The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-05-28

because the path to Heaven is not
aTbOred with as fine a foliage, or the
banks beautifully showed with ex-
quisite chrysanthemums as Chce, that.
therefore, you are on the wrong road.
The road will bring you out at the same
gate whether you walk with the stride
! of an athlete or come up on crutches.
Thousands of Christians, morbid about
their experiences, and morbid about
tie present, and morbid about the flu.
ture, need the sermon am now preach
ing.
Another practical use of this subject
is for the young. The theory is abroad
that they must first sow their wild
is, and afterward Michigan wheat.
Let ne break the delusion. Wild oats
are generally sown in the liver, and
they can never be pulled up. They so
preoccupy that organ that there is no
room for the implantation of right
eous crop. You see aged men about US
at so, erect, agile, splendid, grand old
men. How much wild oats did they
sow between 1S years and 80?
None, absolutely none. God does
not often honor with old age
those who have in early life sac
rifced swine ON the altar of the bodily
temple. Remember, o young man,
that while in after-life, and after years
of dissipation, you may perhaps have
your heart changed, religion does not
change the liver. Trembling and stag
gering along these streets to-day are
men, all bent, and decayed, and pre-
maturely old for the reason that they
Ia1r
their physical estate before they were
90 By early dissipation they put
on their body a first mortgage,
and a second mortgage, and
third mortgage to the devil; and
these mortgages are now being fore
closed, and all that remains of their
earthly estate the undertaken will soon
put out of sight. Many years ago, in
fulfillment of my text, a dart struck
through their liver and is there yet.
God forgives, but outraged physical
law never, never, never. That has a
Sinai, but no Calvary. Solomon, in my
text, knew what he was talking about,
and he rises up on his throne of world
ly splendor to Shrek out warning to
all the centuries.
Stephan A. Douglas gave the name
of ''squtter sovereignty" to those who
went out west and took possession of
lands and held them by right of occu-
patton. Let flock of siEs settle on
your liver before you get to be 25 years
of age, and they will in all proba bility
keep possession of it by an Internal
squatter sovereignty. Il promise to
pay at the bank $500 six months after
Il -,
promise to pay my life 80 years from
date at the bank of the grave" says
every infraction of the laws of your
physical beng.
Hesoid seemed to have some hint of
this when he represented Prometheus,
for his crimes, fastened to a pillar and
an eagle feeding on his liver, which
was renewed again each night, SO that
the devouring went on until finally
Hercules slew the eagle and rescued
Prometheus. And dissipated early
life assures a ferocity pecking away
and clawing away at the liver year in
and year out, and death is the only
Hercules who can break the power of
its beak or unclench its claw. So, Also
others wrote fables about vultures
preying upon the liver; but there are
those here with whom it is no fable,
but a terrible reality.
Ny hearer, this is the first sermon
you have heard on the gospel of health,
and it may be the last you will ever
hear on that subject, and l charge you,
in the name of God, and Christ, and
usefulness, and eternal destiny, take
better care of your health. When
some of you die, if your friends put on
your tombstone n truthful epitah, it
will read. Here lies the victim
of late suppers," or it will be,
midnight will do for man." or it
will be, ''Ten cigars day closed my
earthly existence;' or it will be,
Thought l could do at 20 what did
at 20, and L am here;" or it will be,
Here is the consequence of sitting q
half day with wet feet;" or it will be,
This is where l have stacked my har-
vest of wild OATS" or, instead of
words, the stone-cutter will chisel for
an epitaph on the tombstone two fig
ures-namely, dart and liver.
If we must get sick and worn out,
let it Oe in Gods service, and in the eff
fort to make the world good. Not in
the service of sin. No! Noi One of the
most pathetic scenes that l ever wit
ness, and often see it, is that of men OR
women converted in the fifties or six
ties or seventies wanting to be useful,
but they so served the world and
Satan in the earlier part of their life
that they have no physical energy left
for the service of God. They sacrificed
nerves, muscles, lungs, heart and liver
on the wrong altar. They fought on
the wrong side, and now when their
sword is all hacked up and their am
munition all gone, they enlist for EN-,
manuel. When the high-mettled cav
airy horse, which that man spurred
into many a cavalry charge with
champing bit and flaming eye and
neck clothed with thunder, is worn out
and spawned and ringboned aud
springhalt, he rides up to the great
Captain of our salvation on the white |
horse and offers his services. When |
such persons might have been, through |
the good habits of a lifetime, crashing |
their battle ak through the helm |
eted iniquities, they are spending |
their days and nights in discussing the |
best way of curing their indigestion. |
and quieting their jangling nerves, and |
rousing their laggard appetite, an6 try
ing to extract the dart from their out |
ragged liver. Better converted late than
never! Oh yes; for they will get to |
Heaven. But they will go afoot wh en-
they might have wheeled up the steep |
hills of the sky in Elijah's chariot |
There is an old hymn that we used to /
sing in the country meeting houSA /
when was boy, and remem Der how
the old folks voices trembled with emo
ton while they sang it. Ihave forgot