The Penn's Grove record., 1894-07-06
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THIE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun,
DAY SERMON.


Ing WOrin mas na1 q gr51t many Deautlfu
gardens. Chaarlemasns added to the glorl
OF his reign by decreeing that they be estab
hshed all through the realm-lecreeint
even the names of the flowers to be planted
there. Henry w., at Montpelier, estab-
lished gardens of bewitching beauty and lux
uriance, gathering into them Alpine, Pyren
can and French plants. One of the sweetest
spots on earth was the garden of SheH
stone, the poet. His writings have madt
but little impression on the world. but his
garden, "The Leasowes, will be immortal,
10 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 browning. Oak AMI yew and 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 tho adornment oil
that one treasured spot. He ave $500 fol
it. He so'dit for el7, 900.
And yet l anu to tel you ola richer gar len
than any l have mentioned. 1t is the gar
den spoken Of In my text, the garden of the
church, which belongs to Christ, for nv text
says so. He bought it, He planted it, He
own it, AMI He shall have 1t. Walter Scott,
In his outlay at Abbotstord, ruined his for
tune, AMI now, in the crimson flowers OF
Those gardens, you can almost think or i'm
agine that you sea the blood Of that old
uih ; urpNhl neafT. inc payment OF tne
tast 9l00, 900 sacrificed him. But l have to
ell you that Christ's life and Christ's
death were the outlay of this beau-
tiful garden OF the church OF which
my text speaks. Oh, how many signs and
tears aud bangs n a~goniesi Tell me, ye
women who saw Him hang Tell me, We ex-
ecutioners who lifted Him and let Him down.
Tell me, thou sun that di list hide, ye rocks
that fell "Christ lovel this church and
gave Himself Tor it," l.. then, the garden of
the church belongs to Christ, certainly He
has a right TO walk in it. Come, then, oh
blessed Jesus, this morning, walk up and
down these aisles and pluck what Thou wilt
OF sweetness for Thyself.
The church in my text is appropriately
compared to a 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. II nowhere else,
they will be along the borders or at the gate
way. The homeliest taste will dictate
something, II it be the old fashioned holly
hook or dahlia or daffsdil or coreopsis, but
II there be larger means then you will find
the Mexican cactus and dark veined arbu-
telion n blazing azalea AMI clustering
%oleander. Well, now. Christ comes to
His garden, and He plants there some OF
the brightest spirits that ever Powered
lpon the world, Some ofthem are violeis,
1 uucouSplGuDus nut 5WStl III n5uNou. lOu
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 bright
ening face of the invalid, and the sprig OF
| geranium on the stand, and the window cur
tains keeping 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
8 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 running in and out amid the crew
Ices. These Christians in Christ's gardens
are not like the sunfiower, gaudy in the
| light, but whenever darkness hovers over q
soul that needs to be comforted there they
stand, night blooming cereusss. But in
Christ's garden there are plants that may be
better compared to the Mexican cactus
thorns without, loneliness within--men with
sharp points Of character. They wound al
most everyone that touches them. They are
hard to handle. Men pronounce them npth-
Ing but thorns, but Christ loves them not
| outstanding all their sharpnesses. Many n
| man has had very hard ground to culture,
| and 1t has only been through severe toll no
| has raised even the smallest crop OF grace.
In this garden of the church. which Christ
has planted, 1 also find the snowdrop, bsau-
| tiful, but cold looking, seemingly another
/! phase ofthe winter. l mean those Christians
4 hip II DLNNloJ sA thNAA
| stoned, pure as snowdrops aud as cold. Tnay
never shed any tears ;they never get excited !;
| they never say anything rashly they never
do anything precipitately. Their pulses
never tlulter their nerves never twitch
their Indignation never boils over. They
live longer thar most people, but their ne
is In a minor key. They never run up to U
above the staff. In the music of their life
they have no staccato passages. Christ
! planted them in the church, and they must
be OF some service or they would not b. thHre.
Snowdrops,, always snowdrops.
But I have not told you OF the most bsau-
tiful flower In all this garden spoken OF in
the text. II you see a century p!aRt your
emotions are started. You say, "Why, his
flower has been u hundred years gathering
up for one bloom, and 1t will be u hundre |
years more before other petals come out"
But 1 have to tell you of a plant that was
gathering up from all eternity, and that 1900
years ago put forth its bloom never to wither.
1t Is the passion flower OF the cross, Proph-
cts foretold it. Bethlehem shepherds
looked upon it in the bud. the rocks shook
Ut is bufstuls, ian LIhe dett got np IL I l
winling sheets to soc Its fuii Oloo,u. Ii is
crimson iower-blood at the roots, blood on
the branches, blood on all the leaves. Is
perfume is to Ali all the nations. Its tou n
is life. Its breath is heaven. Come, O
winds, from the north, and winds from the
south, and winds from the east, and win Is
from the west, and bear to all the earth tas
sweet smelling SAVIOR Of Christ, my Lord
His worth, IL all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love Him too.
Again, the church may be appropriately
compared to a garden, because it Is a pas,
of select fruits. That would DO e strlu ;q
garden which had in it no berries, no pluma,
no peaches or a~pricots. The 3oNrser fru,t
are planted in the orchard, or they are sot
out on the sunny hillside, but the choicest
fruits are kept in the garden. So in tn,
world outside the church Christ has planta |
q great many beautiful things-patienc'.
charity, generosity, integrity-but He intenl l.
the choicest fruits to be In the garden, an |
IL they are not there then shame on the
church. Religion is not a mere flower
ing sentimentaiity. It is a practical lii
giving, healthiul fruit-not posies, hui
apples. "0h! says somebody, 81 don't
see what your garden OF the church IN
yielded" Where did your asyluml
come from, AMI your hospitals, and your
institutions OF mercy? Christ planted every
one OF them He planted them In His gar
den. When Christ gave sight to Blrtimeui 1,
He laid the cornerstone OF every bltl |
asylum that has ever been built. WI. "a
Christ soothal thu demoniac OF Galilee, ii
laid the corn 3rstone of every lunatic asyiu 4
that has ever been established. Whsa
Christ slid to thu sick man, Take up tay
bed and WALK He laid the cornerstone OF
every hospital the world has ever seen.
When Christ said, 81 was iu prison, and W
visited NJ" He laid the cornerstone Of
every prison raform association that his
ever been Formed. The church OF Christ is
a glorious garden, and 1t is full OF fruit. [
know there is some poor fruit In it. I
know there arc some weeis that ous1t
Ito have been thrown over ths fe1ca.
III know there are some crab1ppli
trees that ought to be cut down. | k1o@
IAlU.D 80 ..,1, u,flH ~ranag fbat NInhf q, IA
Iuproote1, but arc you going to destroy In
whole garden because. of a little gnArisi
fruit2 You will fin I worm eaten leaves in
Fontainblelu and inssets that sting in the
! fairy groves OF the Champs Ely5ees. You 10
not tear down or destroy the whole glr-
den because there ares few specimens OF
ignarled fruit. / admit there are men and
women In the church who ought not TO be
there, but let Us DO just as frank and a limit
the fact that thers are hundreds n thou