Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1893-05-24
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIyINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.


TEXT: a fountain ofgdrdcnS, neR ot
RUing ,cdters and streams from Lebanon. ~
Solomons Song w., ID.
Some Of tho finest gardens of olden times
were to be found at the foot of Mount Lee
banon. Snow descended and winter whitencd
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 luxurianco to the gardens nt
the foot, and you sec now the allusion of NV
text when it speaks Of the fountain of gar.
dens and streams from Lebanon.
Again and again the church Is represented
as garden all upand down the word of God
and it Is II figure specially suggestive at this
season OF the year, when the parks and the
orchards arc about TO put forth their blossom
and the air is filled with bird voices.
mother wished to impress her child with
the love of God and so in the sprinr-timn
after the ground had been prepared in tho
garden, she took handful Of lower seeds
and scattered these seeds in shape of letters
all across the bed 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 CAR
den-comc now" The mother followed tho
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 -"
on, my friends, If we only had faitb
| enough wo could see Gospel lessons nil
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 TINT
there have been some beautiful gardens
created. There was the garden of Charlie
magne 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 gardens. Henry ". at Montpellicr
| decreed that there should be flowers planted
throughout his realm and gardens laid out.
and he specially decreed that there should be
Alpine pyrana and French plants. Shen-
stone 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 arc immortal. To all the
beauty of his place he added perfection OF
art. Palisade and arch and arbor and
fountain and rustic temple had their
most wonderful specimens, and the oak,
ana the hazel, and the richest woods of the
forest were planted in that garden. He had
genius, and he had industry, and all his gen
ius and all his industry he applied to the
Identification Of that garden. He gave for
it $500, and he sold it at last for Ss5 900. or
what was equal to that number of dollars
II was an expensive garden. laid out with
great elaboration. And yet haveto tell You
now OF q garden OF vaster cXpanse--the gar
den spoken of in my tCXt-a fountain OF gar
dens with the streams from Lebanon.
Walter Scott had the great ambition OF his
life to build Abhotsford and Law ont extensive
gardens round about it. If broke his herrt
that he could not complete the work az he
desired it. At his last payment of $1,000
after laying out these gardens and building
that palace OF Abbotsford. at that time his
heart broke, his health failed, and he died
almost an imbccile.
A few years ago, when | walked through
those gardens and thought at what vast eX-
pense they had been laid out-at the expense
of that mans life-t seemed could see in
the crimson flowers the blood Ct the old
mans broken heart. But have to tell you
now of garden laid out at vaster expense
Who can calculate that vast expense? Tell
me, we women who watched Him hang tell
me, we executiOncrs who lifted and let Him
down tell me, thou sun that didst hide and
ye rocks that did fall, what the laying out of
this garden cost. This morning, amid the
aroma and brightness of the springtimc. ii is
appropriate that | show you how the church
Of Christ is a garden.
remark first it is a garden because OF the
rare plants in it. That would be n strange
garden in which there were no flowers. If
you cannot find them anywhere else, you will
lind them along the paths. and you will find
them at the gateway.
II there hc no especial taste and no Cs-
pecial means, you will find there the holly
hook, and the dafodil. and the dahlia. If
there be no especial taste and no especial
means, you will find the Mexican cactus, and
the bluebelI, and the arbutus. and the cus-
tiers OF Oleanders.
Flowers there must be in every garden, and
have to tell you that in the garden of the
church are the rarcst plants. Sometimes
you will find the violet, incOnspicuous, but
sweet as heavcn--Christian souls with no pre-
tense, but of vast usefulness. comparatively
unknown on earth, but to be glorious in
celestial spheres Violets and violets all the
time. You cannot tell where these Christians
have been save by tho Frightening face of the
invalid, or the stcaming tureen of 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 bet :
ter typiiicd by the ranunculus which goes
creeping between the thorns andthe briers Of
this life, giving a kiss for a sting, and many
a man has thought that life before him was {.
black rock of trouble and found it covered
all over with delightsome jasmine OF Chris
tan sympathy
In this garden of the Lord 1 find the MeXi.
can cactus, loneliness within, thorns with
out. men with great sharpness Of behavior
and manner. but within them the peace Of
God, the love OF God, the grace of God.
They are hard men to handle, ugly men to
touch very apt to strike back when you
strike them, yet within them all loveliness
and attraction. while outside so completely
unfortunate. Mexican cactus all the time.
Said placid elder to q Christian minister,
"DoctOr, you would do better to control your
temper" "Ah," said the minister to tho
placid elder, Il control more temper in five
minutes than you do in five years" These
people, gifted men, who have great eXaspera-
ton OF manner and seem to be very different
from what they should be- really have in
their souls that which commends them to the
Lord. Mexican cactus all the time. SO a
man said to me years ago: "Do you think
l ought to become n member OF the church?
have such a violent temper.
Yesterday | was crossing Jersey City
ferry. 1t was very early in the morning, and
l saw milkman putting large quantity OF
water into his can, and | said That is
enough sir, and he got Off the cart and in
suited me, and | Knocked him down. Well"
said he, "do You think could ever become
Christian" That man had in his soul the
grace OF the Lord Jesus, but outside he was
full OF thorns. and full of brambles, and full
of eXasperations but he could not hear the
story OF Saviour mercy told without hay
ing the tears roll down his cheek. There was
loneliness within, but roughness outside.
Mexican cactus all the time
But remember in boyhoOd that we had in
our fathers garden what we called the Giant
OF Battle, peculiar rose, very red and very
fiery. Suggestive flower, it was called the
Giant OF Battle. And so in the garden OF the
Lord we find that kind Of nower-the Pauls
and Martin Luthers, the Wyclifs, the John
knoxes-giants Of battle. What in other men
Is spark, IN them is n conlagration. When
they pray, their prayers take fire when they
suHer, they sweat great drops of blood when
they preach, 1t is pentecost when they
hight, 1t is Thermopyl@; when they die,
It is martyrdom-giants Of battle. You say,
why have we not more Of them in the church
OF Christ at this time?" Ianswer your ques-
ton by asking another, "Why have we not
more Cromwels and Humboldts in the world?"
God wants only n few giants OF battle. They
do their work, and they do it well.
But | find also in the church Of God n
plant that l shall call the snowdrop. yery
beautiful, but cold. 1t is very pure pure as
the snowdrop, beautiful rs the snowdrop
and as cold ms the snowdrop. No special
sympathy. That kind OF man never loses
his patience; he never wecps. he never
flashes with anger he never utters rash