The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-04-13


boots for him.
Spectacle the second: Voltaire, bright
and learned and witty and eloquent,
with tongue and voice and stratagem
Internal, warning against God and
poisoning whole kingdoms with his
infidelity, yet applarded by tho clap.
ping hands of thrones and empires and
continents-his last words, in de,lirium
supposing Christ standing by the bed
side-his last words: Crush that
wretchl'
Spectacle the third: Paul-Paul, in.
significant in person, thrust out from
all refined association, scourged, spat
on, bounded like wild beast from city
to city, yet trying to make the world
good and Heaven full; announcing
resurrection to those who mourned at
the barred gates of the dead, speaking
consolat ions which light up the eyes
of widowhood and orphanage and
want with glow of certain and eternal
release; undaunted before those who
could take his life, cheek flushed with
transport and his eye on Heaven;
with one hand shaking defiance at
all the foes of earth and all principan
ties of hell, and with the other hand
reckoning messenger angels to come
and bear him away, as he says II am
now ready to be offered, and the time
of my departure is at hand; have
fought the good fight, L have finished
my course, I have kept the faith;
henceforth there is laid up for me
crown of righteousness which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give
me-
Which of the three spectacles do you
most admire? When the wind of
death struck the conquerer and the in
fdel, they were tossed like sea gulls in
tempest, drenched of the wave and
torn of the hurricane, their dismal
voices heard through the everlasting
stormI but when the waves and the
wind of death struck Paul, like an al
batross, he made a throne of the tenn
pest, and one day foated away into the
calm, clear summer of Heaven, bright
err than the dove, it wings covered with
silver, and its feathers with yellow
gold. Oh, are you not in love with
such q religion-a religion that can do
so much for man while he lives, and
so much for a man when he comes to
die?
| suppose you may have noticed the
contrast between the departure of a
Christian and the departure of an in
fidel. Diodofus, dying in chagrin be-
cause he could not compose a joke
equal to the joke uttered at the other
end of his table; Zeuxis, dying in
fit of laughter at the sketch of an aged
woman-a sketch made by his own
hand; Mazarin, dying playing cards,
his friend holding his hands because
he was unable to hold them himself.
All that on one side, compared with
the departure of the Scotch minister,
who said to his friends: Il have no in
terest as to whether live or die; if I
die, shall be with the Lord; and if
live, the Lord will be with me-" Or
the last words of Washington: SIT is
we'll" Or the last words Of Mcintosh,
the learned and the great: 'Happy!"
Or the last words of Hannah Moore,
the Christian poetess: 'Joyw Or those
thousands of Christians who have gone,
saying; Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit Come, Lord Jesus, come quick
ly!'' so death! where is thy sting7 o
grave! where is thy victory?"
Behold the contrast. Behold the
charm of the one, behold the darkness
of the other Now, know it is very
popular in this day for some young
men to think there is something more
charming in skepticism than in relig-
ion. They are ashamed of the old
fashioned religion of the cross, and
they pride themselves on their free
thinking on all these subjects. My
young friend, want to tell you what
know from observation: that while
skepticism is beautiful land at the
start, it is the great Sahara Desert at
the last.
That I might WOO you to a better
life, and that I might show you the
glories with which God clothes His
dear children in Heaven, l wish could
this morning swing back one of the
twelve gates, that there might dash
upor your ear one shout of the tri-
umph. that there might flame
upon your eyes one blaze of the
splendor Oh when l speak of that
good land, you involuntarily think
of some one there that you loved
father, mother, brother. sister, or
dear little child garnered already You
want to know what they are doing this
morning I will tell you what they
are doing Singing! You want to know
what they wear. / will tell you what
they wear Coronets of triumph
You wonder why oft they look
to the gate of the temple, and
watch and wait. L will tell why
they watch and wait and look to the
gate of the temple. For your coming!
| shout upward the news to-day, for I
am sure some of you will repent and
start for Heaven. "Oh, We bright ones
before the throne, your earthly friends
are coming. Angels posing midair,
cry up the name Gatekeeper of
Heaven, send forward the tidingsl
Waterman on the battlements celes-
tial, throw the signal!"
''Oh," you say. religion I am going
to have; it is only a question of time. "
My brother, am afraid that you may
lose Heaven the way Louis Philippe
lost his empire. The Partisan mob
came around the tulleries. The national
guard stood in defense of the palace,
and the commander said to Louis
Philippe: "Shall I fire now? Shall
order the troops to fire? With one vol
ley we can clear the place" NO"
said Louis Philippe, mot yet" few
minutes passed on, and then Louis
Philippe, seeing the case was hopeless,
said to the general: Now is the
time to fire" NO" said the general.
sit is too late now; don't you see that
the soldiers are exchanging arms with
a. o;4;zoneO T+ss too late - Down