The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-07-26
From sorrow, toll and pain,
And sin we shall be free;
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

evergreen HOW OEBoQ ne I)DI Slcldl
to his invalid patient: Go and have a
breath Of the pinesI That viii invigorate
you" Why do such thousands of people
go South every year? 1t is not merely to
get to a warmer climate, but to get to the
influence of the pine. There is health in
1t, and this pine branch Of the text sug-
gests the healthfuluess of our holy re-
ligiOn; it is full of health, health for all,
health for the mind, health for the soul.
knew an aged man who had no capital
or physical health. Ho had all the dis
eases you could imagine; he did not
eat enough to keep a child alive; he lived
on a beverage of hOsannas. He lived
high, for he dined every day with the
King. He was kept alive simply by the
force of our holy religion. It is
healthy religion; healthy for the eye,
healthy for the heart, healthy for the
hand, healthy for the feet, healthy for
the liver, healthy for the spleen, healthy
for the whole man. It gives a man such
peace, such quietness, such independence
of circumstances, such holy equipoise.
Oh, that we all possessed it, that we pos
sessed it now. l mean that it IS healthy
if man gets enough of it. Now, there
are some people who get just enough re-
HgiOn to bother them, just enough re-
ligiOn to make them sick; but if a man
take a full, deep. round inhalation of
these pine branches of the Gospel arbor,
he will find it buoyant, exuberant, indy
ing, immortal health.
But this pine branch of my text also
suggests the simple fact thatiti is an ever
green. What does this pine branch care
for the snow on its brow? 1t is only a
crown of glory. The winter can not
freezs it out. This evergreen tree branch
is as beautiful in winter as it is in the
summon. And that is the characteristics
OF our holy religion; in the sharpe5t
coolest winter of misfortune aud disaster
ii is as good religion as it is in the
bright summer sunshine. Well, now that
IS a practical truth. For If I should so
up and down these aisles, would not fiud
in this house fifty people who had had no
trouble. But there are some OF You vino
have especial trouble. God only knows
what you go through with. Oh, how many
bereave ments, how many povcrties, how
many pers ecuions! How many misrep-
reservations And now, my brother you
have tried every thing else, why
DON'T you try this evergreen religion?
1t is just as good for you now
as it was in the days of your pros
perity; it is better for you. Perhaps
some of you feel almost like Muckle
Backie, the fisherman, who was chided
one day because he kept on working al
though that very day he buried his child.
They came to him and said:
at is indecent for you to be mending
that boat when this afternoon you buried
your child"
And the fisherman looked up and said:
'Sir, it is very easy for you gentlefllks
to stay in the house with your haudker-
chiefs to your eyes in grief; but, sir,
ought I to let the other five children
staTve because Que of them drowned? No,
sir, we maun work, we maun work,
L
mer."
You may have had accumulation Of
sorrow and misfortune They come in
focks, they Gene in herds upon your
soul; and yet 1 have to tell you that this
religion can console you, that it can help
you, that it can deliver you if nothing
else will. Do you tell me that the riches
and the gain of this world can console
you? How was it with the man who had
such fOndness for money that when he
wos sick he ordered a basin of gold
pieces to be brought to him, and he put
his equity hands down among the gold
pieces, cooling his hands off in them, and
the rattle and rolling of these gold
pieces were his amusement and entertain
ment. All, the gold and silver, the hon
ors, the emOlUments of this world are
poor solace for a perturbed spirit You
want something better than this world
can give. a young Prince, whom the chill
dren came around to play with him, re-
fused to play. lie said; q will only
play with kings" All it might be sup
posed that you would throw away all
all other sOlacc before this regal salts
faction, this imperial JOY. We who are
sons and daughters OF the Lord Almighty
ought to play only with kings.
Tho hill of Zion yields
4 thousand sacred sweets.
Before we reach the Heavenly fields
Or walk the g1ll8n streets.
But my text makes q further step and
it says; 'Go into the mountain and fetch
olive branches, and pine branches, and
palm branches" Now, the palm tree was
very much honoreI by the aucients. It
had three hundred and sixty different
uses, The fruit was conserved; the sap
was beverage; tho stems were ground
up for food for camels; the base Of the
leaves was turned into hats and mats and
baskets, and the leaves were carried IN
victorious professions; and from the
root to the top of the highest leaf there
was usefulness. Tho tree grew eighty
five feet in height some times, and it
spread broad leaves folr and FIVE yards
Ioug; it meant usefulness, ana it meant
victory; usefulness for what it produced,
victory because it was brought into cele-
! bratiOns of triumph. Aud oh, how much
we want the palm branches in the churches
of Jesus Christ at this time! A great
many Christians DON'T amount to any
thing. You have to shove them out Of the
way when the Lords chariots come along.
We don't want any more of that kind of
Christians in the church.
The old maxim says: ''DO not put all
your eggs into one basket" but I have to
tell you in this matter os religion You had
better give your all to Go1, and then get
in yourself. "Oh," says some one my
business is to sell silks and cloths"
Well, then, my brother sell silks and
cloths to the glory of God. And some
one says: "My business IS to raise corn
and carrots" Then, my brother, raise
corn and carrots to the glory of God.
| And some one says: My business is to
| manufacture horseshoe nails" Then
/ manufacture horse shoe nails to the
| glory of God There is nothing for you
| to do that you ought to do but for the
/ glory of God.
| Usefulness is typifed by the palm tree.
All, we don't want IN the church any more
/ people that are merely weeping willows,
/ 81 Ching into the water, standing and ad.
/ miring their long lashes in the CLASSY
! spring. No wild cherry dropping bitter
/ fruit. We want palm trees. holding some
| thing for Goa, something for angels,
| something for man. I am tired and sick
/ of this fat tame, insipij, satin. slippered,
namby- PANTY, highly Eighty religionl It