Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-07-06
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON
Subject: "The Royal Garden. "

| gardens. ChRSrlemaRne added TO the glory
Ot hts reign by decreeing that they be estab-
lishei all through tho realm lscreeinR
evrn the names Of the flowers to be planted
there Henry ~, 1T Montpelier, estab-
lishei gar lens of bewitching beauty and lux
uri-nc-. gathering into them Alpine, Pyren-
can an French plants. One Of the sweetest
spots on earth WAS the garden OF Shsn-
stone, tue poet. His writings have male
but little impression on the world, hut his
garden, THE LsasOwes, will be immortal.
To the natural advantage OF that place was
brought the perfection of art Arbor and
terrace aud slope and rustic temple and
reservoir ami urn AMI fountain here had
their srowning Oak an ysw AMI 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 oil
that one treasured spot. He gave 1900 Tor
II. He sold IL for Ei7,0 900.
AMI yet | am to tell YOU ola richer gar len
than any 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 80. He bought 1t, He planted it, He
owns It, aul He shall have IT, Walter Scott,
In his outlay at Abbotsford, ruined his for
tun-, aud now, In the crimson flowers OF
/ thos" gardens, you can almost think or i'm
| acins that you sea- the blood OF that old
mans broken heart. The payment OF the
| last tlOO. 900 sacrificed him. But | have to
tell YOU that Christ's life and Christ's
death were the outlay OF this beau
| timl garden OF the church of which
my text speaks. oh, how many signs and
tears and pangs ana Lgoniesl Tell me, we
women who SAW Him hangi Tell me, ye ex-
-"utioners who lifted Him and let H lin down
Tell me, thou sun that didst hide, ys rocks
! THAI "ChFist loved the church and
gave Himself for it, II. then. the garden of
the church belongs to Christ. certainly He
, has n right to walk in IL. 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 NY text Is appropriately
comp red toa garden because 1t Is place
OF choice flowers, of select fruits and OF
thorough irrigation.
That would be u strange garden in which
there were no flowers II nowhere else,
they will be along the borders or at the gate
wtY. The homeliest taste will dictate
10 netting, IL II be the old fashioned holly.
| hooi or dahta or dalrsdil or coreopsis but
| u there be larger means then you will find
the Mexican cactus and dark Y-ined Rrhu-
frlion and blazing aZalea AMI clustering
o-anier. Well, now. Christ comes TO
His gat-.,n, AMI Hs plants there some OF
the brightest spirits that ever Powered
! upon the world. So NJ OF them are vioI.ts
un"onsptcuous. but sweet in heaven. You
! have to search for such spirits 70 lin | them
You 10 not see them very often perhaps. but
You iind where they have bAen by the bright
enln : lace III the invalid, an the spriy of
Seran,um on the stand. an the window eur
taius keeping out the glnre Of tho sunlight.
They are perhaps more like the ranunculus,
creeping sweetly along amid the tnorns AMI
briers Vi life, giving kiss for sting an many
a man who has had IN his way some great
black rock OF trouble has founi that they
hav" covered it all over with towering
jasmine running IN and out amid the crew
Ices. These Christians in Cnrist's gardens
are not like the suuiower, gau " in the
light but whenever darkness hovers over
soul that needs to be comforted there they
stand, night blooming cercuseS. But In
Christs garden there are plants that may be-
better compared to the Mexican cactus
thorns without, loveiness within-men with
sharp points OF character They wound al
most everyone that touches them. They are
hard to handle. Men pronounce them moth
ing hut thorns, but Christ loves them not
withstan Ting all their sharpnesses. Many a
| man has hal very hard ground to culture
aud 1t has only been through severe toll he
| mas raised even the smallest crop OF grace
In this gar. len OF the church. which Christ
has planted, also tini the snowlrop, beau
TIM. but cold looking, seemingly another
phase OF the winter. mean those Christians
VINO are precise in their tastes, uuimpas.
stoned, pure ~ snOwdrops and as cold. Hney
never shed any tears they never get excite
they never say anythin; rashy they nevei
do anything preaiptateIy Their pulses
never hutter their nerves never twitrh
their in ilgnAtlon never bolts over rne;
live longer than most people, but their life
Is Ia minor key They never run up 10 &
above the stan. In tho music OF their life
they have no staccato passages. Chris.
Pantel them in the church, aud they mdst
bs Of some service Or they would not be there
Snowjrop-, always snowdrops.
But haze not told you OF tue most beau
tiui dover in 4 this Xar.ltu spoken OF in
the text 1t YOU see Il century plant YOU
emotions ARE started. You say, "Why, thus
flower has be ~ hun lrt-t years gathering
up for one bo) II. au it will bs u hundred
Years more before Other petals comj out"
But nave to tell you OF a plant that wIs
gathering up fro II all eternity ani that 1897
years ago put forth its bloom never to witner
It's the pass on Hover OF the cross Proph
ets forrtnli It. Bethlehem shepherd
lookel upoa 1t IN tho bud, the rocks shoe!
at its bursting, and the dead got I'D In thei
winding sheets to see Its full bloom, 1t Is a
crimson fower-blood at the roots, blood on
the branches, bloc on all the leaves. Its
perfume Is to till all the nations Its touch
Is lie. Its breath is heaven. Come. o
winds. from the north. and winds from the
south, aud winds from the east. and winds
from the west, and bear to all the earth tho
sweet smelling SAVIOR Of Christ, my Lord.
Hts worth, II all the nations knew
sure the whole earth would TOYS Him too
Again, the church may be appropriately
compared To garden, because II Is a place
OF select fruits. That would be a strange
garden which had III II no berries no plums
no peaches or apricOts. The aoarser fruits
are planted In the orchard, or they are set
out on the sunny hillside but the choicest
fruits are kept in the garden. SO In the
world outside the church Christ has planted
a great many beautiful things-patienca,
charity, generosity, integrity-jut He intends
tue choicest fruits to be In the garden, aud
II they are not there then shame on the
church. Religion Is not a mere flower
ing sentimentality. 1t Is practical lite
giving, healthfu fruit-uot posies. but
apples. "Oh" says somebody, az don't
see what your garden OF the church has
yielded. Where did your asylums
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 Bartmeus,
he laid the cornerstone OF every blind
asylum that has ever been built. When
Christ soothed tho demoniaG OF Gtilee, He
laid the CONVERSIONS OF every unltlc asylum
that has ever been established. When
Christ satd to the sick MIN, Take up thy
bed AMI walk" He laid tho cornerstone Of
every hospital the world has ever seen.
When Christ said, II was In prison, and va
visited Me-, He laid the corn srstone OF
every prison reform ssoeiaton that has
ever besn formed. The church OF Christ ia
glorious garden, AMI 1t is full OF fruit. I
know there Is some poor fruit In 1t.
know there ara 80 no wseis that ought
TO have been thrown over the fence.
know there are some crabapple
trees that ought 10 be cut down. [ know
there are SONS will grapes that ought TO be