The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-07-13

He Bought It, He Planted Tt, He
Owns It-Dr. TaImage's Sermon.
Rev. DR., Talmage selected as the
subject for his sermon through the
press Sunday THE Royal Garden" the
text being taken from SOlomon's Song
'. /, Il am come into my garden"
The world has had a 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 lux
uriance, gathering into them Alpine,
Pyrenean and French plants. One of
the sweetest spots on earth was the gar
den Of Shenstone, the poet. His writ
ings have made but little impression
on the world, but his garden, "The
Leasowes, viii be immortal To 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 and
yew and hazel put forth their richest
foliage. There was no life more dill
gent, no soul more ingenious than that
of Shenstone, and all that diligence
and genius were brought to the adorn-
ment of that one treasured spot. He
gave 1900 for it. He sold it for e17, 900.
And yet I am TO tell you of a richer
garden than any have mentioned. It
is the garden spoken of in my text, 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 Abbottsford, ruined his
fortune. And now in the crimson
flowers of those gardens you can al
most think or imagine that you see
the blood of that old mans
broken heart The payment of
the last 100000 sacrificed him. But
have to tell you that Christ's life and
Christ's death were the outlay of
this beautiful garden of the church of
which my text speaks. Oh, how many
sighs and tears and pangs and agonies!
Tell me, We women who saw him hangl
Tell me, ye executioners who lifted
him and let him dropl Tell me, thou
sun that didst hide We rocks that fell!
Christ loved the church and gave him
self for it" If, then, the garden of
the church belongs to Christ, certainly
he has a right to walk in it. Come,
then. o blessed Jesus, this morning,
walk mp and down these aisles and
pluck what thou wilt of sweetness for
myself.
The church, in my text, is appropri-
ately compared to a garden, because it
is place of choice flowers, of select
fruits and of thorough irrigation.
That would be strange garden in
which there were no flowers. If no.
where else. they will be along the bor-
ders or at the gateway. The homeliest
taste viii dictate something, if it be
the old fashioned hollyhock or dahlia
or daffodil or coreopsis, but if there be
larger means then you will find the
Mexican cactus and dark veined arbu-
telion and blazing azalea and clustering
oleander. Well, now, Christ comes to
His garden, and he plants there some
Of the brightest spirits that ever flow
cred upon the world. Some of them
arc violets, unconspicuous, but sweet in
Heaven. You 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 brighten
ing face of the invalid, and the spriC of
geranium on the stand, and the win
dow curtains 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 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 crevice. These Chris
tians in Christ's garden are not like
the sunhower, gaudy in the light,
but whenever darkness hovers
over soul that needs to be comforted
there they stand. night blooming GER
euses. But in Christ's garden there are
plants that may be better compared to
the Mexican cactus-thorns without,
loneliness within-with sharp points
of character. They wound almost ev-
cry one that touches them. They are
hard to handle. Men pronounce them
nothing but thorns, but Christ
loves them, Notwithstanding all their
sharpness. Many a man has had very
X
been through severe toll he has raised
even the smallest crop of grace.
A very harsh minister was talking
with a very placid elder, and the placid
elder said to the harsh minister: doc
tor, do wish you would control your
temper" ''Ah," said the minister to
the elder, Il control more temper in
five minutes than you do in five
years" 1t is harder for some men
20 do right than for others TO do
right. The grace that would ele-
vste YOU TO the seventh heaven
might not keep your brother from
knocking a man down. / had n friend
who came to me and said: 81 dare
not join the church." / said,
'Why?" oh" he said, i have such
a violent temper. Yesterday morning
I was crossing very early at the Jersey
City Ferry, and / saw mill1man pour
a large amount of water into the milk
can. and I said TO him, 4 think that
viii do and he insulted me, and /
knocked him down. Do you think
ought to join the church," Neverthe-
less that very same man, who was so
harsh in his behavior, loved Christ and
could not speak of sacred things with
out tears of emotion and affection
Thorns without, but sweetness within
the best specimen of Mexican cactus
/ ever saw.
rTbara arc others plantad I'm Christie