The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-01-03
SUBSCRIPTION: sl.Oo Per Year.
Some Of Toar children have already

Some of roar children have already
gone, and though people passing along
the street and seeing white Grape on
the door bell may have said. 1t Is
only q child" yet when the broken
hearted father came to solicit my serv-
ice he said, "Come around and comfort
us, for we loved her SO much"
What q Christmas morning it will
make when those with whom you used
to keep the holidays are all around
you In Heaveni Silver haired old faith
, er young again, and mother who had
! so many aches and pains and decrepi-
tudes well again, and all your brothers
and sisters and the little ones How
glad they will be to see you! They
have been waiting. The last time they
saw your face it was covered with tears
and distress. and pallid from long
watching, and one of them / can im-
agine to-day, with one hand holding
fast the shining gate, and the other
hand swung out toward you saying:
Steer this way father, steer straight for me-
Here safe in Heaven am waiting for thee
Oh, those Bethlehem angels, when
they went back after the concert that
night over the hills, forgot to shut the
door. All the secret is out No moro
use of trying to hide from us the glo-
ries to come. It is too late to shut the
gate. 1t is blocked wide open with
hosannas marching this way and halle
lujahs marching that way. In the
splendor of the anticipation feel as il
was dying-not physically, for I
never was more well-but in the trans
port of the Christmas transfgura.
tion.
What almost unmans me is tho
thought that it is provided for such
sinners as you and have been. II ID
had been provided only for those who
had always thought right, and spoken
right, and acted right, you and ]
would have had no interest in it, had
no share in it. You and / would have
stuck to the raft midocean and let the
ship sail by carrying perfect passen-
gers from perfect life on earth 10 q
perfect life in heaven. But l have
heard the commander of that ship Is
the same great and glorious and SYM
pathetic one who hushed the tempest
around the boat on Galilee, and have
heard that. all the passengers on tho
ship are sinners saved by grace. And
so we hail the ship, and it bears down
this way, and we come by the side OF
it aud ask the captain two questions;
WHO art thou2 And whence?" And
he says: II am captain of salvation,
and am from the manger." oh, bright
Christmas morning of my souls de-
light. Chime all the bells Merry
Christmasi e,
Merry with the thought of sins for
given, merry with the idea of sorrows
comforted, merry with the raptures to
come Oh, lift that Christ from tho
manger and lay him down in all our
heartsl We may not bring to him as
costly present as the Magi brought,
but we bring to his feet and to the
manger to-day the frankincense OF our
joy, the prostration of our worship.
Down at His feet, all churches, all
ages, all earth, all Heaven. Down at His
feet, the four and twenty elders on
their faces. Down, the great multi
tude that no man can number" Down,
Michael, the archange! Down, all
worlds at His feet and worship. "Glo-
ry to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will to menw