The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-09-12
The KINGS 5 GARDEN
Dr.. Tainnsge Dtscoufssson Chf'S'
and &he Gu ch,
TRE MOST SEAU TiFUL
Fiowsfs and ;hs Best Off ois-@hy
tbs sayioF P. OK .ha Choicest
Fisst-Tna Day Of
SaINaticn-
Salvation.

nalE]nS pace n Els JVAt2cy tAi V">!'
the valleys Of Switzerland. II seems 10
have been prepared ami3 TIE 6ioo~ ana
aroma Of garden 4jGsawaer The
text is Song Of Solomon ', /: a~
come into ny garden.
The Bible is great poem, We have
in it faul,lsss rhy,dn aod bold imagery
and startling ap;is&esis aad raptusous
lyric ard sweet pastoral a1d instructive
narrative AID devotional psalm;
thoughts expressed in st3le more
solemn than that Of Montgomery. more
bold than that Of Milton, more terrible
than that Of D.ute, more natursl tAsG
that Of Wordsworth, mere inpassionec
than that OF Foilck, m9Ee tcace- than
that of Cowper, mvre weI,d thaa thu. OF
Spenser This great poem brings ali
the gems Of tie earth into its c1ropet,
and it wesves the flames of judgment
into its garlan6s snG pcurs eternal har-
monies in its rhythm. Everything this
book touches it makes beautiful, from
the plain stones OF tee suamsT tarasn-
ing foor 70 the daughters Of y .hcc I'LL
ing the troughs for the came!s. ieon The
fish pools of Heshoon W 70 tic Psalm
ist prcisirg Coo with d!apasoa ofstorm
s-G whirl&iGd ard JOBS imagery Of
Orion, Arcturus and the P!elaces.
My text leads Us into & scene o. sum
uer cedolsnce. The world has lad a
great many beautifui gardens. Charlie
magne added 10 The glory oi his reign
by decreeing that they be established all
through the realr deciding even the
names Of the f WIS to Re planted
there. Henry u at Montpelier
established gardens OF bewitching
beauty and luxuriance, gathering into
them Alpine, Py1enean ard French
plants. One OF the sgeeteSt spots on
earth was the garden Of Sh9nstone, tie
poet. His writings have made bat lit
tie impression OF the weEld, but his
gar6en, the ''LeaaoTes, viii be I'm
mortal. To The natural advantages OF
that placc was brought the perfection
of art. Arbor AID terrace AID slope
and rustic temple and reservoir sro Urn
and fountain here bad their cro@Glog
Oak and yeE and haZsi pat f0: n tLelr
richest foliage. There was no life more
diligent, no soul r.oEe ingenious than
that OF Sherstons, a1d al that dill
gence and genius BE- brought TO NE
aoornment Of that one tTes>uGe0 SPOT.
He gave 1900 fer it. He sold II for
several thousand. And yet | an to
tell you today OF 5 richer garden than
any ! have mentioned. II IS the garden
spoken Of N ny tex.-the gaTdea Of the
church, when belongs TO Christ, for
my text says So He bought it, he
planted it, he own it and he
shall have il. Walter Scott, in his OUT
lay at Abbotsford, rmDed bis fortune,
and now, in the crimson ioEeIs Of those
gardens, you can aluost think OF
Imsgine that you see the blood Of that
old mans broken heart. The pay yment
Of the last 800, 900 sacrificed him.
SUI ! nave to tell you that Christs life
sad Christs death were the outlay OF
this beautiful garden CT the church, Of
which my texs speaks. Oh, how many
sighs and tears and pangS a; q agonles!
Tell me, ye women who saw him hang.
Tell me, sc execu,ioner5 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" If the garden of che
church belongs to Christ, certainly be
has right to walk in it. Come, then,
0 blessed Jesus, today. Walk up and
down these aisle and pluck what thou
wilt OF sweetness for thyself!
The church in my texts approprpri-
stely compared to garden, because 1t
is place Of choice fowerS, Of select
fruits and of thorough irrigation.
That would be a strange garden in
which there were 20 f2wers. II no.
where else, they would be along the
borders or at the gateway. The home
lest taste will dictate something, if
it be only the old fashioned holly hook
or dshia or daf0dil. But If there
be larger means then you will fnd
the Mexican cactus and blazing
asales and the clustering oleander.
Well, nov, Onrist comes to his garden,
and he plants there some Of the bright
est spirits that ever lowered upon the
world Some of them are riolet5, in-
eonspicous, but sweet as heaven. You
have to search an hnd them. You 90
not see them very often perhaps, hut
you find where they have been by the
brig ghtened face of the invalid and the
sprls of geraniuu on the stand and the
new window curtains keeping cut the
sloR of the sunlight. They sfe perhaps
more like the ranuacu!us, creeping
swestly along aDlc the ihorns aac
hriers of life; giving kiss for sung.
And many man who has had Ia his
wsy some great olack rock OF trouble
has found that they have covered 1t ali
over with iowery jasmine running in
and out amid the creVices. These How-
ers in Christs garden are rot, ike the
sun6oWer, gsudy n the light, but
wherever darkness ho7ers over a soul
that needs to be confoGtcd there they
stand, night blooming cereuses. But
in Chriss's garden there are p!Snys that
may be better compared to the Mexican
cactus-thorns without, loVeliness with
!n-men with sharp pc nts OF character.
They wound almost every one that
touches them. They are hard to han
die. Men pronounce them nothing but
thorns, but Christ loves then, not#ith-
standing all their sharp1esses. Many
a man has had very hard ground to
cultivate, aud it has only been through
severe trial that he has raised even the
smallest scrap of grace, a very harsh
minister vas taking to very placid
elder, and the placid elder said to The
harsh minister, Doctor, do w-sh you
.Zn,,l6 nnntrnl rorrr tennrec ~ :, 4 ~