Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-07-12
THE ROYAL GARDEN
THE GARDEN OF THE CHURCH
WHICH BELONGS TO CHRIST.

THE GARDEN OF THE CHURCH
WHICH BELONGS TO CHRIST.
Flowers of All Kinds Some of Which
Grow Themselves, While Others
Need Constant OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Fruits of the Garden.
Brooklyn, N. Y, Spccial.-Rev. DR.
Talmage who is now nearing Australia
on his round-the-world journey, has Sc
lected as the subject for his sermon,
through the press to-day, '"The Royal
Garden" the text being taken from
Solomons Song v. i: Il am como into
my garden"
The world has had great many
beautiful gardens. Charlemagne added
to the glory of his reign by decreeing
that they be established all through the
misunderstanding even the names Of the
flowers to be planted there. Henry ".
at Montpelier, established gardens of
bewitching beauty and luXuriance, gath
ering into them Alpine, Pyrenean and
French plants. One of the sweetest
spots on earth was the garden of Shen-
| stone, the poet. His writings have
made but little impression on the world:
but his garden, 1.-The Leasowes," will
| be immortal. To the natural advan-
tages of that place was brought the
perfection Of art. Arbor and terrace,
and slope and rustic temple, and reser:
voir, and urn, and fountain, here had
/ nnlx on6
hazel put forth their richest foliage.
There was no life more diligent, no soul
more ingenious than that of Shenstone,
and all that diligence and genius were
brought to the adornment Of that one
treasured spot. He gave 1900 pounds
for it; he sold it for 1900. And yet,
1 am to tell you of richer garden than
any have mentioned. 1t is the garden
of the Church, which belongs to Christ,
for my text says so: He bought it, he
planted it, he owns it, and he shall have
it. Walter Scott, in his outlay at Alb
botsford, ruined his fortune; and now
in the crimson flowers Of those gar
dens, you can almost think OF imagine
that YOU see the blood of that old
mans heart. The payment of the last
100000 sacrificed him: But l have to
tell you that Christ's life and Christ's
death were the outlay Of this beauti-
full garden of the Church of which my
text speaks. Oh, how many signs, and
tears, and pangs, and agonies! Tel me,
We women who saw him hang! Tell me,
We executioners who lifted him and
let him down! Tell me, thou sun that
didst hide, We rocks that tell! Christ
loved the Church, and gave himself for
it," If then the garden OF the Church
belongs to Christ, certainly he has q
right to walk in it. Come then, U
blessed Jesus, this morning walk up
and down these isles, and pluck What
thou wilt of sweetness for thysef."
The church in my text, is appropri-
ately compared to garden, because it
is a place of choice flowers, of select
fruits and of thorough irrigation.
That would be a strange garden in
which there were no flowers. If no.
where else, they will be along the bor-
ders, or at the gateway. The home
Hest taste will dictate something, ii 1t
be the old-fashioned holly-hock, or dah-
liza, or daffodil, or coreopsis; but II
there be larger means, then you Will
find the Mexican cactus and dark
veined arbutelion, and blazing azalea,
and clustering oleander. Well, now,
Christ comes to his garden and he
plants there some of the brightest spir-
it's that ever Powered upon the world.
Some of them are violets, unconspicu-
GUS, but sweet in heaven. You nave TO
search for such spirits to find them.
You do not see them often, perhaps
but you will find where they have been
by the frightening face of the Invalid,
and the sprig Of geranium on the STAND
and the window curtains Keeping out
the glare of the sunlight. They are,
perhaps, more like the ranunculus,
creaping sweetly along amid the thorns
and briars of life. giving kiss for sting,
and many q man who has had in his
way some great black rock of trouble,
has found that they have covered it
all over with Towering jasmine run
ming in and out amid the crevices.
These Christians in Christ's gardens
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 cere-
uses. But in Christ's garden there are
plants that may be better compared
to the Mexican cactus-thOrns with
out loneliness within-men with sharp
points of character. They wound al
most every one that touches them,
They are hard to handle. Men pro-
nounce them nothing but thorns, but
Christ loves them, Notwithstanding
all their sharpness. Many man has
had very hard ground to cultivate, and
it has only been through severe toll he
has raised even the smallest crop Of
grace.
In this garden Of the church,
which Christ has planted 1 also find
the snow-drops, beautiful but cookbook
ing, seemingly another phase of the
winter. 1 mean those Christians who
are precise in their tastes, >, un nj lp9s
stoned, pure as snowdrops and as cold.
They never shed any tears. they never
get excited, they never say anything
rashly, they never do anything precipi-
lately. Their pulses never futter, their
nerves never twitch, their indignation
never boils over. They live longer than
most people; but their life is in mi.
nor key. They never run up to &C"
above the staff In the music of their