The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-11-19


body are outdOne by the fortunes Of my
soul. The past is a scene Of misdoing; the
present a CrucihxiOn; the future an ever
lasting undoing. Come back, thou hiding
midday SUM- Kiss my cheek with one
bright ray of comfort. What, no help from
above - no help from beneathl Then I
must turn TO my companion in sor-
row, the one on the middle cross. l
have heard that He knows how to help
a man when he is in trouble. 1 have
heard that He can cure the wounded l
have heard that He can pardon the sinner.
Surely in all His wandcrings up and down
the earth, He never saw one more in need
of His forgiveness. Blessed Onel / turn
to Thee. Wit Thou look for the moment
away from Thy own pangs TO pity mel
Lord, it is not to have my hands relieved
or my feet taken from the torture. can
stand all this, but Oh my sins, my sins,
my sins, they pierce me through and
through They tell me / must die forever.
They viii push me out into the darkness,
unless Thou wilt help me. / confess it all
Hear the cry OF the dying thief; Lord, re-
member me when ThoI contest into Thy
kingdom. I ask no great things. l seek
for no throne in Heaven, no chariot TO take
me to the skies; but Just think Of me
when this days horrors have passed.
Think Of me a little--Of me, the one now
hanging at Thy side-When the shout Of
Heavenly welcome takes Thee back into
Thy glory, Thou wilt not forget me, wilt
Thouf Lord, remember me when Thou
CONTEST into Thy kingdom. Only Just re-
member mel
LlKeyylse must we repent. You say: IT
have stolen nothing" ] reply: I'VE have
all been guilty Of the mightest felony OF
the universe, for we have robbed God
robbed Him of our time, robbed Him Of our
talent. robbed Him of our services Sup
v-rfs ae rs an rarF Of
your firm, and every month you pay him his
salary, and at the end Of ten years you ind
out he has been serving another firm, but
taking your salary, would you not at once
condemn him as dishonestl God sent US
into this world 10 serve Him. He has given
as wages all the time. One half Of us have
/ been serving another master When man
/ is convicted of treason he is brought out;
a regiment surrounds him and the com
mand is given: Attention, company
/ Take aim Fire ~ And the man falls with
| a hundred bullets through his heart. There
! comes a time i'm a mans history when the
| Lord calls up the troop of his iniquities,
/ and at Gods command they pour into him
! a concentrated volley of torture.
! You say: II do not feel myself TO be
a sinner" That may be. Walk along
/ by the cliffs, and You see sunlight and
/ flowers at the mouth Of the cave; but take
1 "a torch and 90 in, and before you have gone
| far you see the flashing eye of a wild beast,
/ or hear the hiss of a serpent. Sc the world
| seems in the sunlight of wOrldliness; but
/ as have the torch Of Gods truth, and go
/ down into the deep cavern of the heart
| alas. for the bristliug horrors and the rat
! Ting faugs Have you ever noticed the
| climax in this passage of Scripture: The
| heart is deceitful'' That seems enough.
But the passage goes on to say: THE heart
/ is dcceitful above all things Win you
| not say that is enough! But the passage
| goes on further and says: 1.-The heart is de-
ceitful above all things and desperately
| wicked" If we could see the true cOndi-
/ ton OF the unpardoned before God what a
! Wrngiug of hands there would be! What
| a thousaud-voiced shrek OF supphcatiOn
aud despair But you are q sinner, a sin
| uar / speak not to the person who sits
! next to you, but to you. You are a sinner.
! All the transgressions Of a lifetime have
| been gathered up into an avalanche. AT
| any moment 1t may slip from the cliffs and
| crush YOU forever. May the Lord Almighty,
| by His grace, help us to repent Of our sins
while repentance is possible.
This left hand cross was a relieving cross.
! There was no guess work in that prayer;
no 'if'' in that supplication. The left hand
| cross flung itself at the foot of the middle
cross, expecting mercy. Faith is only Just
opening the hand to take what Christ or
| fers us. The work is all done, the bridge Is
! built strong enough for us all to walk over
Tap not at the door of Gods mercy with the
| tip of your fingers; but as a warrior. with
| gauntleted fists, beats at the castle gates, sc
| with all the aroused energies Of the soul LEI
| us pound at the gate Of Heaven. The gate
is locked You 60 to it with n bunch oil
keys. You try philosophy. That win not
| open it. A large door generally has pom
dcrous key. 1 take the cross and place the
foot of il in the lock- and by the two arm:
of the cross 1 turn the lock, and the dCol
| opens.
This left hand cross was pardoning
| cross. The crosses were only two or three
yards apart. 1t did not take long for Christ
to hear. Christ might have turned away
and said: GLOW darcst you speak to Me!
| ann the Lord of Heaven and earth l have
seen your violence. When you struck down
! that man in the darkness ! saw you. You
| are getting Just reward. Die in dark
ncss-die foreverr But Jesus said not 50
but rather; "This day thou shalt be witt
Mem Paradise as much as to say: i Sc
You there; don't worry. | win not onll
bear MY cross, but help YOU with yours"
Forthwith, the left hand cross become
the abode of conteutment The pillow o.
the malefactor, soaked in blood, becomes
| like the crimson upholstery OF a King
couch. When the body became still, ant
the surgeons feeling the pulse said one t
another: HE is dead, the last mark o
pain had gone from his face. Peace hat
smoothed his forehead. Peace closed hi
eyes Peace closed his lips, Now you sc
why there were two transverse pieces Of
the cross, for it has become n ladder int
| the skies. That dying head Ia easy Whlc
has under it the promise: This day tho
shalt be with Me in Paradise We who's
. | lips have been filled with blasphemy, Y
! whose hands have for many years WrOugt
unrighteousness. We who have compal
| Toned with the uncloan. We who have scale
| every height OF trausgrossiou. and 1atl
omcd every depth ana passed every e.
treue OF iui4uity-m mercy, mercy.
"Thc dying thief reioiced To see
That fountain in his day;
And there may J. though vale as he,
Wash an my sins away
have shown YOU the right hand eros
and the left hand cross; now come TO tn
middle cross. We stood at the one, an
. found 1t yielded poison. We stood at ia
other aud found il yie,Jed bitter aloe:
! Come now TO the middle cross, and shak
| down apples of love. Uncover your head
| You never saw SO tender scene as this
| You may have seen father, or mother, o
| companion. on child die but never SO a
! iegtug scene as this. The railing thiC
| looked FROM one way, and saw the left sid
/ of Chr.st's face But from where YOU 5
| to-day, I'M t,.e full blaze of Gospel light. yo
I | see Christie fun face. 1t wa
@ suffering cross. If the weapons
torture had gone only through the fatt
I, portions ur the body the torture would n,
D. have been SO great. but they went throug
the hands. and feet and temples-thc mo.
, | sensitive portions. IL was not only n
l spear jhat went into His side. but the Sill
s az all the raCc-a thousand spe9rs-pluug
after plunge deeper aad deeper and deepe
until The silence and compusure that befOl
- characterized Him gave way into groal
@ through which rumbled the sorrows Of tin
g and the woes of eternity. Human hate Ina
n done its worst, and hell had hurled il
o / sharpest iavclu. and devils had vente