The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-02-28

it IS % eradicate all wrong, it is to
turn the earth into paradise. An old
artist pair ted the ,rd's supper, and
he wanted tie CHIEF attentj~1 directed
to the face of Christ. When he invited
his friends in to criticise the picture,
they admired the chalices more than
they did the face. and the old ~rtist
said: This picture is a failure, and
he dashed out the picture of the cups
and said: Il shall have nothing to de-
tract from the face of the Lord; Christ
is the all of this picture"
Another powerful sickle for the reap
ing of this harvest is Christian song.
know in many churches the whole
work is delegated to few people
standing in the organ loft. But. my
friends, as others can not repent for us
and others can not die for us, we can
not delegate to others the work of
singing for us. While few drilled
artists shall take the chants and exc
cute the more sldllful music, when the
hymn is given out let there be hun.
dreds and thousands Of voices uniting
grandeurs that never cease and
glories that neTe die, let us sing:
Al the battle of Lutzen, a gem
eral came to the king and said: "Those
soldiers are singing as they are going
into battle. Shall I stop them?"
''No," said the king, men that can sing
light that can fight" Oh, tho power
of Christian song When l argue here
you may argae back. The argument
you make against religion may be
more skillful than the argument l
make in behalf of religion, But who
can stand before pathos of some up
lifted song like that which we some
times sing:
Show pity. Lord, Lord forglSe!
Let repenting rebel livel
Arc not Thy mercies large and free'
May not sinner trust iii Thee9
Another mighty sickle for the reap
ing of the Gospel harvest is prayer.
What does God do with our prayers?
Does He go on the battlements of
Heaven and throw them off? No.
What do you do with gifts given you
by those who love you very much?
You keep them with great sa-
credness. And do you suppose God
will take our prayers, offered in
the 5incerity and love of our hearts,
and scatter them to the winds? Oh,
no! He will answer them all in some
way. Oh, what mighty thing prayer
is! 1t IS not long rigmarole of "ohs, +"
and "ahs," and ''for ever and ever,
Amens.A 1t is breathing of the heart
into the heart of God. Oh, what
mighty thing praittr Isl Elijah with 1t
reached up to the clouds and shook
down the showers With it John Knox
shook Scotland. With it Martin Luther
shook the earth. And when Philip
Melanchton lay sick unto death, as
many supposed, Martin Luther came
in and said: philip, we can't spare
your oh" said he, Martin. you
must let me go; am tired of persecution
and tired of lifo l want to go TO be
with my God" mo" said Martin
Luther, 'you shall not go, you must
take this food and then l will pray for
you" mo, Martini" said Melanch-
thon, you must let me go" Martin
Luther said: ''You take this food, or
VIII eXcommunicate you" He took
the food and Martin Luther knelt down
and prayed as only he could pray, and
convalcscence came and Martin Luther
went back and said to his friends.
''God has saved the life Of Philip Me
lanchth5n in direct answer to my
prayer" Oh, the power of prayer.
Have you tested it?
DIR. Prime, of New York, in his beau
tiful book, entitled Around TIE
World" described a mausoleum in
India which IL took 10000 MEN g YEATS
I'd build-that and the buildings sur
rounding he SAYS: standing in
that mausoleum and uttering a wotd
it is echoed back ffoni a height of $50
feet, not an ordinary echo, but pro-
longed music, as though there were
angels lowering in the air" And
every word OF earnest prayer we utter
has an echo, not from the marble
cupola of an earthly mausoleum, but
from the heart of God and from the
wings Of angels as they hover; crying:
: Behold; he prays!" Oh, test It'll
Mighty sickle for reaping this Gospel
harvest, the sickle of prayer!
1t does not make so much difference
about the posture you take, whether
you sit, stand or kneel, or lie on your
face, or in your physical agonies lie on
your back. IL does not make any diff
ference about the physical posture, as
was shown in a hospital, when the |
chaplain said as he looked over the !
beds of the suffering: Let all those |
men here who would like to |
be prayed for lift the hands. Some |
lifted two hands; others lifted one
hand; some with hands amputated |
could only lift the stump of the arm
One man, both his arms amputated, |
could give no signal except ia say,
''Me, me y Oh it does not make any |
difference about the posture; it does |
hot make any difference whether you
can lift a hand or have no hand to |
lift. God is ready to hear you. Prayer |
Is answered. God is waiting to re- |
spond.
Lift mp your eyes upon the fields, |
for they are white already to harvest!' |
How many have you reaped for God? !
Do You ask me how many / have |
reaped for God? 1 can not say. Now, |
IAN you say how many you have |
reaped? 1 hope there are some who |
have been brought into the kingdom |
Of God through your fundamentally. |
Have there not been? Not one? You, a |
man 35, 80, so years of age, and not /
1ne? 1 see souls coming up to glory.
Here is a Sunday school teacher
ten or fifteen souls. Here
s tract distributor bringing in 40
Or so souls. Here is man you never