Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-07-18
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
gHE BROOKLYN DiVINE,S SIN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "rhe Royal Garden"

TEXT ''I have come into Ny garden."-
So!omon's Songv..1.
The world has had great many beautifr
pariens- Chaariemagne aided to the glor,
OF mss rei@n by decreeing that they be estab
Hshed all through the reaIm-Iecreeini
even the names Of the flowers to be planted
there. Henry w., at Montpelier, estab.
hshed gardens OF bewitching beauty an Iu K
urhnce, gathering into them Alpine, Pyren.
can AMI French plants. One OF the sweet ),
spots on earth was the garden of Shen.
stone, the poet. Ills writings have ma /,
Int little impression on the world, but his
garden. "Ihe 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 crowninS. Oak an yew and hazel put
forth their richest foliage There was no life
more dIi!Sent, no soul more ingenious than
that OF Shenstone, and all that diligence and
genius were brought to the adornnent Of
that one treasured spot He gave goo fol
II. He sold il for el7.0JO.
And yet am to tell you Of richer ylr len
than any l have mentioned. 1t is the gar
den spoken OF in my text. the .,lrIen OF the
church, which belongs to Christ, for nv text
says so. He bought it. He planted it, He
owns ii. ani He shall have il. Walter Scott.
'AA h'o OAAitty hDDDiSiOrl, ruined MS Tor.
tune, and now, in the crimson n0yerS OF
those gardens. you can almost think or i'm
agine that you see the bloc OF that old
mans broken heart. The payment OF the
last 100000 sacrificed him. But | have to
tell you that Christ's life AMI Christ's
death death were the outlay. of this beau-
tiiui 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 ex-
ecutioners who lifted Him and let Him down
Tell me, thou sun that di ist hide, ye rocks
that fell! Christ Lowell the church and
gave Himself for it," II. then, the gar len Of
the church belongs to Christ. certainly He
has right TO walk in it. Come. then, oh
blessed Jesus, this morning. walk up and
down these aisles AMI puck what Thou wilt
OF sweetness FOR rhyssif.
the church in my text Is appropriately
comparef to a garden. because it is q place
OF choice flowers, OF select fruits and Of
thorough irri cation.
Ihat wouli be u strange gar Ian in which
there were no flowers. II nowhere else
they Will be a'on- the Dor ler5 or at the gate
way. the homcliest taste will dictate
90 oucthing, ii it he the old fashioned holly
hook or dnhlia Or daTolil or coreopsis, but
u there be llrEsr means then you will find
the Mexican cactus AMI dark veined arbu-
teIion and blazing azIlea anl clustering
oleander. Wei, now. Christ comes to
His garden, AMI lie plants there some of
the brightest spirits that over fowerel
npon the world. Soma of them arc violets.
unronspicuous, but sweet in heaven. You
have to search for such spirits to find them.
fou do not see them very often perhaps, but
you hnI where they have been by the bright
eninS face Of the inyriil, ami the spriy of
E-raniun on the stand, IN the window cur
tains keeping out the glare OF the sunlight.
They are perhaps moro like the ranunculus,
creeping sweetiy along amid tho tnorns and
brI"rs OF life, giving kiss for sting, and many
man who has had in his way some great
black rock OF trouble has found ;,that they
have covered it all over with Towering
IaSuin" running in AMI out amid the crew
Ices. These Christians in Christ's gardens
nco not like tha sunliower, gauly in the
II INT, Dut whenever darkness hoyer5 over q
soul that needs 10 be comforted there they
stan |, night blooming cereuses. But in
Cbrist's I,lrleu there are plants that may be
better compared 10 the Mexican cactus
thc-ns without, lOveiines5 withiu--nen with
sharp points Of character. They wound al
most everyone that touches them. They are
hard 10 handle. Men pronounce them moth
Ing but thOrns. but Christ loves them not
wit1stan1iny all their sharpnesses. Many
man has had very harl ground to culture,
and 1t has only been through severe toll he
has raised even the smallest crop OF grace.
in this Garlen OF the church. which Christ
has piaTtel. l also fin ! the snowdrop, beau
t'ul, but cold looking, seemingly another
phase d the W uter. L mean those Christians
who are precise in their tastes, unimpas-
stoned. pure as snowdrops and as cold. They
never shed any tears they never get excited
they never say anything rl5dly, they never
do anything preripitate!y. Their pulses
never futter their narv.s never twitch
their Indignation never boils over. They
live longer than most people, but their life
is in Il minor key. They never run up to G
above the staff. In the music OF their lifo
they have no staccIto passages. Christ
plantei them in the church, and they must
Ds Of soma service or they Won I'd not be there
SDow,irops, always suowlrops.
Bat have not told you of the most beau
tiTuI flower in al this garlen spoken OF in
the text. Ii you see century plant your
emotions are started. You say, "Why, this
flower uas been hundred years gathering
up ior one bloom. auI it will bs n hundrei
yrlrS more be ore Otne- petals coma out"
But have 10 tell you of plant that was
gathering Up rom all eternty, AT that 1909
yeats ago put iOrth its bloom never to wither.
JIi,Tn- pass on Hover OF the cross' Proph.
cts forrtold 1t. Bethlehen shepherds
looked -,uon il in the bu l. the rocks shook
~ jr~ pur-l.u. .. IN the deaf got up in rr,.,t
win ling sheets to see its full bloom. Ii is p
crimson fower-hioOi at the roots. blood on
the ,rInc1rs. hoo on aIl tho leaves. Its
perfume il to III all the nations. IFS tou'n
: life. It's breath is heIyrn. Come. o
winds, fro u the north, anl winls from tn,
south. ant win Is from tho east. an win l.
from the II. an I hear TO all ths srrth the
sweet smelling tvor OF Christ, my Lori
Hts .vnrJr. r AL hs nations know.
Sure the ~ 4, earth W ,uii love II n 200.
Again. the clurrh may bs appropriately
compared 10 4 gar len. because it is "a pa',
o i''rt fruits. That womb he q s.rIn "a
gar .'n wrjcn ha in it no berries, no pluns,
no D.l'u.'s or apricDts. The cOprS.r frI,tS
are p;aniei in thu orchard, or they ara set
out on the sunny hillside. but tn. choices
fruits are kept IN the Sarlen. So in the
worll outside the church Christ has planted
great many beautiful thin ,s-pltiansa.
charity, generosity, integrity-5ut He inten Is
ths choicest fruits TO be in the gar len, ani
If they are not there then shane tne
church. Religion is not n mere any r.
in; sentiu"utIlity. 1t is a pricIicu lite
giving, he1'thful fruit-not posies, but
apples. "OIr' says somebody. 'I don't
see what you- l;lr len of the church has
yielded Wnere did your asyIuns
come from, AMI your hosoitals. AMI your
Institutions OF mercy? Christ pl .utei every
one OF them Hs planted them in His gar
den. When Christ gave si-.lt 10 Il trtImsuI,
He laii tho rornrrS'oIs OF every bin |
asylum that has evsr been built. Wa.u
Christ soothel the tle,nSnia. OF GIlilea. He
laid the CORNERSTONE OF svHry luuItic asylum
that has ever been establish ii. WhaD
Christ slii to the sick man, Ttks up thy
ned an walkn' He lail tho cornerston, OF
every ho-pital the world has ever seen.
When Christ sail, "I was in prison. IN Y,
VISITED NJ" He laid the cornerstone OF
every prison rpinrm assosiation thft has
ever cen formed. The church OF Christ il
u glorious gar ter. an it is full OF fruit. |
know there is some poor fruit in II. L
know there ars Sd no wss IS that ought
TO h1ys bHNn t1rOVl ov.r ths fence.
know tucC3 are some cribappie
trees that ought TO bo cut down. L know
there are some wild grapes that ought TO be
un-oote !, but ara You going to destroy the
wnols garlen because of 4 little Snarled
fruit2 You Will iint worm elten leaves in
Fontainoleau and insects that sting in the
Iii rr-cnr-ns o. tkn NJ ..-.a. W..