The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1890-08-01

his room, the grand drama was WrlCUen-
1t was while John Calvin was a refugee
from bloody persecution, and was hid
in a house at Angouleme, that he con-
ceived the idea of writing his immor-
tai institutes. Jacob had many a
time seen the sun breaking through the
mists and kindling them into shafts
and pillars of fiery splendor that might
well have been ladder for the angels
to tread on, but the famous ladder
which he saw scared through gloomy
night over the wilderness. The night
of trial and desolation is the scene of
the grandest heavenly revelations.
From the barren, surf-beaten rock of
Patmos, John looked up and saw that q
door was opened in Heaven.
Again, the announcement of such an
opened entrance suggests the truth that
God is looking down upon the earth
and observant of all occurrences. If we
would gain wide prospect, we climb
up into tower or mountain. The
higher up we are the broader the land
scape we behold. Yet our most COM
prehensiVe view is limited to only a
few leagues-here river and there a
lake and yonder mountain peak. But
what must be the glory of the earth in
the eye of Him who, from the door of
Heaven, beholds at one glance all
mountains and lakes and prairies and
oceans, lands bespangled with tropical
gorgeousness and arctic regions white
with everlasting SHOWS, Lebanon ma
jestic with cedars and American wilds
solemn with unbroken forests of pine,
African deserts of glistening sand and
wildernesSes of water unbroken by
ships keel, continents covered with
harvests of wheat and rice and maize,
the glory of every zone. the whole
world of mountains and seas and for
ests and islands taken in single glance
of their great Creator.
But ought net prayer to be made up
of golden words if it is to enter such a
splendid door and live beside seraphim
and archangel? Ought not every phrase
be rounded into perfection, ought not
the language be musical and classic,
and poetic, and rhetorical! No, the
most illiterate outcry, the unjolnted
petition, the clumsy phrase, the sem
tence breaking into grammatical
| biunders, an unworded groan is
| just as effected if it be the
| utterance of the souls want
A heart all covered up with garlands of
| thought would be no attraction to God,
| but heart, broken and contrite, that is
the acceptable sacrifice. 81 know that
my Redeemer liveth," rising up in the
mighty harmony of a musical academy
may overpower our ear and heart, but
it will not reach the ear of God like the
broken-voiced hymn on some sufferer
amid rags and desolation looking up
| trustfully to Saviour's compassion,
singing amid tears and pangs: 81 know
that my my Redeemer liveth."
/ suppose that there was more rhet-
oric and classic elegance in the prayers
| of the Pharisee than of the publican,
but you know which was successful.
You may llneel with complete elegance
on some soft cushion at an altar of
alabaster, and utter prayer of Miltonic
sublimity, but neither your graceful
posture nor the roll of your blank verse
will attract heavenly attention, while
over some dark celler in which a
Christian pauper is PROSTATE in the
straw, angels bend from their thrones
and cry one to another: Behold, he
|
Heaven what long procession of
| prayers is continually passingl What
| Thanksgiving! What confessions? What
intercessions! What beseechings! "And
behold door was opened in Heaven"
Again: The door of Heaven is open
ed to allow US the opportunity of look
ing in. Christ when He came from
Heaven to Bethlehem left it open, and
no one since has dared to shut it. Mat
thew threw it still wider open when he
spoke of the glory to be revealed, and
John in Revelation actually points us
to the harps and the waters, and the
crowns, and the thrones. There are pro-
found mysteries about that blessed place
that We can not solve. But look through
this wide open door of Heaven and
see what you can see. God means US to
look and catch up now something of the
rapture, and attune our hearts to its
worship.
1t is wide open enough to ee Christ.
Behold Him, the chief among ten thou
sand, all the hammered pomp of Heaven
at His feet. With your enkindled faith
look up along those ranks of glory.
Watch now their palms wave and hear
how their voices ring. Floods clapping
their hands, streets cleaning with gold,
uncounted multitudes ever accumulat-
ing in number ever rising up into glad
der hosannas. If you can not stand to
look upon that Joy for at least one hour,
how could you endure to dwell among
it forever? You would wish yourself
out,of it in three days and choose the
earth again or any other place where it
was not always Sunday.
| My nearer in worldly prosperity, af-
fluent honored, healthy and happy,
look in upon that com pany of the re-
deemed, and see how the poor soul in
| Heaven is better off than you are,
brighter in apparel, richer in estate,
higher in power. Hearers, afflicted
and tried, look in through that open
| door that you may see to what gladness
| and glory you are coming, to. what
life, to what riches, to what royal
ty. Hearers pleased to fascination
with this world, gather up your
souls for one sappreciative look upon
riches that never fly away, upon health
! that never sicl1ens, upon scepters that
never break, upon expectations that are
never disappointed. Look in and see if
! there are not enough crowns to pay US
for all our battles, enough rest to re-
lieve all our fatigues, enough living
! fountains to quench all our thirst,
enough glory to dash out forever and
ever all earth's signing and restlessness
and darkness. Battles ended, tears
wiped away, thOrns plucked from the
bOsoms, stabs healed, the tomb riven-
!