The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-09-28

Of spirits weeping up from earth had
met squadron of descending angels
whose glory beat back the woe. Stand
ing there and looking at the taper on
the altar Of the cathedral, said:
How much like many Christians
lifel Shadows hover. and sometimes
his hope j. dim, and faint; and flicker
ing, like a taper on the altar. But at
what time God wills, the heavens
break forth with music upon his soul,
and the air becomes resonant as the
angels of God beat it with their shin
ing scepters."
Oh, the Lord God has many fair and
beautiful daughters, but the faifest OF
them all Is she whose ways are pleas
antness and whose paths are peace!
Now, my brothers and sisters-for ]
have right to call you all SOL know
some people look back on their Hn-
cestral line, and they see they are de-
scended from the Puritans of Hugue-
nots, and they rejoice in that; but
| look back on my ancestral
line, and ] see therein such a
mingling and mixture of the blood
of all nationalities that feel akin to
all the world, and by the blood of the
Son of God, who died for all people,
address you in the bonds of universal
brotherhood 1 come out as only a
servant, bringing an invitation to a
party, and put it into your hand, say
ing: Come, for all things are now
ready" and 1 urge it upon you and con-
tinue to urge it, and, before / get
through, hope by the blessing of God,
to compel you to come in.
We must take care how we give the
invitation. Ny Christian friends, !
think sometimes we have just gone OPP
posite to Christ's command and we
have compelled people to stay out.
Sometimes our elaborated instructions
have been che hindrance. We gradr-
ate from our theological seminaries on
stills, and it takes five or six years be-
fore we cal come down and stand right
beside thr great masses of people,
learning their joys, sorrows, victories,
defeats. We get our heads so brim-
full of theological wisdom that we
have to stand very straight lest
they spill over. Now, what do the
great masses of the people care about
the technicalities of religion? What
do they care about the hypostatic
union or the difference between sub
lapsarian and supra -lapsarian? What
do they care for your profound ex-
plantations, clear as a London fog?
When man is drowning he does not
want vow to stand by the dock and de-
scribe the nature of the water into
which he has fallen, and tell him there
are two parts hydrogen gas and one of
oxygen gas, with a common density of
thirty-nine degrees fahrenheit, turn
ing to steam under a common atmos-
pheric pressure of two hundred and
twelve. He does not want a chemical
lecture on water; he wants a rope.
Oh, roy friends, the curse of God on
the church, it seems to me, in this day,
is metaphysics. We speak in an nm
known tongue in our Sabbath schools.
and in our religious assemblages, and
in our pulpits, and how can people be
saved unless they understand us? We
put en- our official gowns, and we
think the two silk balloons flap
ping at the elbows of n preach
err give him great sanctity.
The river of Gods truth flows
down before us pure and clear
as crystal; but we take our theolog-
icaI stick and stir it up. and stir it up,
until you can not sec the bottom. Oh,
for the simplicity Of Christ in all our
instructions-th simplicity he prac-
ticed when, standing among the peo-
pie, lie took lily and said: There is
a lesson of the manner | will clothe
YOU" and, pointing to a raven, said:
There is a lesson of the way l will
feed YOU: consider the lilies-behold
the fowls"
L think often in our religious instruc-
tiOns we compel the people to stay out
by our church architecture. People
come in and they find things angular,
and cold, and stiff, and they go away,
never again to come; when the church
ought to be a great hOme-circle, every
body having n hymn book, giving half
of it to the one next him: every one
who has a hand to shake hands, shak-
ing hands-the church architecture and
the church surroundings saying to the
people, Come in and be at home" In
stead of that, | think all these sur
roundings often compel the people to
stay out. Now, let us all repent of
our sins and begin on the other track,
and by our heartiness of affection, and
warmth of manner, and implOration of
the Spirit of God, compel the
people to come in. How shall
we lead sinners to accept the Lord s
invitation? ] think we must certainly
begin by a holy life. We must be
better men, better women, before we
can compel the people to come in the
kingdom of Jesus Christ. There are
fine ESSAYS being written in this day
about science and religion. ! tell you
the best argument in behalf of our
holy Christianity: 1t is a good man, a
good woman. a life all consecrated to
Christ. No ipfidel can answer it. Oh,
let us by holy example compel the
people to come in,
read of a minister of the Gospel
who was very fond of climbing among
the Swiss mountains. One day he was
climbing among very dangerous places,
and thought himself alone, when
he heard voice beneath him say;
Father. look out for the safe path, ! am
following, and he looked back andJle
saw that he was climbing not only
for himself. but climbing for his boy.
Oh, let us be sure and take the safe
path. Our children are following, our
partners in business are following. our
neighbors are following, great multi
tudc stepping right into our steps.
Oh. be sure and take the right path!
Exhibit Christian example. and so by
your godly walk compel the people to