The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-04-07
FLOWERS OF EASTER.
DR.. Talmagc Draws an Inspiration
from Them.
The Eloquent Orators Easter Dis
courSc-LessOns which the Flow
ers bring to the Dispirited
and the Bcrcnvcd.
Cwashlngton, Ann 2. copyrleht. lsoo)


In this Easter sermon DR.. Talmage
interprcts the r2asa ~ which the flow
crs bring 30 the anxious, the dispirited
and the bereaved; text, Luke 12:2s, "If
then God so clothe the grass. which is
to-day in the field. and tomorrow is
cast into the oven. how much more will
lie clothc you, O we of little faith?"
The lily is the queen of Bible flowers.
The rose may have disputed her throne
i'm modern times and won it, but the
rose originally had only five petals. 1t
was under the long continued and in
tense gaze of the world that the rose
blushcd into its present beauty. In the
Bible train. cassia and hyssop and
frunkinccnsc and myrrh and spikenard
and camphor and the rose follow the
lily. Fourteen times in the Bible is the
lily mentioned; only twice the rose.
The rose may now have wider empire,
but the lily reigned i'm the time OF
Esther, i'm the time of Solomon, in the
time of Christ. Caesar had his throne
on the hills. The lily had her throne in
the valley. In the greatest sermon that
was ever preached there was only one
flower. and that lily. The Bedford
dreamer. John Bunyan, entered the
house of the interpreter and was shown
cluster of flowers and was told to
"considcr the lilies"
We may study or re icct other sciences
at our option-it is so with astronomy.
itisso with chemistry, il is so with iuris-
prudence. it is so with physiology, it
is SO with gcology-but the science of
botany Christ commands MS to study
when lie says: Consider the lilies
Measure them from root to tip of petal
lnhalc their breath. Notice the grace
fulncss of their poise. Hear the whiS-
per of the white lips of the eastern and
the red lips of the American lily.
Belonging TO this royal family of
lilies are the lily of the Nile, the Japan
lily, the Lady Washington of the
Sicrras. the Golden band lily, the Giant
lily of Ncpaul the Turks cap lily. the
African lily from the Cape of Good
Hope. All these lilies have the royal
blood i'm their veins. But | take the
lilies of my text this morning as typ
zeal of all flowers, and their voice of
floral beauty seems to address us, say
ing: Consider the lilies, consider the
azalcas, consider the fuchsias, consider
the gcrauiums. consider the ivies, con-
slider the hyacinths, consider the hello
tropes, consider the olcanders." With
deferential and grateful and intelligent
and worshipful souls. consider them
| Not with insipid sentimcntalism or
with sophomore vaporing, hut for
grand and practical and everyday, and
| if need be. homely uses, consider them.
The flowers are the angels of the
grass. They all have voices When the
clouds speak they thunder, when the
whirlwinds speal, they scream, when
the cataracts speak they always whis
| per. stand here to intrepet their mes.
sage. What have you to say to us, o ye
angels of the grass? This morning
mean to discuss what flowers are good
for That is my subject; What ar,
flowers good for?
! remark, in the first place, they are
good for lessons of Gods providentia
care. That was Christs first thought
All these flowers seem to address us to
day. saying; God will give you ap
parel and food" We have no wheel will
which TO spin. no loom with which tC
weave, no sickle with which to harvest
no well sweep with which to draw
water, but God feeds us with the bread
of the sunshine. and God has apparelet
us with more than Solomonic rcgaity
We are prophctesses of adequate ward
robe "lf God so clothed MS, the gras
of the field, will lie not much NOR,
clothc you, O We of little faith?' Mel
and women of worldly anNicties, tax,
this message home with you! How Ions
has God taken care of you? Quarter o
the journey of life? Half the iournc,
of life? Three-quarters the journey o
life? Can you not trust Him the res
of the way? God does not promise you
anything like that which the Roman
emperor had on his table at vast eX
pense-50O nightingales' tongues bu
He has promised TO take care of you
He has promised you the necessities
not the uXuries-bread. not cake.
God so luXuriantly clothes the grass o
the field, will He not provide for you
His living and immortal children? II
will.
No wonder Martin Luther always hat
II flower on his writing desk for in
sriration! Through the cracks of tn
prison door II flower grew up to chez
picc ola, Mungo Park, the great tray
eler and explorer, had his life saved b.
flower. He sank down in the deser
TO die, but, seeing a flower near by, i
suggested Gods merciful care, and h
got up with new courage and travele
on to safety. said the flowers are tn
angels of the grass. add now they ar
the evangels of the sky.
If you ask me the question; "Wha
are flowers for?" | respond, they ar
good for the bridal day The brid
must have them on her brow, and sh
must have them in her hand. The MAJ
riage altar must be covered with then
A wedding without flowers would be a
inappropriate as wedding withou