The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1892-06-10

| legato, and we become indifferent and
unappreciative, when suddenly we
come upon blank in the music. There
is nothing between those bars. A
| pause. God will fill il up with a sick
bed, or commercial disaster, or a
grave. But, thank God, it is not a
breaking down; il is only pause. 1t
helps us to appreciate the blessings that
are gone; it gives us higher apprecia-
ton of the blessings that are TO come.
The selah of Habakkuk and David is
dividing line between the two an
thems- David begins his book with the
words blessed is the man." and after
seventy-four selahs he closes his book
with the words Praise We the Lord. +"
So there are mercies beyond us, and
there are going TO be mercies before us.
IL is good for us that God halts us in our
/ fortunes, and halts us with physical
distress, and halts us at the graves of
our dead. More than once you and /
have been halted by such a selah. You
wrung your hands and said: ~ can't
see any sense in this Providence; / can't
see why God gave me that child, if he is
SO soon going to take it away. Omy
You could not understand it But it
was not a selah of overthrow. It gave
you greater appreciation of the bless
ings that have gone; it will yet give you
greater appreciation of the blessings
that will come.
Oh, it is good that the Lord sometimes
halts us. David says: at is good that 1
have been afflicted. Before / was
afflicted I went astray, but now / have
kept Thy word" Indeed, we must all
soon stop. Scientists have improved
human longevity, but none of them
have proposed to make terrene life per-
petuaL But the Gospel makes death
only selah between two beatitudes-
between dying triumph on one side of
the grave and celestial escort on the
other side of the grave. Going out
of this life to the unprepared is great
horror. Give me more laudanum,"
said dying Mirabeau; ''give me more
laudanum that l may not think of eter-
nifty and what is to come" And dying
Hobbies said: 81 leave my body to the
grave and my soul to the great per-
haps." 1t was the discord of an infidePs
life breaking down into the jargon of
despair; but the Gospel makes the death
of the Christian a selah between re-
demption and enthronemcnt. almost
well" said dying Richard Baxter, al
most we'll" ''Play those notes over
again-those notes which have been so
great delight and sOlace to me-" said
the dying Christian Mozart. None but
Christ, none but Christ" exclaimed dy-
ing Lambert.
Richard Cameron, the Scotch cove
nanter, went into the battle three times
praying: Lord, spare the green and
take the ripe. This is the day shall
get my crown. Come, let us fight it to
the last. Forwardl'' So you see there
is only short pause, selah of inter
mission, between dying consultations on
the one side and overlapping raptures
on the other.
My flesh shall slumber in the ground
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise,
And in my Saviour's imagine rise.
next speak of the Selah of emphasis
Ewald, the German orientalist and
theologian, says that this word means
to ascend; and wherever you find it, he
says, you must look after the modula-
ton of the voice, and you must put more
force into your utterance. 1t is Selah
of emphasis. All! my friends, you and
1 need to correct our emphasis. Weput
too much emphasis on this world, and
not enough ON God and the next world.
People think these things around us are
! so important, the things of the next are
not worth our consideration.
U,ho E,-eA ,,aoI 60 eovv,a of -. &c -
change our emphasis. Look at wretch
edness on a throne. Napolean, while
yet emperor of France, sat down de-
jected, his hands over his face. lad
came in with tray of food and said:
Eat, it will do you good" The en-
peror looked up and said: "You are
from the country?'' The Lao replied:
yes" Your father has a cottage and
few acres of ground?" yes" There
is happinessr' said the detected en-
peror. Ali Napoleon never put the
emphasis in the right place until he
was expiring at St. Helena. On the
other hand, look at satisfaction amid
| the worst earthly disadvantage. 81
never saw until i was blind" said a
| Christian man. 81 never knew what
contentment was while had my eye
sight, as 1 knew what content
is now that L have lost nv eye
sight. / affirm, though few would
credit it, that / would not exchange
my present position and circumstances
for my circumstances before / lost my
| eyesight." That man put the emphasis
in the right place. We want to put
less stress upon this world and more
stress upon our God as our everlasting
portion. David had found out the
| nothingness of this world and the all
sufficiency of God. Notice how he in
| terjects the selahs- Trust in the
Lord at all times; We people, pour out
your heart before Him. God lisa refuge
for us. Selah." Blessed be the Lord
who daily loads us with benefits, even
the God of our salvation. Selah." 1.-THE
Lord shall count, when He writeth up
the people, that this man was born
| there. Selah." Let the world have its
honors and its riches and its pomp. Let
me have the Lord for my light, my
peace, my fortress, my pardon, my
hope, my Heaven.
What sinners value resign;
Lord! tits enough that Thou art mine,
shall behold Thy blissful face
And stand complete in righteousness.
This world is all an empty show,
But the bright world to which go
Hath joys substantial and sincere;
When shall wake and find me there9
glorious homel blest abodeI
j shall be near and like my God,
And ain and N N control