Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-09-08

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The Flowers and Fruits of ReIi
giOus Devotion The Beauty O
Right Living.
WASHINGTON. Sept 2.-This sermon
Dr. Talmage sends from haltlnl
place In his journey through the val
leys Of Switzerland. 1t seems to have
been prepared amid the bloom an(
aroma of garden midsummer. The
text Is Song of Solomon v, l, 81 an
come into my garden"
The Bible Is q great poem. We have
In its faultless rhythm and bold Inn
agery and startling antithesis and rap
turous lyric and sweet pastoral and In.
structive narrative and devotional
psalm; thoughts expressed in style
more solemn than that Of Montgomery,
more bold than that OF Milton, more
terrible than that of Dante, more nat
ural than that of Wordsworth, more
impassioned than that Of Pollok more
| tender than that Of Cowper, more
weird than that of Spenser. This great
DOtln DilhbS All tLt htilo VI lut tui III
into It's coronet and it weaves the
flames OF judgment into Its garlands
and pours eternal harmonles In its
rhythm. Everything this book touches
II makes beautiful, from the plain
stones Of the summer thrashlng floor
to the daughters OF Major filling the
troughs for the camels; from the fish
pools OF Heshbon up to the psalmlst
and whirlwind. and Jobs imagery of
Orion, Arcturus and the Pleiades.
My text leads us into scene of sum-
mer redOlence. The world has had
great many beautiful gardens. Charlie
magne added to the glory of his reign
by decrecing that they be established
all through the rcalm-deciding even
the names of the flowers to be planted
there. Henry ~, at Montpelier, es-
tablished gardens of bewltchlng 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 impress
sion on the world; but his garden, The
Leasowes." will be immortal. To the
natural advantages Of that place was
brought the perfection Of art. Arbor
and terrace and slope and rustic temple
and reservoir and urn and fountain
here had their crownlng. Oak and yew
and hazel put forth their richest
foliage. There was no life more
diligent. no soul more ingenious than
that Of Shenstone. and all that dill
gence and genius he brought to the
adornment of that one treasured spot |
He gave $500 for 1t; he sold II for
f17.000. And yet. am to tell you to-
day Of a richer garden than any | have |
mentioned. Ii Is the garden spoken |
OF in my text. the garden OF the church, |
says "a, SO. He bought II, he planted 1t, !
he owns 1t, and be shall have 1t.
Walter Scott, In his outlay at Abbots-
ford, ruined his fortune; and now. In
the crimson 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
f1OO,0 sacrificed him. But have to
tell you that Christ's life and Christ's |
death were the outlay Of this beautiful
garden Of the church. Of which my |
text speaks. Oh. how many slghs and
tears and pangs and agonies. Tell me, |
We women who saw him hang. 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." II the garden Of the
church belongs to Christ. certainly he
has a right to walk in 1t. Come, then,
o blessed Jesus. today; walk up and
down these aIslcs. and pluck what thou
wilt of sweetness for thyself.
The Church ns n Garden.
The church. In my text. Is appro-
priately compared to n garden. because
II is q place Of choice flowers. Of select
fruits and OF thorough irrigation.
That would be q strange garden In |
which there were no flowers. II no
where else they would be along the
borders or at the gateway. The home
lest taste will dictate something. II 1t
be only the old fashioned hOllyhock or |
dahlia or daffodil; but II there be larger
means, then you will find the Mexican
cactus and blazing azalea and cluster
ing oleander. Well. now. Christ comes
to his garden and he plants there
some of the brightest spirits that
ever lowered upon the world. Some OF
them are volets, 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 sprig Of gera-
mum on the stand and the new window J
curtains keeping out the glow OF the |
sunlight. They are. perhaps, more like
the ranuncuus, creeping sweetly along |
amid the thorns and briers Of life. |
giving kiss for sting: and many man
who has had In his way some great |
black rock of trouble has found that |
they have covered 1t all over with |
howery jasmine running in and out
amid the crevices.
These flowers in Christ's garden are |
not, like the sunfower. gaudy in the
light, but wherever darkness hovers over |
n soul TINT needs to be comfOrtcd, there
they stand, night blooming cereuses.
But in Christ's garden there are plants
that may be better compared to the
Mexican cactus-thorns without, love
liness within: men with sharp points OF
They wound almost every |
one that touches them. They are hard
to handle Men pronounce them moth
ing but thorns. but Christ loves
them notwithstanding all their sharp
nesses. Many man has had very
hard ground to cultivate, and 1t has
only been through severe trial he has
raised even the smallest scrap Of grace. |