The Globe-republican., 1893-05-12
THE CHURCH A GARDEN.
DR.. Talmsge Discourses on May
Time Thoughts.
The Cactus. the ..Giant 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 timely and seasonable topic,
''May-time Thoughts" the text being
the words of Solomon's Song, iv. Is.
"A fountain of gardens, we'll of Ev-
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 figure specially
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 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 a
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 garden-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 we'll
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
| o1,1,, Tod 70, nd
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 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
garden. He gave for it $1,000 and hi
sold it at last for $4,000, or what was
equal to that number of dollars. II
was an expensive garden, laid out with
great elaboration. And yet l have tC
tell YOU now of a 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 build Abbotsford and lay
out extensive gardens round about it
It broke his heart that he could no
complete the work as he desired it. A
his last payment of 100000. 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 ad 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 ex
pense? Tell me. We women who watcher
him hang: tell me, We executioners 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 l show yo
, how the church of Christ is garden.
remark, first. it is a garden becaus
of the rare plants in it. That would b
, strange garden in which there wer
> no flowers If you cannot find ther
,, anywhere else, you will find them alon
. the pathways and you will find them a
, the gateway.
If there be no especial taste and n
o especial means, you will find there tn
: hollyhock. and the daffodil. and tn
dahlia If there be no especial means
:. YOU viii find the Mexican cactus, an
the bluebell. and the arbutus and tn
clusters of oleanders.
Flowers there must be in every ga
den. and have to tell you that in tn
!. garden of the church are the rare.
= plants. Sometimes you will find tn
\ violet. inconspicuous. but sweet &
! Heaven-Christian souls, with no pr
, tense. but of vast usefulness, compar'
. lively unknown on earth, but to /
: glorious in celestial spheres Viole
a and violets all the time. You came
! %Loea Christians have hoe,