The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-07-10


munity. Shall we not Of the strength
Of God go forth and combat them2.
We not only need more heart, but
more backbone. What is the church
of God, that IL should fear to look In
the eye of any transgfession9 There Ia
the Bengal tiger of drunkenness that
pFowls around; and instead of attack
ing 1t. how many of us hide tindeF
the church pew or the communioh
tablet There is so much invested in IL
we are afraid TO assault it; millions OF
dollars IN barrels, in Tats, In spigots,
in corkscrews, in gin palaces with maj
bic floors and Italian-top tables, and
chased ice-coolers, and in the strych-
nine, and the logwood, and the tar
taric acid, and the nux vomica, that
go to to make up our pure" American
drinks. 1 looked with wondering
eyes on the heidelberg tun." It is
the great liquor vat of Germany,
which is said to hold 800 hogsheads of
wine, and only three times in a 100
years it has been filed. But, as I
stood and looked at it, said to my
self THAT is nothing hogsheads.
Why, our American vat holds 2, SOC, 900
barrels of strong drinks, and we keep
200, 900 men with nothing to do but to
see that it is filled"
Oh, to attack this great monster of
intemperance, and the kindred mon
sters of fraud and uncleanness, re.
quires you to rally all your Christian
courage. Through the press, through
the pulpit, through the platform, you
,x-k -,,IA -
all our American Christians would
band together, not for crack Drained
fanaticism, but for holy Christian re.
form. 1 think it was in 1898
that there went out from Luck
now, India, under the sovereign,
tho greatest hunting party that was
ever projected. There were 10, 900 men
in that hunting party. There were
camels and horses and elephants. On
some princes rode and loyal ladies,
under exquisite housing, and 800 coolies
waited upon the train, and the desolate
places of India were invaded by this ex-
cursion, and The rhinoceros, the deer
and elephant fell under the stroke of
saber and bullet After awhile the
party brought back trophies worth 3d.
India CHASTITY with the slain bodies Of
wild beasts. Would to God that In.
stead of here and there a stragglor 20.
ing out to fight those great monsters
of iniquity in our country, tho million
membership of our churches would
band together and how in twain these
great crimes that make the land fright
full with their roar, and are fatteninR
upon the bodies and souls of Immortal
menl Who Is ready for such pnrty as
that? Who will be mighty hunter
for the Lord?
l remark, again, If you want to be
success sful in spiritual archery, you
need not only to bring down the game,
but bring it in. / think one of the
most beautiful pictures of Thorwald-
sen is his Autumn" It represents a
sportsman coming home and standing
under a grape vine. He has a staff
over his shoulder, and on the other
end of that staff are hung rabbit and
a brace of birds. Every hunter brings
home the game. No one would think
of bringing down reindeer or whip.
ping up a stream for trout, aud letting
them lie in the woods. At eveutidc tho
camp Is adorned with the Treasures of
the forest-beak and fn and antlcrs, II
you GO out to hunt for immortal souls,
not only bring them down under the
arrow of the Gospel, but bring them
into the Church of God, the enoamp.
ment have pitched this side of the
skies. Fetch them In; do not lot them
lie out in the open aeld. They need
our prayers and sympathies and help.
That is the meaning of the Church of
God-help. o We hunters for Che Lord,
not only bring down the gam, but
bring it in.
Oh, for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
am sure that there are some hers
who at some time have been lit by the
Gospel arrow. You felt the wound of
that conviction, and you plunged into
the world deeper, just as the stag,
when the hounds are after it, plunges
into Scroon lake, expecting in that
way to escape. Jesus Christ is on
your track to-day, impenitent mani not
in wrath, but in mercy. o We chased
and painting souls! here is the stream
of Gods mercy and salvation, where
you may cool your thirst Stop that
chase of sin to-day. BY the red foun.
tain that leaped from the heart of my
Lord, bid you stop. Is there in al this
house anyone who can refuse the
offer that comes from the heart of the
dying Son of God? Why, do you know
that there are, in the banished world,
souls that, for that offer you get to-
day, would fling the crown of the uni
verse at your feet, If they possessed It?
But they went out on the mountains,
the storm took them, and they died.
There is in a forest in Germany q
place they call the deer leap"-two
crags about eighteen feet apart, be-
tween them fearful chasm. This is
called the "deer leap" because once a
hunter was on the track of deer; 1t
came to one of these crags; there
was no escape for it from the
pursuit of the hunter, and Ia
utter despair it gathered itself
up, and in the death agony attempted
to Jump across. OF course, it fell, and
was dashed on the rocks far beneath.
Here is a path to Heaven. 1t Is
plain, it is safe. Jesus marks it out
for every man to walk in. But here
is a man who says: Il won't walk in
that path; 1 will take my own way"
He comes on until he confronts the
chasm that divides His soul from
Heaven. Now His last hour has come,
and he resolves that He will leap that
chasm, from the heights of earth to
the heights of Heaven. Stand back,
FL T..