The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-05-11
FLOWERS OF EASTER.
Dr.. Talmage Draws an Inspiration
from Them.
The Eloquent Orators Easter Dis
cOursc-LessOns Which the Flow
ers Bring to the Dfspirlted
and the Bereaved.

washington, Copyright 1897
In this Easter sermon DIR. Talmage
interprets the message which the flow
ers bring to the anxious, the dispirited
and the bereaved; text, Luke 1928, '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
He clothe you, 0 ye of little faith?''
The lily is the queen of Bible flowers.
The rose may have disputed her throne
in 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
blushed into its present beauty. In the
Bible train, cassia and hyssop and
frankincense 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 in the time of
Esther, in the time of Solomon, in the
time of Christ. Caesar had his throne
on the hills. The lilly had her throne in
the valley. In the greatest sermon that
was ever preached there was only one
flower, and that lily. The Bedford
house of the interpreter and was shown
cluster of flowers and was told to
consider the lilies
We may study or re ject other sciences
at our option-it is so with astronomy,
tits $50 with chemistry, it is so with juris
prudence, it is so with physiology, it
is so with geology-but the science of
when He says: Consider the lilies"
Measure them from root to tip of petal.
! Inhale their breath. Notice the grace
fulness 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
6ierras, the Golden band lily, the Giant
lily of Nepaul, the Turks cap lily, the
African lily from the Cape of Good
Hope. All these lilies have the royal
blood in their veins. But l take the
lilies of my text this morning as typ
ical of all flowers, and their voice of
floral beauty seems to address us, say
ing: Consider the lilies, consider the
aZaleas, consider the fuchsias, consider
the geraniums. consider the ivies, con-
slider the hyacinths, consider the hello
tropes, consider the oleanders." With
deferential and grateful and intelligent
and worshipful souls, consider them.
Not with insipid sentimcntalism or
with sophomore vaporing, but 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 speak they scream, when
the cataracts speak they always whis-
per. stand here to fntrepet 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 are
flowers good for?
l remark, in the first place, they are
l
care. That was Christ's first thought
All these flowers seem to address us to-
day, saying: God will give you ap.
pareland food" We have no wheel with
which to spin, no loom with which to
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 appareled
us with more than Solomonic regality
We are prophetesses of adequate ward
robe. 'If God so clothed us, the gras:
of the field, will He not much more
clothe you, o We of little faith?" Mer
and women of worldly anxieties, take
this message home with you! How long
has God taken care of you? Quarter o1
, the journey of life? Half the journe,
of life? Three-quarters the journey O
, life? Can you not trust Him the res
. of the way? God does not promise yo,
{ anything like that which the Roman
emperor had on his table at vast ex
! pense-5O0 nightingales' tongues bu
{ He has promised to take care of you
He has promised you the necessities
| not the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., not cake.
God SO luxuriantly clothes the grass o
the field, will He not provide for you
4 His living and immortal children? H
t viii.
I No wonder Martin Luther always ha,
. a flower on his writing desk for in
> spiration! Through the cracks of tn
4 prison door flower grew up to chee
. Pieciola. Mungo Park. the great tray
t eler and explorer, had his life saved b.
. a flower. He sank down in the deser
to die, but, seeing flower near by,
suggested Gods merciful care, and h
got up with new courage and trayele
: on to safety. said the flowers are tn
angels of the grass. add now they ar
the evangels of the sky.
I If you ask me. the question: "Wha
9 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 mai
rince altar rnunt be covered with then