The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-08-30

Again, 1t In the use Of trouble to
make us feel our dependence upon
God Men think that they can do
anything until God shows them they
can do nothing at all. We lay our
great plans, and we like to execute
them. 1t looks big. God comes and
assaulted by his enemy, when the
lance struck him it opened a great
swelling that had threatened his
death, and he got we'll. So it Is the
arrow of trouble that lets out great
swellings of pride. We never feel our
dependence upon God until we get
trouble / was riding with my little
child along the road, and she asked il
she might drive. / said: Certainly"
I handed over the reins to her, and
had to admire the glce with which she
drove. But after awhile we met a
team and had to turn out. The road
was narrow, and it was sheer down on
both sides. She handed the reins over
to me and said. II think you had bet
ter take charge Of the horse" So we
are all children; and on this road of
life we like to drive. 1t gives one
such an appearance of superiority
and power. 1t looks big. But after
awhile we meet some obstacle, and we
have to turn out, and the road is mar
row, and it is sheer down on both sidesi
and then we are willing that God
should take the reins and drive ALL
my friends, we get upset so often be-
cause we do not hand over the reins
soon enough.
After man has had trouble, prayer
is with him a taking hold of the arm
of God and crying out for help I
have heard earnest prayers on two or
three occasions that | remember.
once, on the Cincinnati express train,
going at forty miles the hour, the
train jumped the track, and we were
near a chasm eighty feet deep; and
the men who, few minutes before,
had been swearing and blasphe ming
God, began to pull and jerk at the bell
rope, and got up on the backs of the
seats and cried opt: "Oh, God, save
usr' There was another time, about
eight hundred miles out at sea, on
laundering steamship, after the last
lifeboat had been split finer than
kindling wood. They prayed then.
Why is it yOu so often hear people, in
reciting the last experience of some
friend, say: "He made the most beau
tiful prayer I ever heard?" What
makes it beautiful? 1t is the earnest
ness of it. Oh! l tell you, a man is in
earnest when his stripped and naked
soul wades out in the soundless, shore
less, bottomless ocean of eternity.
1t is trouble, my friends, that makes
US feel our dependence upon God. We
do not know our own weakness or
Gods strength until the plank breaks.
1t is contemplate in us when there is
nothing else to take hold of, that we
catch hold of God only. Why. you do
not know who the Lord is. He is not
an autOcrat seated far up in palace,
from which lie energies once a year,
preceded by heralds swinging swords
to clear the way. No, but a father
willing at our call, to stand by us in
every crisis and predicament of life.
tell you what some of you business
men make me think of. A young
man goes off from home to earn
his fortune. lie goes with his mothers
consent and benediction. She has
large wealth, but he wants to make
his own fortune. He goes far away,
falls sick, gets out of money. He
sends for the hotel keeper where lie is
staying, asking for lenience, and the
answer he gets is: "If you don't pay
up Saturday night you'll be removed
to the hospital"
The young man sends to a comrade
in the same building. No help. He
writes to a banker who was friend
of his deceased father. No relief. He
writes to an old schoolmate, but he
gets no help. Saturday night comes.
and he IS moved to the hospital.
Getting there, he is frenzied with
grief; and he borrOws a sheet of paper
and a postage stamp, and he sits down
and he writes home, saying: Dear
mother, am sick unto death. Come"
1t is ten minutes of ten o'clock when
she gets the letter At ten o'clock the
train starts. She is five minutes from
the depot. She gets there in time to
have five minutes to spare. She won
ders why a train that can go thirty
miles an hour can not go sixty miles
an hour. She rushes into the hospital
She says: MY son, what does all this
mean? Why didn't you send for meP
You sent to every body but me. You
knew l could and would help
you. Is this the reward get
for my kindness to you always?"
She bundles him up, takes him
home and gets him well very soon
Now, some of you treat God just as
that young man treated his mother.
When you get into financial perplex-
it'll you call on the banker, you call on
the broker, you call on your creditors,
you call on your lawyer for legal cOun
sci; you call upon everybody, and
when you can not get any help, then
you go to God. You say: 20, Lord, /
come to Thee. Help me now out of
my perplexity." And the Lord comes,
though it is the eleventh hour. lie
says: why did you not send for Me
before? AS one whom mis- mother com
forteth, so will comfort you" 1t is
to throw us back upon God that we
have this ministry of tears
Again, it is the use Of trouble to ca
pacitate us for the office of sympathy
The priests, under the old dispense
ton, were set apart by having water
sprinkled upon. their hands, feet and
head; and by the sprinkling of tears
people are now set apart to the office
of sympathy. When we are in pros
perity we like to have great many
young people around US, and we laugh
when they laugh, and we rOmp when
they romp, and we sing when they
sing; but when we have trouble we
like plenty of old folks around. Why?
They know how 10 talk Take an