Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-09-03

Right Living.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 2.-This sermon
DR.. Talmage sends from a hating
place in his journey through the val
Ieys of Switzerland 1t seems to have
been prepared amid the bloom and
aroma of a garden midsummer. The
text is Song of Solomon v, l, Il am
come into my garden"
The Bible is a great poem. We have
in its faultless rhythm and bold i'm
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
urai than that of Wordsworth, more
impassioned than that of Pollok, more
tender than that of COwper, more
weird than that of Spenser. This great
poem brings all the gems of the earth
into its coronet and it weaves the
flames of judgment into its garlands
and pours eternal harmOnies in it's
rhythm. Everything this book touches
it makes beautiful, from the plain
stones of the summer thrashing floor
to the daughters of Major filling the
troughs for the camels; from the fish
pools of Heshbon up to the psalmist
praising God with diapason of storm
and whirlwind, and Jobs imagery of
Orion, Arcturus and the PleiadeS.
NY text leads US into q scene Of sum-
mer redolence. The world has had
great many beautiful gardens. Charlie
magne added to the glory of his reign
by decreeing that they be established
all through the realm-deciding even
the names of the flowers to be planted
there Henry ", at 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 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 GROWING. 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 it; he sold it for
f17,000. And yet, am to tell you to-
day of a richer garden than any | have
mentioned. 1t is the garden spoken
of in my text, the garden of the church,
says so. He bought it. he planted it,
he owns it, and he shall have it.
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
100000 sacrificed him. But l have to
tell you that Christs life and Christ's
death were the outlay of this beautiful
garden of the church. of which my
text speaks. Oh, how many signs 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; We rocks that fell!
t'Christ loved the church and gave him
self for it." If the garden of the
church belongs to Christ. certainly he
has q right to walk in it. Come, then,
o blessed Jesus. today; walk up and
down these aisles, and pluck what thou
wilt OF sweetness for myself!
The Church as a Garden.
The church. in my text. is appro-
priately compared to garden. because
ic nj Of of
fruits and of thorough irrigation.
That would be strange garden in
which there were no flowers. If no.
where else, they would be along the
borders or at the gateway The home
Hest taste will dictate something, if it
be only the old fashioned hollyhock or
dahlia or daffodil; but if 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 Powered upon the world. Some Of
them are violets, 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
curtains keeping out the glow of the
sunlight. They are, perhaps, more like
the ranunculus, 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 it all over with
dowery jasmine running in and out
amid the crevices.
These flowers in Christ's garden are