The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-07-04
ROYAL GARDEN"
The World Has a Great Many BeaUti-
ful Gardens,
But Nothing to Compare to the Garden OF
the Church, Which Belongs to Christ
He Bought 1t, He Planted 1t, He
Owns It-Dr. TalmRge's Sermon.

Rev. DIR. Talmage selected as the
subject for his sermon through the
press Sunday "The Royal Garden" the
text being taken from Solomon's Song
v. /, 81 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 realm-decreeing even the names
of the flowers to be planted there.
Henry w., 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," will 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 crowning. 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. lie
gave 1900 for it. He sold 1t for Rl7,0OO
And yet am TO tell you of n richer
garden than any have mentioned. 1t
is the garden spoken of in my text, the
| & IL. vN,s .k hn1.N
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 elOO,O0O 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 hang,
Tell me, We eXecutioners who lifted
him and let him dropl Tell me, thOl
sun that didst hide ye rocks that fell,
"Christ loved the church and gave him
self for it," II, 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 up and down these aisles anC
pluck what thou wilt of sweetness fol
thyself.
The church, in my text, is appropri
ately compared to garden, because i
is place Of choice flowers, of selec
fruits and of thorough irrigation.
That would be strange garden il
which there were no flowers. II no
where else, they will be along the Dor
ders or at the gateway. The homelies
taste will dictate something, II II b
the old fashioned fnOllyhock or dahlit
or dafFodil or coreopsis, but II there b
larger means then you will find tn
Mexican cactus and dark veined arbu
telion and blazing azalea and clusterin!
oleander. Well, now, Christ comes =
His garden, and he plants there som
of the brightest spirits that ever flow
cred upon the world. Some of theI
are violets, unconspicuous, but sweet 4
Heaven. You have TO search for sue
: spirits TO find them. You do not Sc
them very often perhaps, but you fin
= where they have been by the brighter
ing face of the invalid, and the sprig O
geranium on the stand, and the wir
dow curtains keeping out the glare G
the sunlight. They are, perhaps
more like the ranunculus, crcepin
sweetly along amid the thorns an
briers of life, giving kiss for sting, an
many n man who has had in his wa
some great black rock of trouble ha
found that they have covered it all owe
with towering jasmine running in an
I. out amid the crevice. These Chri
- tians In Christ's garden are not lik
the suneower, gaudy in the Igh
- but whenever darkness hover
over q soul that needs 20 be comforte
- there they stand, night blooming ce
q euses. But in Christ's garden there al
k plants that may be better compared
the Mexican cactus-thorns withou
loveliness within-with sharp poin
Of character. They wound almost e
q cry one that touches them. They al
hard to handle Men pronounce the
: nothing but thorns, but Chri
{ loves them, Notwithstanding all the
! sharpness. Many a man has had yer
" hard ground 10 culture, and II has onl
:. been through severe toll he has raise
even the smallest crop of grace
A very harsh minister was tallsin
= with a very placid elder, and the placi
" elder said TO the harsh minister: "Do
! tor, / do wish you would control yor
= temper" "Ah," said the minister
d the elder, II control more temper
five minutes than you do in fiI
Z years" IL is harder for some me
TO do right than for others TO d
= right. The grace that would ell
:, vate you to the seventh heave
i might not keep your brother frol
= knocking man down. had frien
who came TO me and said: 81 dai
not join the church" SAT-
"WhyP' oh" he said, 81 have sue
- violent temper. Yesterday mornin
was crossing very early at the Jerse
City Ferry, and saw milkman poi
II large amount of water into the mil
can, and l said to him, 4 think thi
will do, and he insulted me, and
2. knocked him down. Do you think
ought to join the church," Neverth
less that very same man, who was 1
al harsh in his behavior, loved Christ an
|, could not speak Of sacred things witt
n out tears Of emotion and affection