The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-07-04

lected as the subject for his sermon
through the press today. THE Royal
Garden" the text being taken from Solo
mons Song V. l. Il am come. into my
garden
The world has had a great many beau
tifu gardens. Charlemagne added TO the
glory Of his reign by decreeing that they
be established all through the realn-de-
creeing even the names of the flowers
to be planted there. Henry ". at Mont
pelIier, established gardens of bewitch-
ing beauty and luxuriance. gathering into
them Alpine, Pyrenean and French
plants. One Of the sweetest spots on
earth was the garden of Shenstone, the
poet. His writings have made but little
impression on the world. but his garden,
1.-THE Leasowes." will be immortal. TO
the natural advantage OF that place was
brought the perfection of art. Arbor and
terrace and slope and rustic temple and
reservoir and urn and fountain here had
their crowning. Oak and yew and hazel
put forth their richest foliage. There was
no life more diligent, no soul more in
genious than that of Shenstone, and all
that diligence and genius were brought
to the adornment OF that one treasured
spot. He gave 1900 for it. He sold it for
f17000
The Garden of the Church.
And yet I am to tell you of a richer
garden than any I have mentioned. 1t
is the garden spoken of in my text, the
garden of the church. which belongs to
Christ, for my text says so. He bought
it, he planted it Walter Scott. in his
outlay at AbbotsfOrd, ruined his fortune
And now in the crimson flowers of those
gardens you can almost think or imagine
bq no pr6 Of ~ MS
broken heart. The payTsant Of the last
100, 900 sacrificed him. But j have TO
tell you that Christ's life and Christ's
death were the outlay Of this beautiful
garden of the church Of which my text
speaks. Oh, how many signs and tears
and pangs and agonies, Tell me. We
women who raw Him hangi Tell me, We
executioners who lifted Him and let Him
downi Tell me. thou sun that didst hide
ye rocks that fell Christ loved the
church and gave Himself for it," If,
then. the garden of the church belongs To
Christ, certainly He has a right to walk
in IT. Come, then, . blessed Jesus, this
morning. walk up and down these aisles
and pluck what thou wilt of sweetness
for thyesf
The church, in my text, is appropriate
" compared TO a garden, because it is a
place of choice flowers. of select fruits
and of thorough irrigation.
Christ, the Gardener.
That would be a strange garden in
which there were no flowers. If nowhere
else. they will be along the borders or
at the gateway. The homeliest taste
will dictate something, il it be the old
fashioned hollyhock or dahlia or daffo-
dill or coreopsis. but if there be larger
means then you will find the Mexican
cactus and dark veined arbutelion and
blazing aZalea and clustering oleander
Wen, now. Christ comes to His garden,
and He plants there some of the bright
est spirits that ever lowered upOn the
world. Some of them are ViOlets I'M
conspicuous, but sweet i'm heaven. You
have To search for such spirits to find
them. You do not see them very often
perhaps but you find where they have
been by the Frightening face Of the in
valid. and the sprig of geranium on the
stand. and the window curtains keep
ing out the glare Of the sunlight. They
are perhaps more like the ranunculus
creeping sweetly along amid the thorns
and briers Of life. giving kiss for sting
and many a man who has had in his
way some great black rock Of trouble
has found that they have covered il all
over with Towering jasmine running in
and out amid the creViceS. These Chris
tians in Christs garden are not like
the sunflOwer, gaudy in the light, but
whenever darkness hovers over a soul
that needs to be cOmforted there they
stand, night blooming cereuses. But In
Christ's garden there are plants that
may be better compared to the Mexican
cactus-thOrns without. loveliness with |
tn-men with sharp points of character
They wound almost every one that
touches them. They are hard 10 han
die Men pronounce them nothing but
thorns, but Christ loves them, notwith-
standing all their sharpnesses. Many a
man has had very hard ground to cult
ure, and II has only been through Sc
we're toll he has raised even the smallest
crop of grace.
Concerning Temper.
A very harsh minister was talking with
a very placid elder, and the placid elder
said to the harsh minister, Doctor. do
wish you would control your temper"
"Ah." said the minister to the elder. CT
control more temper in Eve minutes than
you do in five years" 1t is harder for
some men to do right than for others to
do right The grace that would elevate
you 10 the seventh heaven might not
keep your brother from knocking a man
down. had a friend who came to me
and said. Il dare not join the church,
said, "Why?' oh" he said. II have
such violent temper. Yesterday morn
ing L was CROSSING very early at the
Jersey City ferry, and 1 saw milkman
pour large amount OF water into the
milk can. and I said 10 him, I think
that will do and he insulted me. and 1
knocked him down do you thing |
ought 10 join the church," Nevertheless
that very same man, who was so harsh
In his behavior, loved Christ and could
not speak Of sacred things without tears
of emotion and affection. Thorns with
out, but sweetness within--1s1s best
specimen Of Mexican cactus ever saw
There are others planted in Christfs gar
den who are always ardent, always radi-
ant, always impTessiye-more like the
roses Of deep hue that we occasionally
find called giants OF battle"-the Martin
Luthers, ST. Pauls, ChrysOstOms, Wyk-
Ifs, Latimers and Samuel Rutherfords
What in other men is a spark, in them is
a confagratiOn- When they sweat, they
sweat great drops Of blood. When they
pray, their prayer takes fire. When they
preach. it is a Pentecost. When they
fight It is a ThermOpylae. When they
die. It Is a martyrdom. You find a great
many roses in the gardens, but only a
few giants Of battle" Men say, why
don't you have more of them In the
church," / say why don't you have
in the world more NapOleons and Hum
boldts and Wellingtons?" God gives to
some ten talents TO another one.
The SnOwdrOp of Christians.
In this garden Of the church, which
Christ has planted, also find the snow
drops. beautiful but cold looking, SEEM
ingly another phase Of the winter /
mean +hoea Cbrfaffopc xaybo ~ y,roofca. T.,