Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-05-08
.MAYTfME THOUGHTS.
on. TALMAee SENDS OUT A seAsoNA.
BLe SERMON.


nov very Largely the Poetry Of the nib.
| IL Drawn From the Mountains, tbs
woods and the Fieids-Is..ons n IN,
Season.
PHILADELPHIA, May REV. DR.. Tai.
page IL 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 timely and seasonable topic,
'Maytime Thoughts" the text selected
being the beautiful words of Solomon's
Song iv, 10, "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
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 garden all up and down the
word of God, and tits 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 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 q 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-come now" The mother followed
ths child to the garden, and the little
child said: Look here, mother. See! 1t
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 in sparkles on the
wave, lessons in stars on the sky, lessons
in flowers 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
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 Nv at Montpelier decreed 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-
,try has faded from the ages for the most
part, but his gardens are immortal. To all
;he beauty of his place he added perfec-
ion Of art. Palisade and arch and arbor
md fountain and rustic temple had their
most wonderful specimens, and the oak,
md the hazel, and the richest woods of |
he forest were planted in that garden.
lie had genius, and he had industry, and
III his genius and all his industry he
applied to the Identification of that gar
len. He gave for it 81 500, and he sold
t at last for $85, 200, or what was equal
% that number Of dollars. It was an
expensive garden, laid out with great
elaboration. And yet have to tell you
low of garden of vaster expense-the
garden spoken Of in my text-a fountain
If gardens with the streams from Leba-
,en.
Walter Scott had the great ambition
II his life to build Abbotsford and lay
nut extensive gardens round about it. 1t
,roke his heart that he could not COM
,lete the work as he desired it. At his
asst payment of 100000, after laying
'ut these gardens and building that pal
zee of Abbotsford, at that time his heart
,roke, his health failed, and he died al
most an imbecile.
THE GARDEN OF DELIGHTS.
A few years ago, when walked through
hose gardens and l thought at what
'ast expense they had been laid out-at
he expense of that mans life--it seemed
could see in the crimson flowers ths
Hood of the old mans broken heart.
,ut have to tell you now of garden ,
aid out at vaster expense. Who can
that vast expense? Tell me,
Q women who watched him hang;
ell me, ye executioners who lifted and
st him down; tell me. thou sun that
idst hide and ye rocks that did fall
vhat the laying out of this garden cost. {
his morning, amid the aroma and {
Brightness of the springtime, it is appro-
riate that l show you how the church
{ Christ is q garden.
remark first 1t is a garden because Of {
he rare plants in it. That would be a I
trange garden in which there were no ,
overs II you cannot find them any
here else. you will find them along the I
aths, and you will find them at the J
ateway.
If there be no especial taste and no es- 9