Orange County observer., 1896-05-09
THE CHURCH GARDEN
DIR. TALMAGE's SUNDAY THEME.
1t Is 3 Practical, Life Giving,
HeaIthful Fruit
| don u .nio l,-iii

pastoral and instructive narrative and de- |
sotIonask psalm, thoughts expressed in ,tSle |
more solemn .han that Of Ntntgomerv, !
more bold than that of,s.iiton, more terri
Die than that * eaute, moro natural than
that q Wr-lswor.h, more inpassioned than
that CT Pollock, more tender than that Of
Coy per. more weird than that OF spenser.
This great poem brings all the gems CT ths
flames of Judgment !nto its garlands, ard
pours eterrs' harmonies IN, its ras.tnl..
Everything this book touches il mikes beau
tlf6i, from the plain sttcz, Of the summer
thrashine flot-te lie daughters Of Major
nn!dg the teough for the carnels, from the
rfaisfng God with the di"p.son Of storm and
whirlwind and 1ct's imagery OF Orion Arc
turns and ,Lo Pleiades.
NJ text leads US into n scene OF summer
redolence. The world has had great MANY
beautiful gardens. Charlemagre nadod 10
the glory OF his reign l,y ,i'sol eelne that they
be established ~n through the realm, decid-
inS even ia names OF the flowers to be
planted there. Henry Nv. Mt 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 r
Shenstone, the poet, HE ",ttinps have
made but little IMPRESSION Oh the world. but
his garden, "Th3 Leasowers." will be i'm
mortal. 10 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 crowning. Oak and vew ar hh@e. PIT
forth their richest foliage There was no
life more dit:g-.t ~ sV}i more ingenious,
than thst - Hhenstone, and ell that dill
gencc hnd genius he brought to the adOrn-
ment OF that one treasured spot. He gave
f3OO for It. He sold it for s17. 900.
And yet | an to tell you to-day
OF richer garden than any have
mentioned. 1t is the garden spoken Of il
my text, the garden ef tie church. which
belongs to Christ. He bought it. He planted
IT, He owns Il, and He shalt haze * Walter
Scott, In his outlay Al AHbotsforI ruined
his fortune. and nov, in the crimson flowers
/ OF those E~tdens, you can almost think or
/ imagine that you can see the blood of that
| old mans broken heart. Tho pavmcnt Of
| the last G10O. .0OJ sacrificed him. R.t na,e
| to tell you that Christ'e "f5 and Christ's
! death We're thr crtlsy or this beautiful gar
| den Of tit church of which my text speaks.
eOh. Now many signs aud tears and pangs
and agonies. Tell me, ye woraen who saw
| HIM hang. Tell me-, ye executioner= who
lifted Him and let Him down. Tell mr. fhc,.
sun that didst hide, Ye roeko thai fell.
| Christ loved tho church .ht gave Himself
Tor it. II the garden 6t the church belongs
| 10 Christ Certainly He has II right to walk
| In i. Come. then, Oblessed Jesus, to-day
walk up ana down these aisles and pluck
| Wnat Thou wilt Of sweetness for Thyself
The church in my text is appropriately
! compared to a garden because it is the place
| OF choice flowers. of select fruits and of
thorough irrigation. That would be a strange
| garden in which there were no flowers. If
nowhere else. they would be along the
borders or at the gateway. The homeiiest
taste will dictate something, if it be OILY the
| old fashioned holIyhock or dah,ia Or daffo-
| no Ia
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
nOWed upon the world. Some of them are
violets, lnconspicuo,sr het sweet rs heaven
You have to search shd find them. You dc
not see thor very often perhaps, but YOU
Ind where they have been by the frightened
1ace ofthe invalid, and the sprig Of geranium
on the stand, and the new window curtains
keeping out the glare OF the sunlight The,
are perhaps more like the canuncuns Green
ing sveetly along amid the thorns and hriar;
OF lie, giving kiss for sting. and MANY d mar
who has had in hi. way some great blacl
rock of trouble has found that thew hay,
covered it all over with 1owerv Jasmine
running n and out amid the crevites. Thes,
Mowers i'll Christ 3 garden are not like tn.
sunfiower. gaudy in the light. but wherever
darkness hovers over a soul that needs 10 b,
comforted there they stand. night bloomin.
| cereuse-
, But in Christ's garden there are n ants tha
may DC better compared TO the Mexican cac
tus-thorns without, lovelincss within. me,
with sharp points Of character. They wount
almost every one that touches chem Tive,
are hard to handle. Men pronounce then
nothing bu. thorns. but Christ loves then
notwithstanding all their sharpnesses. Man,
a man has had very hard ground to cult
vate, ana j has only been through sever
trial he has raised even the smallest crop o
grace. very harsh minister was takin.
toa very placid elder. and the placid ielde
said to the harsh minister, doctor T 4,
wish you would control your temper.
An. said the minister 70 the elder. Il con
trot Nor" temper III five minutes than yo1
do in i've wears
1t IS harder for some men to do right tina
Tor other men to do right. The grace tina
would elevate YOU to the seventh bpaye
might not keep Your brother from knockin
man down had friend who came t
me and said. II dare not join the church
said, Why" "Oh, he said. Il have sue
a violent temper. Yesterday morning wa
crossing very early at tie Jersey City ferry
and saw milkmRn pour a large uuantit
OF water into the milk can. and I said I
him. Il think that will do and he insl1lte
me. and Knocked him down. Do you thin
ought to join -he church?' Nevertheless
tnat very same man. who was SO harsh in hi
behavior, loved Christ and could not spea
OF sacred things without tears of emotio
and affection. Thorns without, sweetnee
wlthln-the best specimen of the Mexica
cactus ever saw
There are others planted in Christs carde
who are always radiants. always impressive
more like the roses OF deep hue than we ot
casonaIlv find. callel 'Giants of Battle.
the Martin Luthers. ST. PaulS. Chrysostom,
. Wyciifs. Latimers and Samuel Rutherford
What IN other men is a spark in them is
conflaGraton. When they sweat thew swe,
great drops Of blood. When they pray. the
prayers take fire. When they preach. it is
Penteec>t. When they fight. it is a Tharn,
pyiT. When they die. il is a mauvrdou
You lind great many roses in the garden
but Only Few Giants of Battle" Men sa
why don't You have more Of them in II
church: ! say. Why don't YOU have
the world mor- Humboldts and Wellington
God gives & some ten talents; 70 anothe
ne.
In this garden Of tie church which Chri
has planted alsn fnd ,he snowirops. bea
tiful. but colt-laokin- seemingly anoth
: Hhase of winter. | mean thoo. Christian
who are precise in their tastes. unir
:: Iassione J. pure as snows,rops and as col
They never sned any tears. they never :
eXcited: they never say ANYTHING ra.nl