The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-05-08
THE GARDEN OF GOD.
Rev. DR.. Talmage Preaohes . Spring
Time Sermon.
thoughts Suggested by the unfoid'ns
Beauties of the Floral Kingdom
Tho Season OF Flowers sug-
gests tho Garden of God.

gests tho Carbon OF 00u'
The following spring time discourse
WIS delivered by Rev. L. Dewitt TAI
mage before his Washington congre-
aation.. The text was
Thou shalt be like watersd garden. Isaiah
lviii., II.
The Bible is b great poem. We have
In it faultless rhythm and bold Inn
sgery and startling antithesis and
raptur GUS lyric and sweet pastoral and
Instructive narrative and devotional
psalm; thoughts expressed In style
more solemn than that Of Montgom-
cry, more bold than that OF Milton
more terrible than that of Dante, more
natural than that of Wordsworth.
more impassioned than that OF Pol
lock, more tender than that OF Cow
per. more weired than that OF Spen-
ser.
This great poem brings all the gems
of the earth into its coronet, and IT
weaves the flames of Judgment into It's
rarlands, and pours eternal harmonies
in its rhythm. Everything this book
touches it makes beautiful, from the
plain stones of the summer threshing
door to the daughters Of Major filling
the trough for the camelsI from the
fish-pools of Heshbon up to the psalm
list praising God with the diapason OF
storm and whirlwind. and Jobs
Imagery of Orion, Arcturus and the
Pleiades.
NV text leads us into sone OF sum-
mer redolence. The world has had
rreat many beautiful gardens. Charlie
magne added to the glory of his reign
by decreeing that they be established
all through the realm-deciding even
the names of the flowers to be planted
there. Henry W., 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 on the world; but his
garden, 1.-The Leasowes," will be I'M
mortal. To the natural advantage
of that place was brought the per-
lection of art Arbor and terrace and
slope, and rustic temple, and reservoir,
and urn, and fountain here had their
browning. Oak and yew and hazel put
forth richest foliage. There was no
life more diligent, no soul more In
genious, than that OF Shenstone. and
all that diligence and genius be
brought to the adornment of that one
treasured spot. He gave $500 for iti
he sold it for e17,OO0 And yet l am
to tell you to-day Of q richer garden
than any have mentioned. 1t Is the
garden of the church, which belongs
to Christ. He boughtit, He planted
1t, He owns 1t, and He shall have it.
Walter Scott, in his outlay at Abbots-
ford, ruined his fortune; and now. In
the cromson flowers of those gardens,
you can almost think or imagine that
you see the blood of that old mans
broken heart The payment OF the
last 100000 sacrificed him. But l
have to tell you that Christ's death
were the outlay of this beautiful
garden of the church. Of which my
text speaks Oh, how many sigh and
tears and pangs and agoniesl Tell me,
We women who saw Him hangl Tell
me We 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 Him
self for it. If the garden OF the
church belongs to Christ, certainly He
has a right to walk in 1t. Come, then,
o blessed Jesus, to-day; walk up and
dowa these aisles, and pluck what
Thou wilt of sweetness for Thyself
The church in my text, LIS appropri
ately compared TO garden. because 1t
Is the place of choice flowers. of select
fruits, and Of thorough irrigation.
That would be strange garden In
which there were no fowers Ii no.
where else, they would be along the
borders or at the gateway. The home.
lest taste will dictate something, II II
be only the old-fashioned hollyhook,
or dahlia, or daffodiij but IL there be
larger means, then you will lind the
Mexican cactus, and blazing azalea
and clustering oleander. Well. now,
Christ comes to his garden and BE
plants there some of the brightest
spirits that ever lowered upon the
world. Some Of them are violets. in
conspicuous, but as sweet as Heaven
You have to search and hnd
them You do not see them very
often, perhaps. but you fnd
where they have been by the bright
ened face of the invalid, and the sprie
of geranium on the stand. and the new
window curtains keeping out the glare
of the sunlight. They are, perhaps
,r,ora like the rapunculus. creeping