Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-07-13
REV. DR.. FALMAGE
The Eminent Brooklyn Divina'S San-
day Sermon.
subject: "The Royal Garden

SOiOmOn OOnyV., L.
The world has hal great many beautiful
gardens. Chaqrler7ayns addel TO tho glory
OF his r1ign by decreeing that they be estab.
lishel all through the realm lecreeing
even the nrnes OF the flowers to be plante
there. Henry ", at Montpelier, estah-
lishe1 glrlens OF bewtching heautyan lux.
uriqnca gathering into them Apinn, Pyr'n-
can an French plants. One OF the SWEETEST
spots on earth WAS the garlen OF Shen-
stone, the poet. His writings have ma 10
buttittle impression on the world, but his
garden, "The Leasowes, will be immortal.
To tho natural a Vantage OF that place was
brought the perfection of art. ArbOr AMI
terrace AMI SLOPE AMI rustic temple and
reservoir AMI urn and fountain here had
their browning. Oak an yew an hlzsl put
forth their richest foliage. There wasno life
more diligent, no soul more ingenious thar
That OF ShenstOne. AMI all that diligence an
genius were brought to the adornmpnt OF
that one treasured spot. He gave $500 fol
ii. He soidit for gl7O)0.
An yet am to tel you OF richer gar len
than any have mentioned. 1t is the gar
den spoIan OF in my text, tho girlan OF tho
church, whch belongs to Christ. for nv text
says SO. He bought it, He plante it, Hs
owns it, anil IIe shall have ii. Walter Scott.
in his outlay at Abbots'or J, ruins1 his for.
tuni, an nov, in the crimson flowers OF
those gar lens, You can almost think or i'm,
agne that you see the bloc OF that Old
mans broken heart. The payment OF the
last 800. 00) sacrificed him. But l have TO
tell you that Chrisl's life and Christ'5
depth were the outlay OF this beau"
tisdl garlen OF the church of which
my text speaks. Oh, how many signs AMI
tears and plngs AMI agoniesl Tell me, ys
women who SAW Him hang! Tell me, ye ex.
ecutoners who lifted Him and let Him down
Tell me. thou sun that didst hide, ye rocks
that fell "Chrjst love the church an
gaze Himself for it, II. then. the garleu OF
the church belongs to Christ. certainly Hs
blessed Jesus. this morning. walk up AMI
down these aisles AMI pluck what Thou wilt
oisweetnsss for Thyself
The church in MY text is appropriately
compared 10 gar len. because it is a place
OF choice flo Hers, OF select fruits AMI OF
thorough Irrigation.
That woull be a strange garlen in which
there wera no flowers. II nowhere else,
they will be along the borlers or at the gate.
way. The hOmeliest taste will dictate
something, If it be the oil fashioned holly.
hook or dahlia or dafredii or coreopss, but
Il there he llrger means then you will fln1
tel'On and blazing azalea an clustering
oleanler. Well, now, Christ comes to
His garden, and He plants there sone Of
the brightest spirits that ever Powered
upon he world. Some of them ara violeis,
un conspicuous, but sweet in heaven. You
have to search for su;h spirits to 1lul them.
You do not see them very often perhaps, but
YOU find where they have bsen by the bright
enng face of the invalid, au | the sprlg OF
gerdnium on the stand, AMI the window cur
ta'ns keeping out the glare OF tho sunlight.
They are perhaps more like the ranunculus,
creeping sweetly along amid the thorns AMI
br'ers OF life, giving kiss for sting, and many
4 man who has had in his way some great
black rock OF trouble has founl that they
have covered it all over with Towering
jasmine running in an out amid the crew.
Ices. These Christians in Ohrist's gardens
are not like the sunflower, gau ly in the
light, but whenever darkness hovers over
soul that needs to be comforted there they
staud, night blooming cereu5es. But in
Christs garden there are plants that may be
better compared to the Mexican cactus
thorns without. lOveiiness withih--nen with
sharp points OF character. They wound al
most everyone that ton ,hes them. They are
hard TO hlndle. Men pronounce them moth
ing but thorEs. but Christ loves them not
wthstan ling all their sharpnesses. Many u
man has hal lory har1 ground TO culture,
AMI it has only been through severe toll he
has raisel even the smallest crop OF grace.
In this gar len Of the church. whichNChrist
has planted, 1 also ln1 the snowdrop, beau
tiful, but cold looking, seemingly another
phase Ofthe winter mean those Christians
who ara precise in their tastes, unimpas-
stoned, pure as snow lrops and as cold. They
never shed any tears they never get excited
they never shy anything rdshly they never
do anything precipitately. Their pulses
never fuiter; their nerves never twitch
their in iign1tion never boils over. They
live longer than most people, but their life
Is in minor key. They nevel run up TO U
above the staff. In thu music of their life
they have no stac:aio passages. Christ
psnte them in the church, and they must
be of 50 NJ service or they would not be there.
Snowirops, always snowdrops.
But have not told YoI OF the most belu-
tiiGl flower in al this garden spoken OF in
The text Ii you see Il century plant your
emotions are started You say, "Wny, this
bower has BEEN hun lrel years gathering
no foc one boo n. an it will be hundred
years more bsfote otner petals coma out"
Bat hlv1 to tell You o. plant that was
gathering up fro NIL eternity aud TINT 1900
years ago put forth its bloc never 10 wither.
Ii is the pass on flower 0 the cross proph.
cts foretOll it. Bethlehem shepherds
'ooEel upoa it in thu bu the roaSs shoos
at its bursting, AMI the deaG got up in their
winding sheets to see its full bloom. 1t is
crimson fiower-5lood at the roots, blood on
the branches, hlool on all the leaves. It's
perfume is to Ill all the nations. It's touch
is life. Its breath is heaven. Come, o
winds, from the north, and winls from the
south, and winds from the east. an l winds
from the west, and bear to all the earth tho
sweet smelling slvor OF Christ, my Lord.
His worth, il all the nations knew,
Sure the waols earth would love Him too.
Again. the church may be appropriately
compared TO garden, because it is place
Of select fruits. That would be strange
garden which had in it no berries, no pums,
no peaches or apricots. TIE coarssr fruits
are planted in the orchard, or they are set
out on the sunny hillside, but the choicest
fruits are kept In the garlen. So in the
world outside the church Christ has planted
a great many beautiful things itienca,
charity, generosity, integrity-5ut He intends
The choicest fruits to be in the gar len, anil
If they are not there then shame on the
church. Religion is not a mere flower
ng sentlmentality. 1t is a practical lite
giving, healthful fruit-not posies, but
apples. Goa" says somebody, az don't
zee what your garden OF the church has
yielded" Where did your asylNns
come from, au1 your hospitals, and your
Institutions Of mercy? Christ planted every
me OF them He planted them in His gar
len. When Christ gave sight to Bartimeus,
He laid the cornerstone of every blind
lsylum that has ever been built. When
Christ soothed the demoniac Of Galilee, He
Pid the cornerstone Of every lunatic asylum,
nat has ever been established. Whan
Christ said to the sick man, Take up thy
bed AMI walk " He laid the cornerstone OF
very hospital the world has ever seen.
When Christ said, az was in prison. an "a
listed NJ" He laid the cornsrstons Of