Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-04-30

| Washington are nbloom with hyaoinths
and the gardens ore being made, the similt
dominant In this subject is very suggest
i've and practical. DR.. falmagc's text wa
Isaiah lviii, II, "Thou shalt be like a wa
tered garden"
The Bible is a great poem. We have In
it faultless rhythm, and bold imagery, ant
startling antithesis, and rapturous lyric
and sweet pastoral, and instructive nara
tive, and devotional psalm-thought ex
pressed in style more solemn than that Of
Montgomery, moro bold than that of Mil
ton, more terrible than that of Dante
moro 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 tho 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 it makes
beautiful, from the plain stones of the
summer thrashing floor to the daughters
of Major filling the trough for tho camels,
from the fish pools Of Heshbon up to the
psalmist praising God with the diapason
| Of storm and whirlwind and Jobs imagery
of Orion, Arcturus and tho Pleiades.
| A Beautiful Garden.
My text leads US into q scene of summer
| redolence. The world has had great
many beautiful gardens. Charlemagre
| added to the glory Of his reign by decree
| ing that they be established all through
tho realm, deciding even the names Of
| the flowers to be planted there. Henry ",
at Montpelier, established gardens of be-
witohing beauty and luxuriance, gather
ing 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 i'm
preston on tha.world, but his garden, "The
Leasowes," VIII be immortal. To the nat
ural 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 crown
ing. 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 oil that dill.
genoe and genius he brought to the adorn-
ment Of that one treasured spot. He gave
9300 for 1t; he sold it for cit ,00O And yet
l am to tell you today of richer garden
than any have mentioned. 1t Is the gar
den spoken Of In my text the garden of
the church, which belongs to Christ. He
bought 1t, he planted 1t, he owns it, and
he shall have 1t. 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 e100,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
agoniesl Tell me, ye women who saw him
hang! Tell me, ye executioners who lifted
him and let him down! Tell me, thou sun
that didst hide ye rocks that fell Christ
loved the church and gave himself for it,
If the garden of the church belongs to
Christ, certainly he has right to walk in
it. Come then, o blessed Jesus, today;
walk up and down these aisles and pluck
what thou wilt of sweetness for thyself.
The church, in my text, is appropriately
compared to garden because it 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
homeliest taste will dictate something, If
it be only the old fashioned hollyhock or
dahlia or daffodil, but if there be larger
means then you will find the Mexican
cactus and blazing azalea and clustering
n1o oil Thric ST 60 &c
garden, and he plants there some of the
brightest spirits that over flowored upon
the world Some of them arc violets, in
conspicuous, but sweet as heaven. You
have to search and find them. You do not
SEQ them very often perhaps, but you find
whore they have been by the frightened
face of the invalid and the sprig of gerani-
um on tho stand and the new window cur
tains keeping out the glare of the sunlight.
They are perhaps more like the ranuncu-
lus, creeping .sweetly along amid the
thorns and brlers of life, giving kiss for
sting, and many man who has had in
his way somo great black rock of trouble
has found that they have covered 1t all
over with flowery jasmine, running In and
out amid the crevioes. These flowers in
Christs garden are not, like the sunfower,
gaudy in the light, but wherever darkness
hovers over soul that needs to be COM
forted there they stand, night blooming
cereuses.
But in Christ garden thero are plants
that may be better compared to the Mexi-
can cactus-thorns without, loveliness
within, men with sharp points of char
acter. They wound almost every one that
touches them. They arc hard to handle.
Men pronounce them nothing but thorns,
but Christ loves them Notwithstanding all
their sharpnesses. Many man has had
very hard ground to cultivate, and it has
only been through severe trial he has raised
even the smallest crop of grace. A very
harsh minister was talking to very placid
elder, and the placid elder said to the harsh
Doctor, I do wish you would
control your temper" "Ah," said the
minister to the elder, II control more
temper in five minutes than you do in five
years."
Thorns In the Garden.
1t Is harder for some men to do right
than for other mon to do right The grace
that would elevate. you to the seventh
heaven might not keep your brother from
knocking man down. had q friend
who came to me and said, II dare not join
the church." said, "Why?" "Oh," he
said, II have such violent temper! Yes
terday morning was crossing very early |
at the Jersey City ferry, and saw milk.
man pour large quantity of water into
5he milk can, and l said to him, 4 think
hat will do, and he insulted me, and 1
knocked him down. Do you think ought
20 join the church," Nevertheless that
very Same man, who was so harsh in his
behavior, loved Christ and could not speak
IT sacred things without tears of emotion
md affection. Thorns without, sweetness
best specimen of the Mexican
actus over saw.
There tse others planted in Christ's gar
len who are always radiant, always i'm
'ressive, more like the roses Of deep hue
that we occasionally find, called "Giants
II Eattie;" the Martin Luthers, St. Pauls,
y NhnyS- ,,ctn