Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-07-06
TABERNACLE PULPIT.
"A ROYAL GARDEN" SUBJECT
OF THE PRESS SERMON.
II Am Come Unto My Garden"-The
Church Which Christ Has Planted
the Salvation of the World Morally,
Intells ctuallY and Politically.

Talmage, who is now nearing Aus
tralia, on his round the-world
journey, has selected for the subject
of his sermon, through the press to-
day, The Royal Garden" the text
being taken from Solomon's song 5:l:
IL am come into my garden"
The world has had a great many
beautiful garderI Charlemagnc
added 20 the glory of his reign by de-
creeing that they be established all
through the notwithstanding even
the names OF the flowers to be planted
there. Henry VI at Montpelier, es-
tablished gardens of bewitching
beauty and luxuriance, gathering into
them Alpine, Pyrenean and French
plants One of the sweetest spots on
earth was the garden of Shenstone,
the poet His writings have made
but little impression upon the world;
but his garden, the Leasowes," will
be immortal To the natural advant-
age OF that place was brought the per-
lection of art. Arbor, and terrace, and
slope, and rustic temple, and reser-
voir, and urn, and fountain, here had
their browning Oak, and yew, and
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 adorn-
ment of thai one treasure spot.
He gave three hundred pounds
for it, he sold it for seventeen thou
sand And vet am to tell you of archer
garden than any ! have mentioned.
1t is the garden spoken of in my text,
the garden of the church, which be-
longs to Christ, for my text says So
lie bought it, he planted it, he owns
it, and he shall have it Walter Scott,
in his outlay at A bbotsford, 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 one
hundred thousand pounds 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 signs, and tears, ana
pangs and agonies! Tell me, We exc
cutioners who lifted him and let him
down! Tell me, We sun that didst
hide. We rocks that fell! Christ
loved the Church and gave himself for
it." If then the garden of the church
belongs to Christ, certainly he has
right to walk in it, Come then, O
blessed Jesus this morning, walk up
and down these aisles and pluck what
thou wilt of sweetness for myself
The Church, in my text, is appro-
priately compared to a garden, be-
cause it is n place of choice flowers, OF
select fruits and of thorough irriga-
ton.
That would be strange garden in
which there were no flowers. II no
where else they Will be along the
borders or at the gateway. The home
lest taste will dictate something, II
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
yeined arbutelion, and blazing azalea,
and clustering oleander. Well, now,
Christ comes to his garden, and he
nlants there some of the brightest
spirits that ever lowered upon the
world. Some of them are violets, un-
conspicuous 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 Frightening
face of the invalid, and the
sprig of geranium on the stand,
and the window curtains keep
ing out the glare of the sunlight.
They are perhaps, more like the
ranunculus, creeping sweeuy along
amid the thorns and briars of life, Civ
ing 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
lowering jasmine running in and out
amid the crevices These Christians
in Christs garden are not like the sun
flower. paudy in the light; but when
ever darkness hovers over soul thai
needs to be comforted, there they
stand. night blooming cereuses But IN
Christs garden there are plants thai
NAV be better compared to the Next
can cactus-thorns without, LONELINESS
within-men with sharp points OF
character They wound almost every
one that touches them. They are
hard to handle. Men pronounce them
nothing but thorns, but Christ loves
them. notwithstanding all their sharp
nesses Many man has had very
hard ground to culture and it has
only 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
Doctor. do wish you would contro
your temper" "Ah, said the minis
ter to the elder, II control moro
r temper in FIVE minutes than you do IN
, five years" IL is harder for some mer
E TO do right than for others TO dc
right The grace that would elevate
YOU TO the seventh heaven might moi
: keep your brother from knocking {
Z man down. | had a friend who camC