The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-05-31

water, and across the top of tho challce
Will float the delicate shadows OF the
heavenly wall, the yellow Of jasper, the
green of emerald, the blue of sardonyx1
the fire Of iacinth.
l wish could make you understand the
joy religion is to some Of US. 1t makes
man happy while he lives. and glad when
he dies. With two feet upon chair ana
burst ting with drOpsies, 1 heard an old
man in the poor house cry out: ''Bless
the Lord, oh my sOulv' 1 looked around
and said: what has this man got to
thank God fOrY'' 1t makes the lame man
leap like the hart, and the dumb sing.
They say that the old Puritan religion is
q juiceless and joyless religions; but re-
member reading of DR.. Goodwin, the
celebrated Puritan, who in his last
moments said: as this dying? Why, my
bow abides in strength 1 am swallowed
up in GodV 70 ''Her ways are ways of
pIeasantness, and all her paths are
peace" Oh, you have been trying to
satisfy yours elves with the ''sOuth land"
of this world, do you not feel that you
would this morning like to have access
to the neither springs of spiritual COM
fort? Would you not like to have Jesus
Christ bend over your cradle and bless
your table, and heal your wounds, and
strew flowers of consolation all up and
down the graves of your dead?
IT'S religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures while we live;
IT'S religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when we die.
But have something better to tell you,
suggested by this text. 1t seems that old
father Caleb on the wedding day OF his
daughter wanted to make her just as hap
py as possible. Though Othniel was tax
en- her away, and his heart was almost
broken because she was going, yet he
gives her a "sOuth land;" not only that,
but the upper springs. o God, my Fa-
Their, I thank Thee that Thou hast given me
a ''south land" in this world, and the
neither springs Of spiritual comfort in this
world; but, more than all, 1 thank Thee
for the upper springs III Heaven. 1t
is very fortunate we can not see
Heaven until we get into it. Oh,
Christian man, if you could see what
place it is we would never get you back
again to the Office or store or shop, and
the duties you ought to perform would go
neglected. am glad / shall not see that
world until 1 enter it. Suppose we were
allowed to go on an excursion into that
good land with the idea of returning.
When we got there, ana heard the song,
and looked at their raptured faces, and
mingled in the supernal society, we would
cry out: "Let us stay! We are coming
here anyhow. Why take the trouble of
going back to that old world? We are
here now; let US stay" And 1t would
take angelic violence to put US out Of that
world, if we once got there.
But as people who can not afford to pay
for an entertainment sometimes come
around it and look through the door ajar,
or through the opening in the fence, so
we come and look through the crevices in
that good land which God has provided
for US. We can just catch a glimpse of
it We come near enough to hear the
runbling of the eternal orchestra, though
not near enough to know who blows the
corRet or who fingers the harp. My soul
spreads out both wings and claps them in
triumph at the thought of those upper
| springs. One of them breaks from be-
meath the throne; another breaks forth
/ from beneath the altar Of the temple; an
/ other at the door Of ''the house of many
mansions" Upper springs Of gladness
! Upper springs Of light! Upper springs Of
! love! 1t is no fancy of mine. ''The Lamb
which is in the midst of the throne shall
| lead them to living fountains of waters"
| Oh, Saviour Divine, roll in upon our
! souls one of those anticipated raptures
| Pour around the roots of the parched
/ tongue one drop of that liquid life. Toss
! before our vision tn Oso fountains of God,
| rainbOwed with eternal victory. Hear it
/ They are never sick there; not so much
| as q headache, or twinge rheumatic, or
thrust neuralgia. The inhabitant never
! SAYS: Il am sick" They are never
/ tired there. Flight to farthe8t world
is only tho play of a holiday. They
| never sin there. It is as easy for them to
be holy as it is for us to sin. They never
die there. You might go through all the
outskirts OF the great city and find not
| one place where the ErOuTNd was broken
for grave. The eyesight OF the redeemed
is never blurred with tears. There is
health in every cheek. There is spring in
! every foot. There is majesty on every
brow. There is Joy in every heart. There
is hosanua on every lip. How they must
pity us as they look over and down and
see us. and say: "Poor things away
down in that world" And when some
Christian is hurled into a fatal acct
dent they cry: "GoOd! he is com
fngD And when we stand around the
couch of some loved one, whose strength
is going away, and we shake our heads
forebodiugly, they cry: Il am glad he is
worse; he has been down there Ions
enough. There, he is dead! Come home
Come home 2" oh, if we could only ge
our ideas about that future world I'M
twisted, our thought of transfer from
here TO there would be as pleasant to VI
as it was to a little child that was dying
She said: Papa, when Will go homr?'
And he said: To-day, Florence" ''To-
dayY So soon? am so glad"
I wish could stimulate you with these
thoughts, oh Christian man, to the high
est possible exhilarasfon. The day O
} your deliverance is coming. is coming
It is rolling on with the shining wheels o
the dav. and the let wheels of the night
Every thump of the heart is only ham
rnar.stroke striking off another chain o
ciav. Better scour the deck and coil tn,
rope, the harbor is only six miles away
Jesus will come down in the 'Narrows'
to meet you. Now is your salvation near
er than when you believed. UnfOrgivel
man, unpardoned man, will you not to
, dav make a choice between these two por
A lions. the "south land" of this world
! which slopes to the desert, and thi
/ glorious land which thy Father offer
= thee. running with eternal water courses
WHY let your tongue be consumed wit
- thirst when there are the neither spring
, and the upper springs, comfort here ant
. glory hereafter
D Let me tell you, nv dear brother, tina
{ ! the silliest and wickedest thing a maj
d ever. does is to reject Jesus Christ. Tn
. loss Of the soul is a mistake that can no
{ be corrected. 1t is a downfall that know
no alienation; it is a ruin that is remedi
e less; it is a sickness that has no medica
e | ment; it is grave into which a mai
{ goes, but never comes out Therefore
}. putting my hand on your shoulder as on
t brother puts his hand on tbs shoulder o
n a brother, 1 say this day, be manly an
f surrender your heart TO Christ. You hav
S been long enough serving the world; no.
n begin serving the Lord who bought yoJ
j. You have tried long enough to carr
o these burdens; let Jesus Christ put H
= shoulder under your burden.
G Do hear any one in the audience say
e Il mean to attend to that after awhile;
, Is not Just the time?' 1t is the time, 70
8 the simple reason that you are sure OF n
4 other: and God sends you here this morn