; then, when the warm spring
weather came, the SHOWS melted ana
poured down the side of the mountain
side and gave great luxuriance 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-
sented as a garden, all up and down
the Word of God, and it is u figure spe-
cially suggestive at this season OF the
year, when the parks and the orchards
are about to put forth their blossoms,
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-tim 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: Moth
er, come quickly to the garden-come
now" The mother followed the child
to the garden, and the little child said:
Look here, mother! See, it is spelt all
over the grounds in flowers, "God is
Love-"
t'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 sparlsles on the
wave, lessons in stars on the sky, les
sons in flowers all over the earth.
Well, my friends, you know vely well
that there have been some beautiful
gardens created. There was the gar
den of Charlemagne, and you remem-
Der 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
aens. Henry w., at Montpelier, de-
creed that there should be flowers
planted throughout his realm and gar
dens laid out, and he specially decreed
that there should be Alpine pyrena 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 gardens are immortal; to al
the beauty of his place he added per
fection of art. Palisade and arch anC
Arbor and fountain and rustic temple
had their most wonderful specimens
and the oak and the hazel and the rich
est woods of the forest were planted il
that garden. He had genius and hs
had industry, and all his genius ant
al his industry he applied to the beau
tification of that garden. He gave fo
it fifteen hundred dollars and he solt
it at last for eighty-five thousand dol
lars, or what was equal to that mum
Der of dollars. 1t was an expensive
garden, laid out with great elabora
ton. And yet have to tell you nov
of a garden of vaster expense-the gar
den spoken of in my text-a fountain
of gardens with d stream from Let
anon.
Walter Scott had the great am
bition of his life to build Abbotsfor
and lay out extensive gardens roun
about it. 1t broke his heart that h
could not complete the work as he dc
sired it. At his last payment of one hur
dred thousand pounds, after laying ou
those gardens, and building that pa
ace at Abbotsford, at that time hi
heart broke, his health failed, and h
died almost an imbecile
A few years ago when l wake
though those gardens, and
thought at what vast expense they ha
been laid out, at the expense of tha
mans life, it seemed could see in tn
crimson flowers the blood of the ol
mans broken heart. But have to te
you now of garden laid out at vast,
expense-who can calculate that va
expense. Tell me, We women WI
watched Him hang; tell me execution
CTS WHO leu 1lLu uOWn,
me, thou sun that didst hide, and ,
rocks that did fall, what the laying o.
of this garden cost? This mornin
amid the aroma and brightness of Il
spring time, it is appropriate that
show you how the Church of Christ is
garden.
I remark, first, it is garden becau
of the rare plants in it. That would
strange garden in which there we
no flowers. If you can not find the
anywhere else, you will find them
the gateway.
If there be no especial taste and I
especial means, you will find there Il
hollyhock, and the daffodil, and Il
dahlia. If there be no especial mean
you will find the Mexican cactus, and Il
bluebell, and the arbutus, and the clu
ters of oleanders.
Flowers there must be in every ga
den, and have to tell you that in t
garden of the church are the rare
plants. Sometimes you will find t
violet, inconspicuous, but sweet
Heaven-Christian souls, with no D,
tense, but of vast usefulness, compa,