Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-05-08
TALMAGE'S SERMON
INTERESTING THEME BY THE
WASHINGTON PREACHER.
subject: ''The Church Garden"


The Bible Is a great poem. We have It in
iaultless rhythm and bod imagery aud start
ling antithesis ami mpturOus lyric aud sweet
pastoral aud instructive narrative and de-
yOtional psalm. thoughts expressed in style
more solemn than that OF Montgomery,
more bold than that OF Milton. more terri
bic than thEt Of Dante more natural than
that Of Wordsworth, more imprisoned than
that OF Pollock, more tender than that OF
Gov per, more weird than that Of Spenser
This great poem brings all the gems Of the
earth into its coronet, and II weayes the
flames OF judgment into its garlauds, and
pours eternal harmonies In its rhythm.
Everything this book touches Il makes beau
tilul, from the plain stones % the summer
thrashing floor to the daughters OF Major
filling the trough Tor the camels, from the
fish pools OF Heshbon up to the psalmIst
praisinS God with the diapason of storm and
whirlwind. and Jobs imagery Of Orion Are
tnrus and the Pleiades
My text leads US into a scene Of summer
redOlencc. The world has had a great many
beautiful gardens. Charlemagne added to
the glory of his reign by decreeing that they
be established all through the realm. decid-
ing even the names OF the flowers to be
planted there. Henry ". mt Montpelier es-
tablished gardens Of bewitching beauty and
luxuriance. gathering into them Alpine,
lANuNuA anu 1l'A'u l'AAAANs ShN Va NAAo
sweetest spots on earth was the garden ot
shenstone, the poet His writings have
made but little impression on the world, but
his garden. 1.-THE Leasowers," will be i'm
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 aud urn and fountain here had
their browning. Oak and yew and hazel put
forth their richest foliage. There was no
life more dillgent, no soul more ingenious,
I than that of Shenstone, and all that dill
gence and genius he brought to the Hdorn-
ment Of that one treasured spot. He gave
$500 for it. He sold it for 9l7,000.
And yet am TO 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. He bought it, He planted
It, He owns it, and He shall have it. Walter
Scott in his outlay at Abbotsford, ruined
his fortune, and now, in the crimson flowers
OF those 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, 900 sacrificed him. But | have
TO tell you that Christ's life and Christ's
death were 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, ye women who saw
Him hang Tell me- We eXecutiOners who
lifted Him and let Him down! Tell me, thou
sun that didst hidel Ye rocks that fell!
Christ loved the church and gave Himself
for it. II the garden of the church belongs
10 Christ, certainly He has right to walk
in 1t. Come, then, o 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 O 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 flowers. II
nowhere else, they would he along the
borders or at the gateway. The homeliest
taste will dictate something, il it be only the
old fashioned hOlyhock or dahlia or daifO-
dill, but il there be larger means then you
will find the Mexican cactus, and blazing
aZalea, and clustering Oleandpr. We'll, 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
yi0lets, 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 Of the invalid, and the sprlg of geranium
on the stand, and the new window curtains
keeping out the glare OF the sunlight. They
are perhaps more like the canunculus, creep
ing sweetly along amidthe thorns and briara
of life, giving kiss for sting, and many man
rock of trouble mas found that they have
covered it all over with howery jasmine
running In and out amid the crevices. These
flowers in Christ's garden are not, like the
sunfiower, gaudy in the light, but wherever
darkness hOvers over a soul that needs to be
oomforted 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, loneliness 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 very hard ground to cult
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 very placid elder, and the placid ,eldel
said to the harsh minister, doctor, | dc
wish you would control your temper.
'Ah. said the minister to the elder, II con
troll more temper in five minutes than yoJ
do in five years"
1t is harder for some men to do right thar
for other men to do right The grace tina
would elevate you to the seventh HEAVIER
might not Keep your brother from knocking
a man down. | had friend who came t
me and said, II dare not join tho church.
L said, Why" "Oh," he said, II have sucl
a violent temper. Yesterday morning wa
crossing very early at the Jersey City ferry
and saw milkman pour a large quantit,
OF water into the milk can, and said t
him, L think that will do and he insulteC
me, and knocked him down. Do you thinl
/ ought to join The church," Nevertheless
that very same man. who was so harsh in hi
behavior, loved Christ and could not speal
OF sacred things without tears of emotion
and affection. Thorns without, sweetness
n = haA Ilst af,-a., Q Al.
cactus / ever saw.
There are others planted in Christ's garden
who are always radants always impressive
more like the roses of deep hue than we oc
casionally find, callet "Giants of Battle.
the Martin Luthers, st. Pauls, Chrysostoms
Wyclifs, Latimers and Samuel Rutherfords
What in other men is spark in them Is
eonfagration. When they sweat, they swea
great drops of blood. When they pray, thei
prayers take fire. When they preach, it is
Pentecost. When they fight, it is Thermo
pyle. When they die it is q martrdom
You find great many roses in the gardens
but only few "Giants of Battle" Men say
"Why don't you have more Of them In tn
church," / say, "Why don't you have il
the world more Humboldts and Welingtons
God gives to some ten talents; to another
enc.
In this garden of the church which Chris
has planted also find the snowdrops. beau
tiful, but cold-looking, seemingly anothe
phase of winter. / mean those Christian
who are precise in their tastes. unim
passionei, pure as snowdrops and as cold
They never shed any tears; they never ge
excited; they never say anything rashly
they never do anything precipitately. Thei
pulses never tlutter: their nerves neve
witch; their indignation never boils over
They live longer than most people. but thei
life is in minor key. They never run u
to above the staff. In their music OF lif
they have no staccato passages. Chris
planted them in the church, and they mus
be of some service or they would not b
: there-snowdrops, always snowdrops.
But have not told you of the most beau