The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-09-13

any dlnerence about your magnlncenG
machinery. A Church is built for one
thing-to save souls. If it saves few
souls when it might have saved multi
tlde of souls God will spew it out OF His
mouth. Weighed and found wanting!
So God estimates nations. How many
times He has put the Spanish monarchy
into the scales and found it insufficient
and condemned it The French Empire
was placed on one side the scales, ard
God weighed the French Empire, ard
Napoleon said:
'Have I not enlarged the boulevards?
Did not kindle the glories of the Champs
Elysees? Have not adorned the Tuil-
cries? Have 1 not built the gilded
opera-house?"
Then God weighed the nation. and lie
put on one side the scales the Emperor,
and the boulevards, and the Tuileries,
and the Champs Elysees, and the gil led
Opera-house, and on the other side He
puts that mans abomi nations, that man
libertinism, that mans selfshness, that
mans go dless ambition. This last came
down, and all the brilliancy OF the scene
vanished. What is that voice coming up
from Sedan? Weighed and found want
ing!
But I must become more individual and
moro personal in my address. Some
people say they do not think clergymen
ought to be personal in their religious
address, but Onght to deal with subjects
in the abstract. do not think that way.
What would you think of a hunter who
should go to the Adirondacks to shoot
deer in the abstract? All, no. He loads
the gun, he puts the butt of it against the
breast, he runs his eye along the barrel,
he takes sure aim, and then crash go the
antlers on the rocks. And SO, if we want
to be hunters for the Lord, we must take
sure aim and fire. Not in the abstT act
ars we to treat things in religious discus
siOns. If a physician comes into sick
room, does he treat disease in the alb
stract? No; he feels the pulse, takes tho
diagnosis; then he makes the prescrip-
ton. And if we want to heal souls for
this life and the life to come, we do not
want to treat them in the abstract. The
fact is, you and have a malady which, if
uncured by grace, will kill us forever.
Now, I want no abstraction. Where is
the balm? Where is the physician?
People say there is day of judgment
coming. My friends, every day is a day
of judgment and you and to day are be-
ing canvassed, inspected, weighed. Here
are the balances of the sanctuary. They
are lifted, and we must all be weighed.
Who will come aud be weighed first?
| Here is a moralist who volunteers. E[e is
| one of the most upright men in the coun-
| try. He comes. Well, my brother, get
in-get into the balances now, and be
weighed. But as he gets into the balance,
1 say:
''What is that bundle you have along
with youY'
oh" he says, ''that is my reputation
! for goodness, and kindness, and charity,
and generosity, and kindness generally"
! On" my brother! we can not weigh
! that; we are going to weigh yOu-you.
| Now, stand in the scales-you, the NOR
aIist. Paid your debts?"
YES" you say, paid all my debts"
Have you acted in an upright way in
the community?"
Eyes, yes"
'sHave you been kind to the poor? Are
you faithful in a thousand relations in
life?"
"Yes','
$50 far, so good. But now. before you
get out Of this scale. 1 want to ask you
two or three questions. Have your
| thoughts always been right?'
NO" you say no"
| Put down One mark.
''Have you loved the Lord with all your
heart, and soul, and mind, and strength?
''No," you say. Make another mark.
''Come, now, be frank, and confess
that in ten thousand things you have
come short-have you nOt?"
Yes"
Make ten thousand marks. Come, now
get me book large enough to make the
record of that moralist's deficits. My
brother stand in the scales, do not fy
away from them. 1 put on your side Of
the scales all the good deeds you ever
did, all the kind words yOu ever uttered
but on the other side the scales put this
weight which God says I must put there
on the other side the scales and op'
posite to yours 1 put this weight "By
the deeds of the law shall no flesh living
be justified" Weighed and found want
ing.
Still, the balance of the sanctuary are
suspended and we are ready to weigh any
who come. Who shall be the next,
Well, here is a Journalist. He comes anC
he gets into the balaD ces, and as he get'
in see that all his religion is in genu
dexions and in outward observances. A,
he gets into the scales say:
''What is that you have in this pocket?'
"Oh'' he says, that is the Westmin
ster Assembly Catechism."
I say: Every good. What have you il
the other pocket"
"Ohw he says, that is the Heidelberg
catechism."
very good. What is that you have
under your arm, standing in this balance
of the sanctuaryP'
"OhP' he says, 'that is church rec
ord"
Very good. What are these books OF
your side the balances?"
"Ohl" he says, those are 'Calvin's In
stitutes.'"
''My brother, we are not weighing
books; we are weighing you. 1t can mo-
be that you are depending for your saliva
ton upon your orthodoxy. Do you no
know that the creeds and 1.-THE forms Of
religion are merely the scaffolding foI
the building? You certainly are not going
to mistake the scaffolding for the temple
Do you not know that men have gone t.
perditiOn with a cateehism i'll theil
pocket"
But" says the man, 81 cross myself
often"
"Ahi that will not save you"
but" says the man, 4 am sympa
thetic for the poor"
That will not save you"
Says the man: Il sat at the communion
table," That will not save you.
But " says the man, Il have had my
name on the church record"
THAT viii not save you"
"But have been professor of religion
forty years"
THAT will not save you. Stand there
on you side the balances, and I will give
you the advantage will let you have al
the creeds, all the church records, al
the Christian conventions that were evel
held, all the communion tables that were