HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1896-5-14, Page 3THE OHURGH GARDEN.
A SEASONABLE SERMON PREACHED
laY REV. DR. TALMAGE,
A thitnering or God's ravioli, a Place of
chore Flowers, Select Fruits anti
Thorough irrigation -An en_vitation
to Enter. '
Washington, May 3. -As the parka
in Washington are abloom with hya-
cinths, and the gardens are being
made, the simile dominant in this sub-
ject is very suggestive and preetical
D. Talmage's text was Isaiah
11, To shalt be like a watered gar-
den."
The Bible is a greet poem. We have
in it faultless rhythm, and bold im-
agery, anti startling antithesis, and
rapturous Lytle, and sweet pastoral, and
instructive narrative, and devotional
psalm -thought express ed in style more
solemn than that of Montgomery, more
bold Than that of Milton, more terrible
than tbatt of Dante, more natural than
that of Wordsworth, more impassionat-
e1 than that of Pollock, raore ten-
der than that of Cowper, more weird
than that of Spenser.
This great poem brings all the gems
Of the eaetli into its corouet, and it
weaves the flame of judgment into
its garlande, and pours eternal haiN:
monies in RS rhythm. Everytbing
thie hook touches it makes beautiful,
from the plain stones of the sum-
mer alarasbing floor to the daughters
of Nabor filling the trough for the
cemels, from the fish pools of Resin
bon up to the psalmist praising God
with the diapason of storm and whirl-
wind andjob's imagery of Orion, Arc-
turus and. the Pleiades.
IVIx text leads up into ascene of sum-
mer redolence. The world haa had a
great many beautiful gardens. Char-
lemagne added to the glory of his
reign by decreeing that they be estab-
lished all through the realm, decid-
ing even the names of the flowers to
be planted there. Henry IV., at Mont-
pellier, esto-blished gardens of bewitch-
ing beauty and luxtulance, gathering
into them Alpine, P,yreneen and French
plants, One of the sweetest spots on
earth was the garden of Shenstone,
the poet. His writings have made but
THE EXETER TIMES
hilr down. Do you think I ought to
join the church -I Nevertheless, that
yen' same man, who was so rash in
ins behavior. loved Christ and could
not epeak of sacred things without
tears of emotion and affection. Thorns
without sweetness within- the best
spe.cimeti of the Mexican cactus 1 ever
eaw.
There are others planted, in Christ's
garden who are always radiant, al-
ways impre.ssive, more like the roses
of deep hue that we occa.sionally find
called "Giants of Battle;" the Martin
Luthers, St. Pa,u1s, Chrysostoms,
Wyclifs, Letimers and Samuel Ruther-
fords. What in other inert is a spark
in them is a, cemflagration. When they
sweat, they sweat great drops of blood,
When they pray, their prayer takes
fire. When they preacb, it is a Penti-
cost. When they fight, it is -a Ther-
mopylae. When they die, it is a
martyrdom. You find a great many
roses ea the gareens, but only a few
"Giants of Battle," Men say, "Why
don't you have mare of them in the
ehurch?" I say, "Why don't you have
in the world sonae Humboldts and Wel-
lingtons?" God gives to same ten
talents; to another, one.
In this garden of the aura, which
Christ ha .s planted. I also find the
snow -drops, beautiful but cold look-
ing, seemingly another phase of winter.
I mean those Christianwho are pre-
cise in their tastes, unimpassioned,
pure as snowdrops and as cold. They
never shed any tears, they never get
excited, they never say any thing
rashly, they never do anythiug pre-
cipita,tely. Their pulses never flutter,
their nerves never twitch, their in-
dignation never boils over. They live
longer than most people, but. their life
is in a minor key. They never run up
to C above the staff. In tbeir music
of life they have no staccato passages
Christ planted them in the church and
they must •be of some service, or they
would not be there. Snowdrops, always
snowdrops.
But I nave not told you of the most
beautiful flower of all this garden
spoken of in the text. If you see a
cAlittlrY Plant, ndatin emotions are start-
ed. You ease 'Why this flower has
been 100 years gathering up for one
bloom, and it will be 100 yeaxs more
before other petals will come out."
But 1 bave to Tell you of a plant that
was gathering up from all eternity,
and that 1,900 years ago put forth its
bloom never to wither. It is the pas -
elm plant of the, orossl Prophets
foretold it. Bethlehem sbepberds look-
ed upon it in tbe bud, the rocks shook
at its bursting, and the dead got up
in their winding eheets to see its full
bloom. It is a crimson flower -blood
at the Toots, blood en the branches,
blood on all the leaves. Its perfume is
th fill all the, nations. Its breath is
heaven. Come, 0 winds, from the
north and winds from the south, and
winds from tbe east, and winds from
the we.st, and bear to all the earth
the sweet smelling savor of Christ, my
Lord 1
His worth if all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would. love Him
little impression on the world. but his
garden. 'The Leasowes," will be im-
mortal. To the natural. advantage 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
csrowning.. Oak and yew and. hazel put
forth tbete ricbest foliage. There was
Mg life raore diligent, no soul more in-
genious, tban that of Shenstone, and
all that diligence and genius be brought
to the enerament of that one treasured
spot. lie gave 4300 for it; he sold it.
for £17,000. And yet I am to tell you
to -day of a richer garden than any
bave mentioned. It is the garden spok-
en of in my text, the garden of the
ebursh, wbieh belongs to Christ. He
bought it, Ile planted. it. He owns it,
and ale shall have it, Walter Scott, in
his outlay at Abbotsford, ruined his
fortune, and now,. in the crimson flow -
of those gardens, you can almost
think or imagine that you see the blood
of that old man's broken heart. The
payment of the last 4100,000 sacrificed
him. But I have to tell you that
Christ's life and Christ's death were
the outlay of this beautiful garden
. the clench of which my textspeaks.
Ole /sow many eighs and tears and
Pangs and agonies I Tell me, ye wo-
men who saw Ibm hang! Tell rae, ye
executioners who lifted Him and let
Hina &rani Tell me, thou sun that
didst hide, ye rocks that fell! Christ
love4 the church and -gave Himself
for it. If the garden of the church
belongs to Christ, certainly He has
a right to walk in it. Come, tben, 0
blessed Jesus, to -day; walk up and
.down these &isles and pluck what
Thou wilt of sweetness for Thyself.
The church, in my text,. IS appro-
priately compared to a garden because
it is the place of choice flowers, of
:elect fruits and of thorough irriga-
tion. That would be a strange garden
in which there were no flowers. If
nowhere else, they would be along the
boaters or at the gateway. The home-
liest taste will dictate something if
it be.. only the old-fnehioned hollyhock
or dahlia or daffodil, but if there be
larger means then yoa 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 flowered upon the world. Some of
them are violets, inconspieuous,.. but
sweet as heaven. You ,,have to search
and find theme' Yon do not see them
very often perhaps, but you find where
they have been by the brightened face
of the invalid and the spring of gerani-
um an the stand and the new window
curtains keeping out the ,glare of the
sunlight. They are perhaps more like
the ranunculus, creeping sweetly along
amid the throns and briers of life,
giving kiss for sting, and many a men
who has had in his way some geeat
black rock of trouble has found that
sehey bave covered it all over with
ilowery jasmine, running in and out
amid the thorns and briers of life,
Christ's garden are not, like the sun-
flower, gaudy in the light, but wher-
ever darkness hovers over a soul that
needs to be comforted there they stand
night blooming oereuses.
But in Chriet's garden there are
plants that may be better compared to
the Mexican caetus-thorns without,
loveliness within, m.en with, sharp
points of character. They would al-
most every one that touches them.
They are hard to handle. Men pro-
nounce them nothing but thorns, but
Christ loves them notwithittanding all
their sharpnesses. Many a man has
had a very hard ground to cultivate,
and it has even been through severe
trial he has raised even the smallest
crop of grace. A very harsh minister
. was talking to a very placid elder,
- and the placid elder said to the harsb
minister, "Doctor, I do wish you would
control your texaper." "Ah," said the
minister to the elder, "I control more
temper in, five matinee than you do
in five years."
It is harder for some men to do
right than for other raeia to do right.
The grace that would elevate you to
the seventh heaven might not keep
you* brother from knocking a man
down. 1 had a friend who came to
me and said, "1 dere not join the
church," I said, "Why II" "Oh," he
said, "I have such a violent temper I
Yesterday rnorniug I was crossing
very early at the Jersey City ferry,
and I saw a milkman pour a large
quantity of water into the inilk can,
and 1 mid to him "I think that twill
lo," and he Limited me, and 1 knocked
That/ is like the •oleura. The church is
a garden in the midst of a great des-
ert, of sin and suffering, but it is well
irrigated, for "our eyes are tinto the
hills from whence cometh our help."
Front *the mountains of God's strength
Mere flow down rivers of endues%
" There is a river tee etreem whereof
shall make glad theoity of God."
Preaching the gospel is one of the acme -
ducts. The .Bible is another. Baptism
and the Lord's supper are aqueducts.
Water to slake the thir' st, water to
wasla the unclean, water tossed high
up in tbe light of the Sun of Right-
eousness, showing; us thtu rainbow
around the throne. Oh, was there ever
a garden so thoroughly irrigated I You,
know that the beauty of Versailles and
Chateworth depends very much upon
the great supply of wa,tex. 1 came to
the latter place, Chatsworth one day
when strangers are not to be admitted,
but by an Inducement which always
seemed as potent with an Englishman
as an American, I got in, and then the
gardener went fax up above the stairs
•of stone and. turned on the water I
saw it gleaming on the dry pavement:
comixig down from step to step until it
came so near I could hear the musical
rush, and all over the high broad stairs
it came, foaraban, flashing, roaring
down, until sunlight and wave in glee-
some wrestle tumbled at my feet, So
it, is with the church of God. Every-
thing comes from above -pardon from
above, joy from above, adoption from
above, sanctification from above.
Hark! I hear the latch of the gar-
den gate, and I lotuk to see who is com-
ing. I hear the voice of Christ, "I am
come jet° my garden." I say: "Come
in, 0 Jesus! We have been waiting* for
Thee. Walk all tbrough the paths. Look
at tbe flowers, look at the fruit' pluck
thot which. Thou wilt for Thyself." Jes-
us comes into the garden, and up to
that old man and touches him and says:
Almost home, father; not many more
achis for thee. I will never leave thee;
take courane a little longer, and I will
steady thy tottering steps, and I will
soothe thy troubles and give thee
re.st. Courage, old ream." Then ()lariat
noes up another garden path, and He
comes to a soul in trouble and says:
"Pence 1 All is. well. I have seen thy
tears; I bave heard thy prayer. The
sun shall not smite tbee by day nor
the moon by night. The Lord shall
preserve thee from all evil; Be will
preserve thy soul. Courage, 0 troubled.
spirit 1"
too.
Again the chunal may be appro-
priately compared to a garden because
it is a place of fruits. That would
be a strange garden which had in if no
berries, no plu.ms, or peaches or apri-
cots. The coarser fruits are pla,nted
in the orchard or they are set out in
the sunny hillside, but the choicest
fruits are kept in the garden. So, in
the world outside the church, Cbrist.
has planted a great many beautiful
things - patience, charity, generosity,
integrity -but He intend iu the choicest
fruits to be in the garden, and, if they
are not there, then shame on the
ahureh.
Religion is not a mere sentimen-
tality. It is a practical life, life-givbag
healthful fruit -not posies, but apples
"Ob," says somebody, "1 don't see
what your garden of the ohurch has
yielded." In reply I ask. Where did
your asylumns come from, and your
hospitals, and your institutions of
mercy? Christ planted every one of
them; He planted them in His garden
When Christ gave sight to Bar-
tiraeus, Be laid the cornerstone to
every blind asylum that has ever been
built, When Christ soothed the de-
moniac of Glilee, He laid the eorner-
stone of every lunatic asylum that
bas ever been established. When
Christ said to the sick man, "Take up
thy bed and walk," He laid. the cor-
nerstone of every hospital the world
has ever seen. Wbert Christ said, "I
was in prison and ye visited me," Ile
laid the cornerstone of every prison
reform association that has ever been
organized. The church of Christ is a
glorious gardennnd it is full of fruit.
I know there is some poor fruit in it.
know there are some weeds that ought
to be thrown over the fence, I know
tbere are some crab apple trees that
aught to be cut down. know there are
some wild grapes that ought to be
upeooted. But are you going to de-
stroy the whole garden because of a
little gnarled fruit? You will find
worm eaten leaves in Fontainbleau,
and insects that sting in the fairy
groves of the Champs Elysees. You do
not tear down and destroy the whole
garden because there are a few speci-
mens of gnarled fruit. I admit there
are men and women in the church
wilo ought not to be there, but let us
be just as frank and admit the fact
that, there are hundreds and thou-
sands: and tens of thousands of glo-
rious Christian men and women -holy,
blessed,useful, conseerated and trium-
phant. There is no grander, nobler
collection in all the earth than the
collection of Christians.
There are Christian men and women
in this house whose religion is not a
matter of psalm singingand church
going. To -morrow morning that relig-
ion will keep them just as consistent
and consecrated in their worldly occu-
pation as it ever kept them at the
communion table. There are women
here to -day of a higher type of charac-
ter than Mary of Bethany.They not
only sit at the feet of Christ, but they
go out into the kitcben to help 111,artha,
too. There is a WOMall who has a
drunken husba,nd who has exhibited
more faith and patience and courage
than Ridley in the fire. He was con-
sumed in twenty minntes. Reis has
been a twenty years' martyrdom. Yon-
der is a mart who has been fifteen years
on his back, unable to feed himself,
yet cairn and peaceful as though he
Jay on one of the green banks of
heaven watching the oansmeau dip their
paddles in the crystal river. Why, it
seems to me this moment as if St, Paul
threw to us a pemologist's catalogue of
the fruits growing in this great garden
of Christ - love, joy, peaoe, patience;
charity, brotherly kindness, gentleness,
mercy -glorious fruit enough to fill all
the baskets op earth and heaven.
• Agein the alturch in my text is ap-
propriately called a garden because it
is thoraaghly irrigated. No garden
could prosper long -without plenty of
water. I have seen a ,garden in the
midst of a desert, yet blooming and
luxuriant. .A.11 around us were dearth
and barrenness, but there were pipes,
aqueducts, reaching from this garden
up to the mountains, and through
those .aqueducts the water came
•streaming dawn and tossing up into
beautiful fountains, until every root
and leaf an. flower •was saturated.
Her bell. tolls. The planke thunder
back in the gangway. She talaovee off.
She floats out toward the great ocean
of eternity. Wave farewell to your
last chance for heaven. "Oh, Jerusa-
lem, Jerusalem, how often would I have
gathered thee as a hoe gathered her
brood under bar wings, a,nct ye would
not! Behold. your house is Loft unto you.
desolate!" Invited to revel in a garden
you. die ,ia a desert! Mcy God Al-
mighty before it is to late, break that
infatuation.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
11.4,
INTERNATIONAL LESSON, MAY V.
",erasable or tbe Pounds." Luke in Ines.
Gowen Text, Luke 1640,
16. Tbe first. "The reports of three
only are givere that being enough to
exbibit the whole method and spirit of
the trial."- Bliss. Thy pound bath
gained ten pounds. Literally, "Rath
earned in addition." as tbough he de-
served no credit for cendueting the
financial plan. But what a splendid
Percentage of profit was ibis! Our
business is to make our single pound
go the farthest possible, and to work
the. best results.. It has been profound-
ly saki by Dr. Jac.ohus that tile great
man in Cbriet's service is not the man
of ten talents, but the man whose one
talent has gained ten. Notice, also,
that it is"Ihy pound." It is God's grace
working in us that accomplishes good
ABOUT THE lIATABELES,
'rim INTERESTING HOME 0
WARRIOR PEOPLE.
M.O.
Curious Facts About an 014 South Artelean
rribe-Ilow the etatatties Settled In
the country They OeCUPY*11, neautiful.
and Fertile country.
Of the many savage noes existing on
tbe faoe of the eartb, none have of
late aroused SO 1011Ch interest in the
DISCOVERIES I LABRADOR.
The !foramen, wart 01 tite Suipposen
Peninsula is 0 Great. Jelafld
The existence Of cuee a the, greatest
known deposits of iron are and the fat
that the Iaxgest poltion of the suppos-
ed Labrador peninsula is in reality an
island are among the latest discoveries
of Mr. A. P. Low of the Dominion Geo-
logical Survey. These exploretiOna
were made in June, July, Augusts
and September, 1805, in that part of
minds of English speaking peoples
en central Labrador in which the rivers
among men. the atabeles, a race living in South
Peribonca, Ontario. M.aniconagan, and.
M
17. Faithful in a very little. See eerie,' whose sudden uprising the the Big River of liudsoa Bay take their
Luktu 12. 48; 16..10. nave thou author-
ity was over ten cities. "Authority"other day caused a momentary panic over and in one of the rapids of the Mani-
a city would, of course, include its re -
and a certain loss of life in tb.eir
venra
ue as well as its rulership. Here, ediate neighborbood. ThismacemaKan one of Mr. Low's eanonne
GENERAL STATEMENT,n
babits what is known as Matabeleland, was drowned, and neither the canoe no
tbe body of the Indian was seen again.
Jesus is journeying toward the final ea'
again, our Lord was repeating histori-
reiwafra(cite,a fol3•IsArliabiethurat.fit onadiVereurtsturny
a country situated on a high plateau
acts of his life at Jeru.salem. He is 31aniconagan River was *amid-
aseigning to theta the govern- in South Africa, between the Zarabe,si
passing out of the city of Jericho, where mein: of eities. But what a rich and the Limpopo rivers. Their count- ed for Lak 3,1000nenesa from rhlais mon.ncc itth, to
as
he bas given sight to Bartimeus and
reclined as a, guest at the table of Zee- faeoT."arititu was
e ptuegtectv try J. bounded on the north by the found em iblegfor. a loneg distanrewto
Addle Portugese Bast Af- follow the stream, on account of ita
cheus. An' eager naultatade throngs ten cities. Our reward as ,Christiane rica lies to tbe east of it. It is
servant buy
earned them. he receives Zambesi,
jest -rapid character and tbe high, rocky
tanks,. whien preclude portaging. For
about him, expecting the instant es- will be relatively as great; for to each north es the Tranavaai, and forni
over six miles the river descends be-
establibsment of the Messianic kingdom, 01 181 e'cl.15" 43e,Prenuse: "Ye sball alge part of the large expanse of territory teveea almost vertical walls in a con -
with honors and offices for all Christ's reign witb e.
followers. He aloite of all that company
knows bow soon the hosannas will be
turned. into curses, Within ten days
will come the agony of Gethsemane,
the crown of thorns, and a deat/a of
auntie, Ceuturies must pass before
his kingdom, with its weapon, not car-
nal, but spiritual, will conquer the
hearts of the world. To open the dull
eyes of bis disciples be relates this
parable, the imagery would be pecu-
liarly suggestive to the oriental mind.
Then I see Jesus going up another
garden path, and I see great excite-
ment among thrn leaves, and I hasten
up that garden path to see what Jesus
is doing there, and lol He is breaking
off flowers, sharp and clean from Lbe
stem, and I sea, "Stop, Jesus; don't
kill those beautiful flowers." Ile turns
to me and says, "I have come into my
garden to gather lilies, and I mean to
take these up to a higher terrace, for
the garden Around my palace, and
there I will plant them, and in better
soil and in better air they -shall put
forth brighter leaves and sweeter redo-
lence, and no frost shall touch them for-
ever," And I looked up:into His fate
and said; "Well, it is His garden, and
He has a night to do what Ile will
with it. Thy will be none "-the, hardest
pranex mai ever made.
It has seemed as if Jesus Christ took
the beet. From many of your house-
holds the beet one is gone. You know
that she was too good for this world;
she was the gentlest in her ways, the
deepest in her affections, and when
at last the sickness came you had no
faith in ineelicines. You knew that the
hour of parting had come, and when,
through the Inch grace of the Lord.
Jesus Christ, you surrendered that
treasure you said: "Lord Jesus, take
it. It is the best we have; take A.
Thou art worthy 1" The others in the
household may iaave been of grosser
naold. She was of the finest.
The heaven of your little ones will
not be fairly begun until you get
there. All the kindness shown them
by immortals will not make them for-
get you. There they are, the radirint
throngs that went out from your
bomes. I throw a. kiss to the sweet
darlings. They are all well now in
the palace. The erippled child has a
sound foot now. A little lame child
sena "Ma, will I be lame in heaven?"
"No, my darling; you won't be lame
in heaven." A little sick child says
"Ma, will I be sick in heaven?" "No,
my deer; you won't be sick in heaven."
A little blind. child says, "Ma, will I
be blind in heaven?" 'No, my dear;
you won't be blind. in beaven. They are
all well there."
I notice that the fine gardens some-
times have high fences around them
and yoa cannot get in. It is so with
a king's garden. The only glimpse you
ever get of such a garden is when the
king rides out in Inc splendid carriage.
14 18 not so with this garden, this King's
garden. I throw wide open the gate
and tell you. all to come m. 1 mo-
nopoly in religion. 'Whosoever will,
may. Choose now between a desert
and a garden. Many of you have trietl
the garden of thie world's delight. You
have, ,found it has been a chagrin. So
it was with Theodore Hook. He made
all the world laugh. He makes us
laugh now when we read his poems,
but he could not make his own heart
laugh. While in the midst of his fes-
tivities he confronted a looking glass,
and. he saw -himself and said: "There,
that is true! I look just as I am -dons
up in body, mind and purse." So it
was of Shenstone, whose garden I
told you at the beginning of my ser-
mon. He eat down amid those bowers
and said: "1 bave lost my road to
happiness. I am angry and envious
and frantic and despise everything
=Trend me, just as it becomes a mad-
man to do."
- 0 ye weary souls, come into Christ's
garden to -day and pluck a little hearts-
ease. Christ is the only rest and the
only pardon for a perturbed spirit. Do
you not tbink your chance has almost
come? You men and women who have
been waiting year after year for some
good. opportunity hi which to accept
Christ, but have postponed. it 5, 10, 20,
30 years, do you not feel as if now
your hour of ,deliveranee and pardon
and salvation fias come? 0 man, what
grudge bast thou against thy poor
soul that thou wilt not let it be saved?
I feel as if salvation must come to -day
in some of your hearts.
Some years ago a vessel struck on
the rocks. They bad only one life
boat. In that life boat the passengers
and crew svern getting ashore. The
ve,ssel bad foundered and was sinking
deeper and deeper, and that one boat
-could n.ot take the passengers very
swiftly. A little girl stood on the deck
waiting for her turn th get into the
boat. The boat came and went, came
and went, but her turn did not seem
to come. After awhile she could wait
no longer, and she' leaped on the taff-
rail and then sprang into the sea, or
to the boatman: "Save me next:
Save me nextl" .0h, how many have
gone ashore into God's mercy, and, yet
you axe clinging to the wreck of sin!
Others have accepted. the pardon. of
Christ, but you are in peril. Why not
this moment make a rush for your im-
mortal rescu.e, crying until Jesus shall
bear you. and laneven and eerth ring
with the cry: "Save me nextl Save
me next!" Now is the day 01 salvation!
Now! Now! •
Thie Sabbath is the last for some of
you. It is about to sail away forever.
PRACTICAL NOTES.
Verse 11. And as they beard these
things, he added and spake a parable.
This phrase shows the close conneetion
of this story wit b the incident which
had preceded. it -the salvation of Zac-
cbeue. "They" means the multitude;
"these things" means the conversation
an the chief publican's house. Because
he was nigh to Jerusalem. Only
twenty miles or so from the holy city;
only ten days or so from the agony in
the garden the crown of thorns, and
the cross. Because they thought that
the kingdom of God should immediate-
ly appear. By the term "kingdom of
God" people generally understood the
restoration of national independence
under a God-ordeined king. Galileans
and. Judeans alike were eager fax libera-
tion from the bondage of Rome. To
seeure this. they believed, was the
mission of the Messiah; and it was
well-nigh impossible for them to recog-
nize tha.t this great prophet and won-
der -worker had in any sense "come
from God," without pouring forth
romantic, enthusiasm in mad endeavor
to make him kiug. So now we have
three ea -uses or reasons for the telling
of this story: 1. The, incident of Zoe-
cheus ; 2. The coming events at Jer-
usalem; 9. T.he 'misconception of tbe
populace.
12. This parable, tbough at some
points resembling the Parable of the
Talents (Matt. 25, 14-30), differs in its
audience, circuanstanc,es, and applica-
tion. It contains thre.e "sets of les-
sons:" 1. That differeut degrees of zeal
and industry for God's Jaw bave dif-
ferent degrees of reward; 2. That eter-
nal loss and shame is the portion of
God's slothful and unfaithful servants;
3. That the doora of God's enemies is
immeasurably more terrible. A cer-
tain nobleman went into a fax coun-
try to receive for aimself a kingdom,
a.nd rtuturn. As our Lord spoke he stood
under the shadow of a splendid palace his talents the more talents are in-
built by Archelaus, the wicked son of
Herod the Greet.; and a beautiful fresh
force comes into this parable when we
recall that Herod the Great and Arche-
taus had different times left this very
city of Jericho to woes. the ecu to a
fax country and receive from Caesar a
kingdom. That by the nobleman our
Lord typified. himself, by the kingdom
1a, 19. Thy pound bath rained five
pounds. Each man had re.cedved the t
same sum to invest, and tins man had
done just OOP. half as well as the first '
servant; he therefore gets one half of
the first servnata reward, five cities;
and the king who enthusiastieally sem
"Well, thou good servant" to the first, ,
mere y announces
secand. Marthew Henry quaintly oh -
serves tha..t we ne.re learn that in heav-
en every vessel will be alike full het
not alike large, and glory there svill
be in degree according to usefulness:
here.
20t 21. And another came. Re.pre-
senting a, third class of servants. :First
the heroes are described, second the
faithful eervatate, and thied the legal
Claristiens who have. not tasted grace
and bave. no zeal to work for the Masien I feaxed thee. And therefore he
del not love him. 1 John 4. 18. An
austere man. Hard and unjust. Thou
takest up that thou layetlet not down.
A course of :action flagrantly uniuste
and dietinetly forbidden by both 3ew-
isla anti Greek laws, Tbis servant de-
ntin that tile master le his master.
22. Out of thine own mouth will
judge thee. As if he said; Your claims
are not just and your assertions are
not true, hut I will prove that you
are inconsistent even with them. Thou
vvicked servant. But. a servant,
and neither diseharged from eervice
nor pumsbed like an enemy. Thou •
k.newest I 'was austere man. This
does not, however, int I mat e t he
noblema,n was austere; he ie simply
using the vvords of the servant inter-
rogatively.
23. Wherefore then gayest not thou
my money into the lank. There is no
man in all this world doomed to inac-
tivity and uselessness; there is some
opportunity to use -bis talent offered.
to the humblest and obscurest. I
might have required mine own with
usury. naight have drawn my money,
together with the interest upon it.
Legal interest under the Romans stood
at eight per cent.; but in usurious
transactions Jewis h bankers some -
tunes loaned it as high as even forty-
eight.
24. T.hera that sine/. by. "Not the
other servants, but the guards."-
Lange. Take from him the pound,
and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
Here there is nothing of darkness, or
gnashing of teeth, or slaying, such as
was the pnnishment of the iiing's en-
emies; it is simply deprivation. in-
stead of ten eities,this poor servant.
is deprived of the single pound he had.
And what an eternity of lass does this
prefigurel Mental endowment, time,
spiritual power -none of them bring
may gain unless utilized, and all are
ltnt. by negleet. (live it to him that
hatb ten pounds. The more one uses
trusted to him. Tbis is so in every
sphere of life. "The kingdom of God.
shall be taken from you, and given to
the nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof."
25. They said unto him, Lord, he
bath ten pounds. !This may be part
of tbe story, and. refer to the noble -
maxis counselors, who thus exprese
his dominion over heeres, and be Inc their surprise at his decision; or it
servants all souls that are morally en- may bave been an interruption on the
dowed and responsible, we raay read- part of some of our Lord's hearers.
ily perceive. 26. This maxim, that unto every one
13. His ten servants. Better "ten which bath (who uses what he has)
servants of las. Such a noble in those : shell be given, etc., is frequently re-
deye would have an enormous number ! peated by our Lord. He uses it ha
of slaves. Ten pounds. One to each ser- . the parable of the sower, and in that
vant. In nominal value t he pound, cue i of the talents. It is a law which pre -
mina, was worth from seventeen to . vails everywhere in human smiety,and,
nineteen dollars. These were very I indeed, througbout. nature. The careful
small sums for such a ;lanai noble to I use of any faculty increases: its power
invest; but many a amen in Roman I -as the sailor's vision, the athlete's
1
days was rich in slaves but poor in mon- strength, the artist's skill, the mis-
ey. Besides, it is possible that our Lord. sionary's power. The horizon widens as
was hinting at the poverty and hum- we climb. If you do not claim your
illation of Inc own life. Archelaus,when ' propexty in real estate for a certain
he went to Rome, left money in charge
of a number of his servants, and one of
them, named Philippus, was especially
intrusted with large sums. Occupy till
number 01 years you lose it; if you do
not exercise your arm it loses its pow-
er. And. so there is a kind of compound
interest in the world of morals. The
I come. Rather, negotiate, trade. See disuse of opportunity brings less oppor-
1 Peter 4. 10. In England a pe.ddler tunny; its use, greater.
used to be called aix "occupier." The 27. But those mine enemies. Up to
purpose of the nobleman's action was this point the, king has been judging
to test his servants, -to try their cap- the unfaithful servant; he now turns
acity and disposition, so that,
when he returned to his king-
dom they should be given fitting
offices in his administration.
14. His citizens lusted him. As the
steag goes on its incidents t become
more and more familiar to our Lord's
hea,rers. The "citizens" of Eferod the
Great, of Arehelaus, of Herod Antipas,
and of Pilate with equal asperity hated
their rulers. And espe,oially the citi-
rens who hated Archelaus sent not only
a message bat messeogers after hira-
a hostile delegation to argue before
the emperor against his claims. There
may have been some present who un-
derstood something of the bitterness
against +-Theist of the Pharisees and
to those who had opposed his claim to
the kingdom. Everyone familiar with
the story of Archelaus in Josephus
knows thet his punishment of his op-
posers was severe and prompt. Slay
them before me. It does not do to make
up a fresh tenet in theology upon
every little feature of a parable, for
many such were doubtless introduced
for the sake of picturesqueness; but it
is not going too far to say that the
-wrath of this king, described in these
four words, is also in harmony with the
law which prevails both in the natur-
al and the spiritual world. Not that
God has any vindictiveness, but that
"those who will not bave him to reign
over them are deliberately shutting love
priestly authorities, by whose design out of their hearts, and, having shut
Oa° orucifixion was presently brought love out, they will ultimately them -
about. Sent a message after him. The selves be shut out from love." -Plump -
embassy.
of the Sews to ple.ad against
Arohelaus befare Caesar numlaerecl fif-
ty, and they were met on their arrival
at Rome by eight thousand Jews. The
deeper meaning of this passage may be
that the Jews despised Jesus fax the
meanness of his birthnind his tmworld-
Ire. "Except ye believe that tam He, ye
shall die in your sins."
GLASS FOR BEARINGS.
Should not something more be done
liness, and that already the shadow of than is being clone experimentally if
his rejeotion was creeping over the not practically, in Le use of glass for
Saviour's soul. Already they were be -
orybearings? Some experts speak highly of
. "Wwill not b,a,va this
ginning to e
Man to reign over us." • And yet if it for wood,working machi-aery. It is
Jesus had onlY Promised toestablish a* said to require less care t,han any oth-
er material, running with little oil and
keeping cool. In methods of shaping
and eutthag glass such advances have
beet made that it should be now a cora-
which he eslred for, but the coveted paranvely simple matter to adapt it
bile of lung was 'refused htm. Re com-
mended. these servants to be called un-
to him. It is easy to picture this scene
dramatically. "We must all be made
manifest before the judgment seat of
Christ." That he might know bow might beca.11ed, eould probably be em -
much every man had gained bsr trad- played with great satisfaction. Glass
ing. "Give an account of thy stew- would probably be better adapted to
ardship." • high speeds than to heavy leads.
secular kmgdem, and expel the ROMallS•
thO people would. gladly have made him
king. ,
15. Having received the kingdom.
Arcbelaus received the government
general use. Glass sleeves c,ould, of
course, 'Ise easily furnished, perfectly
true, both inside and out; and there are
nunaerous places 'wheee such sleeves,
bushes, • thimbles or whatever they
belonging to the chartered company
of Britisia South Africa.
They were at first much further The expedition discovered that the
are at present. Be, main arewn at the Maniconagan is the
taaerigichdtchaarigmeasot on
nthteho Wt4dre.
south than they
attackedxnit
inageyNs.e4. foivbeyd other rtifelb:un, irtovrery 1vheery,
s°gree of north latitude. Its northern
tiouous Ite.avy rapid.
The first portage of a mile and a ball
bas a rise of over 6000 feet,.
had chosen fax themselves. Mosele-
katse, wily was a great warrior, had
escaped from Zululand when a young
man, and gathered around him a num,
ber of followers, all brave and bardy
adventurers, ready to risk anything,
deelia,rge, which Is of about the .Saille
vollinie, enters into the first of a num-
ber of long narrow lakes that are fi.nal-
ly drained into Lake Caniapecow, and
so reaela the .Kotsoak or Ungave River,
that disebarges into Ungava Bay, arid
that, togetber wittt tbeMunieoxiagau
and its connecting waters cuts off
With these he conquered the country the whole northwestern part of Labra -
now occupied by the Boers of the dor and the northeast territory. and
Transvaal, who, on their trip north. 11.1,0,arrrndsoift15iiaiLiooviacin unxislaendmicieosn.tainieg up-
waru o g maxi, a zierse
both the Matabeles and tbe Zulus.
Many a bkxely massacre is on record
18 whicia these two tribes took a band.
The Boers, however, eventually proved
THE BETTER MEN,
and forced the Mataleles to the far-
ther north, where they gathered around
the epee berm borders of the Zambesi,
settling south of Maelionalaiiii.
Moseleketse died in 1870, and after
bis death there was an interregnum for
some time of his eldest son, Kuruman,
having fled from the kingdom teem(
In the centee watershed, where the
Maniconagan, the Caniapscow, the On -
tardy, tbe Peribonca, and the Big River
Lake their sources, the hills rise above
the tree line. and tbe country is a bar-
ren waste. In the Maniconagan River
yaliey, on tne other hand, below Lake
Moneltalagan, mato- large trees at
white erne* are fouad, which would
make excellent timber.
Leke Monchalagan is over forty miles
long, and is remarkable for its greet
dept b of water. Soratt soundings cif 630
feet have been taken in it, making it
at least 200 feet deeper than any pre-
viously known lake in Labrador.
Below this lake the Maniconagan
tens, lefore his father's death. He had Rivers flow in a deep, anetent valley
aroused the wrath of the latter by ao. Lira a quarter of a mile to two mina
-dons which had been constracted into wide, oath steep, rocky walls rising
rebellion. Nobody knew where he from 500 to 1,5011 feet above the water,
was, or whether he was alive or dead, read Usually flanked Ninth high terraces
but his brother, Lemingole,
ens very 0,f :gratified sands, grayel, and clay,
careful not to seize upon the throne, ',toward its mouth the river is broken
bv a number of falls and elautes, where
lest Huruman should some day return
the ehannel narrows. greatly and the
to wreak vengeance upon bini for the,
Warp:alone So the country was for large volume of water pours in a swirl -
some time. ruled over by the wisest eil,,,rrarock,,10,,,,,z,Ini,k...a.437.d. bextrefelienmpe. reports, and best of the cbiefs who bad served
late king, the virtual regent however, that none of its canons team -
under the
Kurnman's absence being a warrior pare with those of the Koksoak and,
called taralegn. Lopingole at last got litunheilttnienpil.rslivwerso.
tired of for ins brother to res r f iron ore reported by
ltouNrnvers, aniatel hdaeLparmg In.atriltriwngmfakorceehohnsf lt oMfThu.1„.tattetrtisrdebe,,,tisnedeTialtacheonhaegaacin srviavteerrss.
king. A terrific battle ensued bee 18
oTflwquearret z,°cfeetilsrpas aantignageissnectoimtepo; saslided
tween the two forcesan which tniabego
and most of his retainers svere sia.m, taceording to the proportion of raegne-
and Lopingole assumed the sovereignty, tite present grades from ferruginous
Ever SUMe then the annabeles have gneiss into am almost pine iron ore of
high grade. This bed, m great thiek-
been a senate of great annoyance to
can be traced along the strike of
the Boers. who never knew just when
the reeks for upward of thirty miles.
they were safe from the depredations
of this w-arlike people. land there is an marcense mountain of
The country of the ala,tabeis les at alniost pure metal, called by the In-
times •
(lions the "shining mountaan," be-
cause of the glistening of the ore faces
SINGULARLY BEAUTIFUL. in the :sun, when. they present a most
It is well drained by the Zambesi. In,- dazzling appearance. The provincial
yeti and other rivers. Tile lnyati river Government is expected at once to send
runs right through the centre ef thie mining experts to report upon the de -
district. There is never winter in Mee ' poen, but little can be done toward de-
tabelelanti, and no rain fax nine atoning veloping it until a railway is built to it.
of the year. Owing to the high aide s.
tude t he clinnt e is never sultry ANTITOXINE FOR SNAKE -BITES.
through the dry. season, and the rivers,
whieh overflew in the time of the rains,
always manage to keep part of tbor An 1:"4413`4° PhYsillwa 8ue"g("45 a New
beautiful supply of water for the days Treatment tor the cure or Foisonous
when there is no rain. It is a very suaheotites.
fertile country, arid vegetation grows in India tens of thousands of natives
with surprising regularity. It is much
more settled now than m the daye of annually lose their lives by the deadly
Moselekatse, but it is yet a forest couns bites of poisonous serpents with whien
try. In feet, it is all forest, except in the jungles swarm. The Government
open spaces around the forts that have
nits sought in vain for an infallible,
been built hy the Boers throughout it,
and around the native villages, where cure fax enake-bite, and offers of large
clear ground is man:eery for cultivas. sums of money have heretofore failed
tion. In the days of the great king to produce one.
all sons el animals roamed through Recently an English physician, Prof.
the heavy jungles, the lion, the giraffe,
Fraser. hire announced that he has dis-
the zebra, the buffalo, the thin:teems.
the elephant. the koetle, and 1 he eland, covered one. It is merely the adapta-
but the advance of the white man tion of anthoxine treatment to another
and civilization has gradually driven malady tuonsequ.ent upon blood -poison -
these into the interior.
ing. The real difficulty, the London
traveller writes of a tree which Graffie suggests, lies in. a different di -
he found in the Matabele forest while rection; How could the Indian pope -
visiting the country during the seven -e Itstion be influenced to submit to ino-
ties. It lied this peculiarity that,even, culation with "tartivenene," even if
during the dry season, water trickles • its efficacy as an antidote to snake
from it down the trunk, and raoistens poison were conclusively demonstrat-
continually the ground around it. The
trees in this region are mostly of the
thorn species.
This same traveller writes of '
THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES
as being brave,intelligent and heel-
eni
able. If he s still alive he will by
this time, have, in all probability,
changed his mind in regard to their
hospitality. They are certainly brave
enough and very waxlike, but their
revelling charact'eristic seems to
isa treachery. They diffee widely in
appearance from what is generally
meant by negro. In fact, it is said
that many of them, both male and fe-
male, are very handsome, some of the
women have 'narked cbaracteristics
of a Greek profile. They do not
bother themselves very much about
dress, a loin oloth being sufficient for
ordinaey occasions. In common
with other savage tribes, they are fond.
of ornaments, and take an eepe.,oial de-
light in decorations of beadework. By
nature they are pastoral as well as ,
warlike, and look after vast herds of •
sheep. But the Matabelee do not work
theraselves, for they have all their la..
bor done by slaves, of whom they have
a great number.
lt is an interesting fast to note that
years ago, wails in the height of their
power, the Matabeles had an ahnoet
superstitious feeling that the day would
! come when the white man would sue
persede them, and deprive them of their
strength and influence, that the Eng,
lish would eventually take their c%011:11i-
try from them. History h,as juste-
fied this pre,monitio,n, though there est
yet power let in this warrior mac.
EXPLAINED AT LAST.
The oldest of the Seven Sleepers stir-
red uneasily,
Ile axose and went to the mouth of
the cave and. looked oat.
Rause ye 1 he called exultantly to his
soratailerit brethren; the sermon is
aver I
0 wind, if winter comes, can spring
be fax behind f-Slielley.
ed?
There are two distinct obstacles
standing in the way; while fatalism
makes the Asiatic fax more careless
and even reckless in taking care of his
health than the average European is,
tbe Ilindoes would be sure to imagine
that • the treattneet concealed some
-trick for converting them to Christian-
ity.
The vast majority svould mueh pre-
fer to stand the chance of cobra bates,
to risking caste on no better security*
than the Sahib's glowing talk. But be-
fore matters come to that ahoaost in-
evitable impasse it will be in.caxmbent
on believers in "antivenene" to ascer-
tain whether it is alleged antidotal 01 -
fent bas permanent or only temporary
endurance. If one operation afforded
insurance for the whole of life, inocu-
lation during infancy might possibly
be enforced by the State !without
raising religious tumult.
WOMEN DETECTIVES,
Some little time ago a famous firra of
London solicitors found it necessary, in
a case involving large interests, to
have some detective work of a cliffioult
and delicate nature done in this city,
and inetea.d of employine the regular
agencies put it in the hands ot an
America.n woman of good social stand-
ing in private life. • She undertook the
task and has been so completely suc-
cessful in the performa,nce of it that
the firm employing her has not only
thanked ber, but sent her °check fora
handsome sum. The employment of WO -
men of education and position for de-
licate cletedWe work has became com-
mon in England, but thus fax few wc-
men have been an employed on this
side. If they go into tbe basinees, how-
ever, it is pretty safe to say thth
at ey
will succeed m it.
As late as IMO, 40,000*4frioan slaves
were annually transported from the
Dark Continent to Cuba.