The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-06-14


profits will dedicate a tenth of the
Lord; some as physicians, prescribing
Tor the worlds ailments, and some az
attorneys, defending innocence, and
obtaining rights that otherwise would
not be recognized; and some as sailors
| helping bridge the seas; and some as
teachers and pastors. The kingdom
OF God is dreadfully retarded by so
many of us attempting to do that
/ which we can not do; reaching up for
broadsword, or falchion, or bavonet, or
scimeter, or Enfield rifle, or Paixhan's
gun, while we ought to be content
with an ox-goad.
Years ago / was to sumule-: in the
AdirondaclSs; and my wealthy friend,
who was great hunter and fisherman,
said: II am not going to the Adiron.
dacks this season, and you can take
my equipment, and will send it up to
Paul Smiths. Well, it was there when
| arrived in the Adirondaclzs, splen-
did outfit, that cost many hundreds of
| dollars, gorgeous tent, and such
elaborate fishing apparatus; such guns
of all styles of exquisite make, and
reels, and pouches, and bait, and
torches, and lunch baskets, and many
more things that I could not even
guess the use OF. And my friend of
the big soul had even written on
pany me into the forest and
carry home the deer and the trout.
II the mountains could have seen
and understood it it at the time, there
would have been panic among the ant
lers, and the fins through all the John
Browns tract" Well, am no hunter,
and not a roe-buct, or a game fish did
/ ihiure. But there were hunters there
that season who had nothing but
plain gun, and rug to sleep on, and a
coil of fishing line, and box of am
munition, and bait, who came in ever
and anon with as many of the captives
of forest and stream as they and two
or three attendants could carry. Now,
| fear that many Christian workers
who have most elaborate educational
and theological, and professional equip
ment, and most wonderful weaponry,
sufficient, you would think, to capture
a whole community, or a whole nation
for God, will in the last day have but
little except their fine tackling to
show; while some who had no advan
tages except that which they got in
prayer and conservation, will by the
souls they have brought to the shore
of eternal safety, prove that they have
been gloriously successful as fishers
of men, and in taking many who
were painting after the water brooks.
What made the Amalelxites run before
Gideon's army? Each one of the army
knew how much racket the breaking
of one pitcher would make. So three
hundred men that night took three
hundred pitchers, and lamp inside
the pitcher, and at a given signal the
lamps were lifted, and the pitchers
were violently dashed down. The
flash of the light and the racket
of the three hundred demolished pitch
ers sent the enemy into wild fight.
Not much of a weapon, you would say,
is a broken pitcher, but the Lord
made that awfnl crash of crocl1ery the
means of triumph for his people. And
there is yet to be battle with the
pitchers. The night of the worlds dis
sipation may get darker and darker,
but after awhile, in what watch of the
night 1 know not, all the ale pitchers,
and the wine pitchers, and the beer
pitchers, and the whisky pitchers of
the earth will be hurled into
demolition by converted inebriate
and Christian reformers, and at
that awful crash of internal crockery
the Amalekitish host of pauperism,
and loaferdom, and domestic quarrel,
and cruelty, and assassination will fly
the earth. Take the first weapon you
can lay your hands on. Why did David
choose the sling when he went to Co
Hath, and Goliath went at him. Brought
up in the country, like every other boy
he knew how to manage a sling.
Saul's armor was first put on him, but
the giants arnor was too heavy. The
helmet was clapped on him as an extin-
guisher, and David said: 81 can not |
go with these, for 1 have not proved
them" And the first wise thing David |
did after putting on Saul's armor was
to put it off Then the brook Elah,
the bed of which was dry when saw
it, and one vast reach of pebbles, fur
nished the five smooth stones with |
which Goliath was prostrated.t |
Whether it be a boys sling, or a
broken pitcher, or an ox-goad, take |
that which you can manage, and ask |
God for help, and no power on earth or
in hell can stand before you.
Go out, then, 1 charge you, against |
the Philistines. We must admit the |
odds are against us-six hundred to |
one. In the matter of dollars, thoss. |
devoted to worldliness, and sin, and |
dissipation, when compared with the
dollars devoted to holiness and virtue |
six hundred to one. The houses set /
apart for vice, and despoliation, and |
ruin, as compared with those dedicated |
to good, six hundred to one. Of print
cd newspaper sheets scattered abroad
from day to day, those depraving as
compared with those elevating, are six
hundred to one. The agencies for maxi
ing the world worse, compared with the
agencies for making the world better,
six hundred to one. But Moses, in his
song, chants "Ifow should one chase
a thousand, and two put ten thou
goad conquers six hundred uplifted
battle-axes; and the day of universal
victory is coming, unless the Bible be
a fabrication, and eternity myth,
and the chariots of God are unwhecled
on the golden streets, and the last
regiment of the celestial hosts lies
dead on the plains of Heaven. With US,
or without us, the work will be done.
Oh, get into the ranks somewhere,
armed somehow; you with a needle;
you with a pen; you with good book;