The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-27
GODS GARDEN is lie CHURCH
THE BRIGHTEST SPIRITS THAT EV-
ER POWERED PLANTED IN IT.

Many of the Human Plants Like the
Mexican Cactus-Th0rns without,
LONELINESS Within-A Class Of
Christians Who are Like the snow
Drcps-The Passion PLANT of the
Cross the Most Beautiful One in
the Garden.
Washington. April 26.-As the parks IN
Washington are abloom with hyacinths.
and the gardens are being made, the
simiIe dominant in this subject is very
suggestive and practical. Dr. Talmage
text was: Isaiah. 5S.1l Thou shall he
like a watered garden"
The Bible is great poem. We have
in il fauItless rhythm and bold imagery
and startling antithesis and rapturous ly-
rio and sweet pastoral and instructive
narrative and devotional psalm; thoughts
EXPRESSED in style more solemn than that
Of Montgomery, more bold than that or
Milton, more terrible than that Of Dante,
more natural than that of Wordsworth,
more impassioned than that of Pollock,
more tender than that Of Cowper more
weird than that Of Spenser.
This great poem brings all the gems Of
the earth into its cOrOnet, and it weaves
the flames Of judgment into its garlands.
and pours eternal harmonies in its
rhythm. Everything this book touches il
makes beautiful, from the plain stones
of the summer threshing floor to the
daughters Of Major filling the trough fer
the camels, from the fish pools Of Hesh-
bon up TO the Psalmist praising God with
the diapason of storm and whirlwind, ana
Jobs imagery of Orion, Arcturus, and the
Pleiades.
My text leads us into a scene of sum-
mer redolence. The world has had a great
many beautiful gardens. Charlemange
added to the glory of his reign by de-
creeing that they be established all
through the realm-deciding even the
names of the flowers TO be planted there.
Henry w, at Montpelier, established gar
dens of beWitching beauty aud luXuri-
ance, gathering into them Alpine, Iy-
renean and French plants. one of the
sweetest spots on earth was the garden
of ShenstOne, the poet. His writings 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 anG
fountain here had their browning. OAK
and yew and hazel put forth their rich
est foliage. There was no life more dill
gent, no soul more ingenious, than that
or ShenStone, and all that diligence ana
genius he brought to the adornment OF
that one treasured spot. He gave 1900
for il; he sold it for az 600. And vet l am
10 tell you to-day of a richer garden than
any l have mentioned. 1t is the garden
spoken Of In my text the garden of the
Church which belongs to Christ. lie
bought II, ne planted IL, he owns 1t, and
he shall have II. Walter Scott, in his out
lay at AbbotsfOrd, ruined his fortune; and
now, in the crimson flowers of those gar
dens, you can almost think or imagine
that. you see the blood of that old mans
broken heart The payment of the last
10000 sacrificed him. But l have 10
tell you that Christs life and Christ's
death were the outlay of this beautiful
garden OF the Church, of which my text
speaks. on, how many signs and tears
and pangs and agonies Tell me, We wo-
men who saw him hangl Tell me, We
eXecutioners who lifted him and let him
down! Tell me, thou sun that didst hide;
We rocks that fell! Christ loved the Church
and gave himself for it. If the garden
OF the Church belongs TO Christ, certain
~ he has a right to walk in it, Come
then, o blessed Jesus to-day: walk nj
ana down these aisles, and pluck what
tnou wilt OF sweetness for myself
me church, in my text. is Appropriate
~ compared 10 garden, because it is the
place OF choice flowers. of select fruits
and OF thorough irrigation. That would be
q strange gardan in which there We're no
MOWERS. If nowhere else they would he
along the borders or at the gateway. The
homelest taste will dictate something, if
u De only the old-fashioned hollyhock or
dahlia, or daffodil; but if there be larger
means, then you will find the Mexican
cactus, ana blazing azalea, and clustering
oleander. Well, now, Christ comes TO his
garden and he plants there some of the
brightest spirits that ever lowered uDon
the world. Some of them are violets. in
conspicuous, but sweet as heaven You
nave to search and find them You do NOT
see them very often, perhaps, but YOU find
where they have been by the Frightened
lace OF the invalid, and the sprig of gera-
mum on the stand, and the new window
curtains keeping out the glare of the SIM
hgnt. Ihey are, perhaps, more like the
Ianunculus, creeping sweetly along amid
the thorns and briars of life, giving kiss
Tor sting; and many man who has had
IN MS way some great black rock of
trouble, has found that they have COW
cred 1t all over with fiowery tasamine
running in and out amid the crevices
THESE flowers in Christ's garden are not,
IKE the sun-fower, gaudy in the light
but wherever darkness hovers over a soul
that needs to be comforted, there they
stand night-blooming cereuses.
But in Christs garden there are plants
that may be better compared to the Mex
lean cactus-thorns without loneliness
WITHIN; men with sharp points of charac-
Ter. Ihey wound almost every one that
touches them. They are hard to handle
Men pronounce them nothing but thorns
out Christ loves them, Notwithstanding
all their sharpnesses. Many a man has
had very hard ground to cultivate and
II has been only through severe trial he
mas raised even the smallest crop of grace
A very harsh minister was talking to a
very placid elder, and the placid elder
said to the harsh minister Doctor / do
WISH you WOuld control your temper -
All" said the minister to the elder IT
control more temper in five minutes than
you do in five years"
1t is harder for some men to do right
than for other men TO do right. The grace
that would elevate you to the seventh
heaven might not keep your brother from
knocking man down. l had friend who
came to me and said: Il dare not ioin
the church." 1 sad, ''Why?" "Oh. he
said, Il have such violent temper Yes
terday morning was cross
ing very early at the Jer-
eey City ferry, and I saw milkman
pour large quantity of water into the
milk can, and l said TO him, / think that
will do and he insulted me, and / knock
&c him down, Do you think 1 ought to
join the church, Nevertheless, that very
same man who was so harsh in his be-
havior, loved Christ, and could not speak
of sacred things without tears of emotion
and affection. Thorns without, sweet
ness within-the best specimen of the
Mexican cactus I ever saw.
There are others planted in Chrst's gar
Gen who are always radiant, always i'm
presSiVe-more like the roses of deep hue
that we occasionally find, called Giants OF
Battle the Martin Luthers, St. Pauls
Chrysostoms, Wickliffes, Latimers, and