The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1892-05-27

night dreamed / was killed In battle
and that mother and sister came down
to meet re-" After the next battle was
over soma one crossing the field heard a
voice that he recognized as the zoice OF
Tom, the drummer boy, singing "Jesus,
Lover of Ny Soul But at the end Of
the first verse the voice became very
feeble, and at the end of the second
verse it stopped, and they went up and
found Tom, the drummer boy, leaning
against stump, and dead.
That hymn, 80 For Thousand
Tongues to Sing" was suggested to
Charles Wesley by Peter Boiler, who,
after conversion, said: 81 had better
keep silent about it." "No," said Yves
ley, ''if you had ten thousand tongues
you had better use them for Christ
And then that angel Of hymnology pen,
ned the words:
o, for a thousand tongues to sing
My dear Redeemer's praise,
The glorics OF my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace.
Jesus the name that calms our fears
That bids our sorrows cease;
-Tis music in the sinners ears,
IT'S life and health and peace.
While much of the modern mlsic is a
religious doggerel, a consecrated nom
sense, a sacred imbecility, would like
to see some great musician lift the
baton and marshal Luthers Judgment
Hymn, ""Y Yarmouth, " Dundee, ""Ariel, I"
''Brattle Street." "Uxbridge," "PIeyers
Hymn" ''Harwell, "Antioch, Mount
Pisgah" and Coronation" with few
regiments of mighty tunes made In our
own time, and storm Asia, Africa and
America for the kingdom of God. But
the first thing to do is to drive out ths
dumb devil of the text from all our
churches.
Do not, however, let us lose ourselves
in generalities. Not one of us but has
had our lives sometimes touched by the
evil spirit of the text-this awful dumb
devil. We had just one opportunity OF
saying a Christian word that might
have led man or woman into Chris
tan life. The opportunity was fairly
put before us. The word of invitation
or consolation or warning came to the
inside gate of the mouth, but there ii
halted. Some hindering power locked
the jaws together SO that they did not
open. The tongue lay fat and still in
the bottom of the mouth as
though struck with paralysis.
We were mute. Though God had
given us the physiological appa.
ratus for speech, and our lungs were
filed with air which, by the command
of our will, could have made the laryn-
geal muscles move and the vocal organs
vibrate, we were wicl1edly and fatally
silent For all time and eternity we
missed our chance. Or it was prayer
meeting, and the service was thrown
open for prayer and remarks, and there
was dead halt-everythin silent as
graveyard at midnight. Indeed, it waz
a graveyard and midnight. An en-
barrassing pause took place that
put a wet blanket on all the meeting
Men, bold enough on business ex-
change or in worldly circles, shut
their eyes as though they were praying
in silence, but they were not praying at
all. They were busy hoping somebody
else would do his duty. The women
flushed under the awful pause and
made their fans more rapidly flutter.
Some brother, with no cold, coughed,
by that sound trying to fill up the
time, and the meeting was slain. But
what killed it?-the dumb devil. This
is the way / account for the fact that
the stupidest places on earth are some
prayer meetings. donot see how a man
keeps any grace if he regularly attends
them. They are spiritual refrigerators.
Be out and out, up and down for
righteousness. If your ship is afoat on
the Pacific ocean for Gods mercy, hang
out your colors from masthead. Show
your passport if you have one. Do not
smuggle your soul into the harbor of
Heaven. Speak out for God This morn
ing close up the chapter of lost oppor-
tunities, and pitch it into the East
river, and open new chapter
Before you get to the door on
your way out this morning shake hands
with some one, and ask him to join
you on the road to Heaven. Do not
drive up to Heaven in a two-wheeled
''sulzy" with room only for one, and
that yourself, but get the biggest Cos
pei wagon you can find, and pile it full
of friends and neighbors, and shout till
they hear you all upand down the skies
Come with us and we will do you
good, for the Lord hath promised
good concerning Israel" The oppor-
tunity for good, which you may con-
slider insignificant, may be ire
mendous for results, as when on the
sea Capt. Radiance swore at the ships
crew with an oath that wished them all
in perdition, and Scotch sailor touched
his cap and said: Captain, God hears
prayer, and we would be badly off il
your wish were answered" Capt. Hal
dane was convicted by the sailors
remark and converted, and became
the means OF the salvation of his
brother Robert, who had been an in,
fidel, and then Robert became minis
ter of the Gospel, and uEder his minis
try the goddess Felix Neff became the
world-renowned missionary of the
cross, and the worldly Merle D'Aubigns
became the author of 'The History OF
the Reformation, and will be tho
glory of the church for all ages.
Perhaps you may do as much as the
Scotch sailor who just tipped his cap,
and used one broken sentence by which
the earth and the heavens are still re-
sounding with potent influences Do
something for God, and do it right
away, or you will never do it at all
Time flies away fast,
The while we never remember;
How soon our life here
Grows old with the year
That dies with the next December.
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