The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-07-03


SO large a difference between the Di-
vine and the human estimate as to
what is enough. have heard of peo-
pie striving for that which is enough,
but never heard of any one who had
enough. What God calls enough for
man, man calls too little. What man
calls enough, God says is too much.
The difference between a poor man
and a rich man is only the difference
in banks. The rich man puts his
money in the Washington bank, or the
Central bank, or the Metropolitan
bank, or some other bank of that char
acter, while the poor man comes up
and makes his investments in the bank
of him who runs ali the quarries,
all the mines, all the gold, all the
earth, all Heaven. Do you think a
man can fail when he is backed up like
that2
You may have seen a map on which
is described, with red ink, the travels
of the children of Israel through the
desert to the Promised Land You see
how they took this and that direction,
crossed the river and went through
the sea- Do you know God has made
a map of your life, with paths leading
up to this bitterness and that success,
through this river and across that sea?
But, blessed be God, the path always
comes out at the Promised Land. Mark
thatl Mark thatl
1 remark again, that all those things
that seem to be but accidents in our
life are under the Divine supervision.
We sometimes seem to be going helm
less and anchorless. You say: IF l
had some other trade; If l had not
gone there this summer; if 1 had lived
in some other house" You have no
right to say that. Every tear you
wept, every step you have taken, every
burden you have carried, is under
Divine inspection, and that event
which startled your whole household
with horror God met with perfect
placidity, because He knew it was for
your good. 1t was part of great plan
projected long ago. In eternity, when
you come to reckon up your mercies,
you viii point to that affection as one
of your greatest blessings.
God has strange way with us. Jo-
seph found his way to the prime min
listers chair by being pushed into
pit; and to many Christian down is
up. The wheat must be failed; the
quarry must be blasted; the diamond
must be ground; the Chris sian must be
afflicted; and that single SVent, which
you supposed stood entirely alone, was
the connecting link between two great
chains, and one chain reaching through
all eternity past and the other chain
1san oh ircr oil Of ~ ST.,
so small in event fastening two eterni-
ties together.
"A missionary, coming from India to
the United States, stopped at st. Helena
while the vessel was taking water. He
had his little child with him. They
walked along by an embankment, and
a rock at that moment became loosened
and, falling, instantly killed the child.
Was it an accident? Was it a surprise
to God? Had He allowed his servant,
after a life of conservation, to come to
such trial? Not such is my God.
There are no accidents in the Divine
mind, though they may seem so to US.
God is good, and by every single Incl
dent of our life, whether it be adverse
or otherwise, before earth and Heaven,
God will demon strate His mercy.
Going up the White mountains some
years ago, 1 thought of that passage in
the Bible that speaks of God as weigh
ing mountains in the balance. As
looked at those great mountains /
thoughti Can it be possible that God
can put these great mountains in
scales? 1t was an idea too great for
me to grasp; but when 1 saw blue
bell down by the mules foot, on my
way up Mount Washington, then I'M
derstood the kindness and goodness of
God. 1t is not so much of God in great
things / can understand, but of God in
little things.
There is man who says: "That
doctrine can not De true, because
things do go so very wrong" 1 reply
it is no Inconsistency on the part of
God, but lack of understanding on our
part: hear that men are making very |
fine shawfs Id some factory. go in on |
the first floor, and sec only the raw ma
terials, and ask: Are these the Shawls |
l have heard about?" NO" says the |
manufacturer; ''go up to the next
foor;" and go up, and there begin |
to see the design. But the man says: |
OO uOO pup hSASj 81 up W VIC OOP |
floor of the factory, and you will see
the idea fully carried out" do SO,
and, having CONS to the top, see
the complete pattern of an ex"
euisite shawl. So in our life, stand
ing down on low level of Chris
tian experience, re do not under
stand Gods dealings. He tells us to
go up higher and higher, until we be-
gin to understand the Divine meaning
with respect to us, and we advance I'M
til we stand at the very gate of |
Heaven, and there see Gods idea all |
wrought out-a perfect idea of mercy, |
of love, of kindness. And we saYI
"Just and true are all Thy ways" It
is all right at the top. Remember,
there Ia no Inconsistency on the part
of God, but it Ia only our mental and
spiritual incapacity.
Some of you may be disappointed
this summef-yacations are apt to be
disappointments-b whatever your
perplexities and worriments, know
that Mans heart deviseth his way;
that the Lord directeth his steps"
Ask these aged men id this church
il it is not SO. 1t has been SO in my
own life. One summer I started for
the Adirondacks, but my plans were so
that landed in Liverpool. !; I
studied law and l got into the minis
try. / resolved to go as a missionary
to China, and 1 stayed in thu
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