The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1890-06-06

out those things which are attractive
and deserving, but in spying out with
all their powers OF vision to see whether
they can not find Mordecai.
Again. learn from the life of the
man under our notice that worldly van
.ty and sin are very anxious to have piety
bow before them. Hannah was a fair
emblem of worldliness and Mordecai
the representative of unfinching godli-
ness. Such were the usages of society
in ancient times that, had this Israelite
bowed to the Prime Minister, it would
have been an acknowledgment of re-
spect for his character and nation.
Mordecai would, therefore. have sinned
! against his religion had he made any
obeisance or dropped his chin half an
inch before Hannah. When, therefore,
proud Haman attempted to compel an
homage which was not felt, he only did
what the world ever since has tried to
do, when it would force our holy reliI ion
in any way to its dictates. Daniel,
if he had been a man of religious com
promises, would never have been thrown
into the den of lions. He might have
made some arrangement with King
Darius whereby he could have retained
part of his form of religion without
making himself so completely obnox-
ious TO the idolators. Paul might have
retained the favor of his rulers and es-
capped martyrdom if he had only been
willing to mix up his Christian faith
with a few errors. His unbending
Christian character was taken as an in
suit
Fagot and rack and halter in all ages
have been only the different ways in
which the world has demanded obei-
| sance- 1t was once, away up on the top
of the temple, that Satan commanded
the Holy One of Nazareth to kneel be-
fore him. But it is not now so much on
the top of the churches as down in the
aisle and the pew and the pulpit that
| Satan tempts the espouser of the
Christian faith to kneel before him.
Why was it that the Rlatonic philoso-
pliers of early times, as well as Toland,
| Spinoza, and Bolingbroke of later days,
were so madly opposed to Christianity?
Certainly not because it favored immor-
talities, or arrested civilization, or
| dwarfed the intellect The genuine
reason, whether admitted or not, was
because the religion of Christ paid no
respect to their intellectual vanities.
Blount and Boyle, and the host of inf
dels Matched out by the vile regin of
| Charles H., as reptiles crawl out of
marsh of slime, could not keep their
patience because, as they passed along,
there were sitting in the gate of the
/ church such men as Matthew, and
Mark, and Luke, and John who would
not bend an inch in respect to their
| PHILOSOPHERS.
| Satan told our first parents that they
would become as gods if they would
only reach up and take taste of the
fruit They tried it and failed, but
their descendants are not yet satisfied
with the experiment We have now
many desiring to be as gods, reaching
up after yet another apple. Human
reason, scornful of Gods word, may
foam and strut with the proud wrath of
Haman, and attempt to compel the
homage of the good, but in the presence
of men and angels it shall be confound-
ed. God shall smite thee, thou whited
wall" When science began to make
| it's brilliant discoveries there were
| great facts brought to light that seemed
to overthrow the truth of the Bible.
The archeologist with his crow
bar, and the geologist with his
hammer, and the chemist with his bat
teries charged upon the Bible. Moses
account of the creation seemed denied
by the very structure of the earth. The
astronomer wheeled round his telescope
until the heavenly bodies seemed to
marshal themselves against tho Bible,
as the stars in their course fought
against Sisera. Observatorie and uni
versities rejOiced at what they consid
| cred the extinction of Christianity.
They gathered new courage at what
they considered past victory, and
pressed on their conquest into the king
dom of nature until, alas for theml they
discovered too much. Gods word had
only been lying in ambush that, in
some unguarded moment, with a sudden
bound, it might tear infidelity to pieces.
1t was as when Joshua attacked the
City of All. lie selected thirty thousand
men and concealed most of them; then
with a few men he assaulted the city,
which poured out it's numbers and
strength upon Josbua's little band. Ac-
cording to previous plans, they fell
back in seeming defeat, but after all
the proud inhabitants of the city had
been brought out of their homes and
had joined in the pursuit of Joshua,
suddenly that brave man halted in his
fight, and with his spear pointing to-
ward the city, thirty thousand men
bounded from the thickets as panthers
spring to their prey, and the pursuers
were dashed to pieces, while the hosts of
Joshua pressed up to the city, and with
their lighted torches tossed it into flame.
Thus it was that the discoveries of
science seemed to give temporary vic
tory against God and the Bible, and for
awhile the church acted as if she were
on a retreat; but, when all the opposers
of God and truth had joined in the pur-
suit, and were sure of the field, Christ
gave the signal to His church, and, turn
ing, they drove back their foes in shame.
There was found to be no antagonism
between nature and revelation. The
universe and the Bible were found to be
the work of the same hand, two strokes
of the same pen, their authorship the
same God.
Again: Learn the lesson that pride
goes before fall. Was any man ever
so far up as Hannah, who tumbled so far
down? Yes, on smaller scale every
day the world sees the same thing.
Against their very advantages men trip
into destruction When God humbles
proud men it is usually at the moment
of their greatest arrogancy. If there be
a man in your community greatly pulled
up with worldly success, you have but
to stand little while and you will see
I II