The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-05-08
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE NOTED DIvINE's SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subject. 'rho church Garden"

The Bible is a great poem. We have n in
Eaultleaa rhythm aud bold imagery and start
ling nntlthoss and upturousl lyric and sweet
pastoral and instructive narrative and de-
Votional psalm, thoughts expressed IA style
moro solemn than that OF MONTGOMERY.
more bold than that OF Milton, more terrl-
Die than that Of Dante, moro natural than
that Of Wordsworth, more impassioned than
that OF Pollock, moro tender than that OF
Covper more weird than that Of sponser.
This great poem brings on the gems Of tho
earth into iiH cOrOnet. and Il woaves tho
flames Of judgment into its garlands, and
pours eternal harmonles IN lts rhythm.
Everything this book touches It makes beau
tliul, from the plain stones of the summer
thrashlng floor 10 the daughters OF Major
nlling the trough FOR tho camela. from the
tsh pools Of Heshhon up 20 tho psalmist
praising God With the dlapason OF storm and
whirlwlnd and Jobs imagery OF Orion Arc
turus and the Ploiados.
My text leads us into a scene OF summer
redolenee. The world has had great many
beauhful gardens. Charlemagne added 10
tno glory Of bis reign by decreeing that they
Do established an through the realm. deold-
ing even the names Of the flowers TO be-
planted there. Henry ~. Mt Montpelier es-
taDhshed gardens OF bewitching beauty and
lnNuriance, gathering into them Alpine,
Pyrenean and French plants One of the
l'NA4 va NthAAA WIS AAH kMAANA VI
bhenstone, the poet. His writings have
made but little impression on the world, but
MS garden, 1.-THE LeasoWers," will be inn
mortal To the natural advantage OF that
place was brought the perfection OF art. Ar
Dor 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 diligent, no soul moro ingenious,
than that OF ShenstOne, and all that dill
gence and genius he brought to the adorn-
ment OF that one treasured spot. Ho gave
$500 for 1t. He ,sold II for 1000.
And yet 1 am to tell you to-day
OF q richer garden than any 1 have
mentioned. II Is the garden spoken OF In
my text, tho garden OF the church, which
belongs TO Christ He bought it, He planted
II, He owns 1t, and He shall have II. Walter
Scott, in his outlay at Abbotsford, ruined
his fortune, and now, In the crimson flowers
OF Il 8se gardens, you can almost think or
imagine that you can see the blood Of that
old mans broken heart The payment OF
the last El00,00 sacrificed him. But have
20 tell you that Christ's life and Ohrist's
death Wece the outlay of this beautiful gar
den Of the church OF which my text speaks.
Oh, how many signs and tears and pangs
and agonies! Tell me, We women who saw
Him hang. Tell me, go executioners who
lifted Him and let Him down. Tell me- thou
Christ loved the church and gave Himself
for 1t. II the garden Of the church belongs
10 Christ, certainly He has a right TO walk
in 1t. Come, then, 0 blessed Jesus, to-day
walk up and down these aisles and pluck
what Thou wilt of sweetness for Thyself.
The church in my text is appropriately
compared to a garden because ii Is the place
OF choice flowers, Of select fruits and Of
thorough irrigation. That would be strange
garden in which there were no flowers. If
nowhere else, they would be along the
borders or at the gateway. The homelest
taste will dictate something, it be only the
old fashioned hollyhoek or dahlia or daffo-
dill but If there be larger means then you
will find the Mexican cactus, and blazing
azalea and clustering oleander. Well, now,
Christ comes to His garden, and He plants
there some Of the brightest spirits that ever
flowed upon the world. Some Of them are
violets, inconspicuous, but sweet as heaven.
You have to search and find them. You do
not see them very often perhaps, but you
find where they have been by the frightened
face ofthe invalid, and the sprig Of geranium
on the stand, and the new window curtains
keeping out the glare Of the sunlight. They
are perhaps more like the cununculus, creep
ing sWeetly along amidthe thorns and brars
of life, giving kiss forsting, and many a man
who has had in his way some great black
rock Of trouble has found that they have
running in and out amid the crevces These
flowers in Christ's garden are not, like the
sundoWer, gandy in the light, but wherever
darkness hoyers over a soul that needs to be
comforted there they stand, night blooming
cereuses.
But in Christ's garden there are plants that
may be better compared to the Mexican cac-
tus-thorns without, loveliness 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 sharpnesses. Many
a man has had a very hard ground to culti-
vate, and it has only been through severe
trial he has raised even the smallest crop Of
grace. A very harsh minister was talking
TO a very placid elder, and the placid folder
said to the harsh minister, doctor, do
wish you would control your temper"
"Ah," said the minister to the elder, ~ con-
troll 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 rom knocking
a man down. I had q friend who came to
me and said, II dare not join the church"
said "Why?" ooh, he said, II have such
a violent temper. Yesterday morning / was
crossing very early at the Jersey City ferry,
and / saw milkman pour a large quantity
Ofwater into the milk can, and said to
him, Il think that will do, and he insulted
me, and / knocked him down. Do you think
ought to join the church2' Nevertheless
that very same man, who was so harsh in his
behavior loved Christ and could not speak
Of sacred things without tears of emotion
and affection. Thorns without, sweetness
Within--the best specimen of the Mexican
cactus ever saw.
There are others planted in Christ's garden
who are always radiants, always impressive,
more like the roses of deep hue than we oc-
casionally find, called "Giants of Battle"
the Martin Luthers, st. Pauls, Ohrysostoms,
Wyclifs, Latimers and Samuel Rutherfords
What in other men is a spark in them is a
conhagration. When they sweat, they sweat
great drops Of blood. When they pray, their
prayers take fire. When they preach, it is a
Pentecost. When they fight, it is a Thermo-
pyl@. When they die, it Is a martyrdom.