The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-05-10
1MAY-TIME THOUGHTS"
Rev. DR.. Talmage Dictates a Ser.
mon on a SeasonSble Topic.
The Church of Christ Repi ssented ms q
(. Garden In which Are the Rarest
Plants and Flowers-Gospel Les
sons All Around Us Tho
sWks. Mexican Cactus. "a


ticipating in the ordination of his son
to the ministry, Rev. DR.. Talmage die.
tated the following sermon on timely
and seasonable topic, MAY Time
Thoughts" the text selected being the
words of Solomon's Song, iv., Is:
"A fountain OF gardens, awell 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 noun
tain; 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 garden, all up and down
the Word of God, and 1t is fig
ure specially suggestive at this season
of the year, when the parks and Or
cbards are about to put forth their
blossoms, and the air is filed 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 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, "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 ground in flowers, God is
Love-"
!. Q, my friendsl II 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 'Ajars on the sky,
lessons 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 Charlie
magne, and you remember that this
king ordered gardens laid out all
through the realm, and decided by de-
cree of government what kind of flow
ers should be planted in those gardens.
Henry w., at Montpelier, decreed that
there should be flowers planted
throughout the realm, and gardens 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 all the beauty Of his
place he added perfection of art. Pali-
sade and arch and arbor and fountain
and rustic temple had their most won
derful specimens, and the oak and the
hazel and the richest woods OF the
forest were planted in that garden. He
had geniusand he had industry, and all
his industry he applied TO the beautif-
cation of that garden. He gave for IL
81, 500 and he sold it at last for $s5, 900,
or what was equal TO that number of
dollars 1t was an expensive garden,
laid out with great elaboration. And
yet / have TO tell you now of a garden
of vaster expense-the garden spoken
of in my text-a fountain of gardens
with the streams from Lebanon.
Walter Scott had the great ambition
of his. life TO build Abbotsford and lay
out extensive gardens round about It.
II broke his heart that he could not
complete the work as he desired it. At
his last payment of 100000, after lay
ing out those gardens, and building
that palace of Abbotsford, at that time
his heart broke, his health failed, and
he died almost an imbecile.
A few years ago, when walked
through those gardens, and thought
at what vast expense of that mans
life, it seemed could see in the Grim
son flowers the blood of the old mans
broken heart. But have TO tell you
now of n garden laid out at vaster ex-
can calculate that vast ex-
pense? Tell me, ye women who watched
Him hang; tell me, ye executioners
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 SPRING
time, II is appropriate that show you
how the church OF Christ is a garden.
remark first, IL is garden because
Of the rare plants in IL. That would be
strange garden in which there were
no flowers. II you cannot find them
anywhere else you will find them along
the paths, and you will find them at
the gateway.
II there be no especial taste and no
especial means, you will find there the
hollyhock, and the daffodil, and the
dahlia. II there be no especial taste
and no especial means, you will find the
Mexican cactus, and the blue-bell, and
the arbutus, and the clusters Of oleand-
ers. fffl .ftI
Flowers there must be in every gar
den, and l have to tell you that in the
garden OF the church they are the rar-
est plants. Sometimes you will find the
violet, inconspicuous, but sweet as
Christian souls, with no pre-
tense, but Of vast usefulness, compara-
lively unknown on earth, but TO be glo-
rious In celestial spheres. violets and
violets all the time. You cannot tell
where these Christians have been, save
by the Frightening face Of the invalid,
or the steaming tureen on the stand