The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-08-16


.gooned into Heaven. Among all the tens
Of thousands Of the Lords soldiery there
is not one man but will tell you: ~ chose
Christ; L wanted Him; 1 desired to be in
His service; am not a conscript-I am
volunteer" Oh, that men had the same
common sense in the matters of religion
that they have in the matters of the world
the same concentration, the same push,
the same enthusiasm In the one case a
secular enthusiasm; in the other, con-
secrated enthusiasm.
Again I remark: We want more COM
mon sense in the building up and enlarg
| ing of our Christian character. There are
men here who have for forty years been
running the Christian race, and they have
net run quarter of milel No business
| man would be willing to have his invest
ments unaccumulatiTe. IL you invest
dollar you expect that dollar to come
| home bringing another dollar on its back.
! What would you think OF a man who
| should invest ten thousand dollars in
monetary institution, then go off for five
years, make no inquiry in regard to the
investment then come back, step up to
the cashier of the institution, and say:
"Have you kept those ten thou
sand dollars safely that 1 lodged
with your" but asking no ques
ton about interest or dividend. Why.
you say, ''That is not common sense"
Neither is it, but that is the way we act
in matters of the soul. We make a far
more important Investment than ten
thousand dollars. We invest our soul.
Is it accumulative? Are we growing in
grace? Are we getting better? Are we
getting worse? God declares many divi-
dends, but we do not collect them, we do
not ask about them. we do not want them.
Oh, that in this matter of accumulation
we are wise in the matters of the soul
as we are in the matters of the world!
How little common sense in the read
ing of the Scriptures! We get any other
| book and we open it and we say: 'NOw,
what does this book mean to teach me?
1t is book on astronomy; it will teach
me astronomy. 1t is a book on political
economy; it will teach me political
economy" Taking up the Bible, do we
ask ourselves what it means TO teach?
1t means to do just one thing: get the
world converted and get US all to Heaven.
That is what it proposes to do. But in
stead of that we go into the Bible as
botanists to pick flowers, or we go as
pugilists to get something to fight other
! Christians with, or we go as lOgicians
trying to sharpen our mental faculties for
a better argument, and we do not like
; this about the Bible, and We do not like
that and we do not like the other thing.
What would you think of a man lost on
I
he can not ind his way home and he sees
! a light in a mountain cabin; he goes to
it, he knocks at the door; the mount
aineer comes out and finds the traveller
and says:
''Well, here have a lantern; you can
{ take it and it viii guide you on the way
| home" and suppose that man should say:
< "Idon't like that lantern; don't like the
handle of it; there are ten or fifteen
t things about it don't like. Il you can't
: give me a better lantern than that WON'T
) have any"
+ Now, God says this Bible is to be q
3 | lamp to our feet and a lantern to our
path, to guide us through the midnight of
T this world to the gates of the celestial
] city. We take hold of it in sharp criti-
cism, and deprecate this and deprecate
. | that. Oh, how much wiser we would be
if by its holy light we found our way to
y our everlasting home!
4 Then we do not read the Bible as we
e read other books. We read perhaps four
q or five minutes Just before we retire al
8 night. We are weary and sleepy Sc
j somuolent We hardly know which end OF
= the Book is up. We drop our eyes, per-
haps, OF the story of Samson AMI the
n foxes or upon some genealogical table,
e important in its place, but stirring nc
q more religious emotion than the an
K nouncement that somebody begat some
. body else, and he begat somebody else
f instead OF opening the Book aud saying;
Now [ must read for my immortal
= life. Ny eternal destiny is involved IL
# this Book"
r How little we use common sense il
prayerl We say: ''Oh, Lord, give me
this" and ooh, Lord, give me that" and
IS ooh, Lord, give me something else" anC
r we do not expect to get it, or, getting it
Y we do not know we have it. We have NJ
# anxiety about it. We do not watch and
e wait for its coming. AS a merchant yoU
: telegraph or you write to some other city
N for q bill of goods. You say: Send M,
, by such express, or by steamer, or b.
" such a rail train" The day arrives. YoI
n send your wagon to the depot or to thu
Il wharf. The goods do not come. You
o. Immediately telegraph:
j ''What is the matter with those goods
; We haven't received them. Send then
=, right away We want them now, or WI
y don't want them at ALL" And you keel
v writing and you Keep telegraphing, anC
: you keep sending your wagon to tn
depot, or to the express office, or to tn
If wharf, until you get the goods.
a In matters of religion we are not S,
- wise as that. We ask certain things t.
~ | be sent from Heaven. We do not know
:. whether they come or not. We have no
i any special anxiety as to whether the.
4 come not. We may get them and ma.
:, not get them. Instead of at seven o'clOc
a in the morning saying: "Have l got tina
I bIessing?" at twelve O'Clock nOOnda.
I. saying: Have L got that blessing?" a
; seven O'Clock in the evening saying
a ''Iave 1 received that blessing?' aud no
t getting it, pleading, pleading-begging
y begGing-as king, asking until you get il
i Now, my brethren, is not that common
= sense? II we ask a thing from God. VIII
= has sworn by His eternal throne that II
4, will do that which we ask is it not &C IN
n mon sense that we should watch and wal
m until we get it?
at But 1 remark again: We want NOR
p? common sense in doing good. How man
people there are who want to do goo
is and yet are dead failures? Why is it
q They do not exercise the same tact, tn
al same ingenuity, the same stratagem, tn
n same common sense in the work of Chris
r. that they do in worldly things. Other
Ia | wise they would succeed in this directio
i'm as well as they succeed in the Other
mr. There are many men who have an AFRO
III | CANT way with them, although they ma
w not feel arrogant. Or they have a pat
+ ronizing way. They talk TO a man of th
,r world in q manner which seems to say;
Of Don't you wish you were as good as
am! why, l have to look clear down be
be fore I can see you, you are so far beneat