Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-09-08

- SSSlAs 10 nave Detu prepared aiulU tue
bloom and aroma of garden midsum-
mer. The text is Song OF Solomon v. i:
am come into my garden"
The Bible is a great poem. We have
in II fauitless rhythm and bold imagery
and startling antithesis and rapturous
lyric and sweet pastoral and instructive
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 natural than that OF Wordsworth,
more imprisoned 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 weayes the flames
OF Judgment into its garlsndS and pours
eternal harmOnieS in its rhythm. Every
thing this book touches it makes beauti-
ful, from the plain stones of the sum
mer 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
or Orion, Arcturus and the Pleiades.
My text leads us into u scene of sum
nv iNuVlVhNNs NOliu mas Hhu II
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 Nv. at Montpelier established
gardens of bewtching beauty and lux
uriance, gathering into them Alpine. Ply
renean and French plants One of the
sweetest spots on earth was the garden
OF Shenstone, the poet His writings
have made but little impression on the
world, but his garden, the "Leasowes, p"
will be immortal. To the natural advan-
tageS of that place was brought the per-
fectiOn of art. Arbor and terrace and
slope and rustic temple and reservoir and
urn and fountain here had their crown
ing. Oak and yew and hazel put forth
their richest foliage. There was no life
more diligent, no soul more ingenious
thfp that of Shenstone, and all that dill
ge15ee and genius he brought to the adorn-
ment OF that one treasured spot. He gave
t3oO for il. He sold il for several thou
sand. And yet | am to tell you to-day
of richer garden than any l have men
toned 1t is the garden spoken of in
my textile garden of the church.
wSAsee belongs TO Christ, for my text saws
so. He bought it, he planted it, he owns
1t, 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 see the blood of
that old mans broken heart. The paw
ment of the last 100000 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
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!
Christ loved the church and gave him
self for It," If the garden Of the church
belongs TO Christ, certainly he has a
Fight to walk in it, Come, then. o
blessed Jesus, to-day. Walk up and down
these aisles and pluck what thou wilt Of
sweetness for myself!
The Church Is a Garden.
ne church in my text is appropriate
iy compared to garuen, because it is a
place OF choice flowers, of select fruits,
and Of thorough irrigation.
That would be strange garden in
which there were no flowers. If nowhere
else, they would be along the borders or
OF the gateway. The homeliest taste
will dictate something, il il be only the
Old-fashioned hOllyhOck OF dahlia or DAT
fodi. But if there be large means then
you will find the Mexican cactus and
blazing azalea and clustering 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 vioets, incOn-
spicuous, 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 geranium on the stand and the
new window curtains keeping out the
glow of the sunlight. They are perhaps
more like the ranunculus, creeping sweet.
ly along amid the thorns and bIiers Of
life, giving kiss for sting. And many
a man who has had in his way some
great black rock Of trouble has found
that they have covered il all over with
iNNN'S IaHhliHt running VI anu Dllf anna
the creviccs These flowers ia Christ,
garden are not, like the Sunhower. gaudy
in the light. but wherever darkness how
ers over q soul that needs to be com
forted 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.
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. not
withstandiug all their sharpnesscs Mary
man has had Il very hard ground 10
cultivate, and it has only been through
severe trial that he has raised even tine
smallest scrap OF grace. A very harsh
minister was talking to a very placid
elder, and the placid elder said 10 the
harsh minister. Doctor. ! do wish you
would control your temper All" said
the minister to the elder. II control more
temper in FIVE minutes than You do in FIVE
years"
1t is harder for some men to DO right