The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-03-26

/ II
plumes. From revenge He would exor.
else the devil. While Christ loved the
world so much He died to save it, He
hates sin so well that to eradicate the
last trace of its pollutian He viii, utter
| ly consume the continents and the
oceans At the gate of Eden the decla,
ration of perpetual enmity was made
| against the serpent. The tumult round
about Mount Sinai was only the roar
and flash of Gods artillery of wrath
against sin. Sodom on fire was only
one of Gods flaming bulletins announc-
| ing hostility. Ninevah and Tyre and
Jerusalem in awful ruin mark the track
of Jehovah's advancement. They show
that God was terribly in earnest when
He announced Himself abhorrent of all
iniquity. They make us believe that
| though nations belligrent and revenge
full may sign articles of peace and come
to an amicable adjustment, there shall
be no cessation of hostiEties between
the forces of light and the forces of
darkness until the kingdoms of this
world have become the kingdoms of
our Lord. Affrighted by no opposition,
discouraged by no temporary defeats,
shrinking from no exposure-every man
to his position, while from the top of
schools and churches and seminaries
and asylums, I'm the name of God we
will set up our banners
Again, it was the custom in ancient
times, for the purpose of gathering
armies, to lift an ensign on the top of
some high hill, so that all who saw it
would feel impelled to rally around it.
In more modern times the same plan
has been employed for the gathering
of an army. Thus it is that the church
of Christ lifts His flag for recruits. The
cross of Jesus is our standard, planted
on the hill of Calvary. Other armies
demand that persons desiring to enter
the lists of war shall be between such
and such an age, lest TIE folly of ex-
IRENE youth or the infirmity of adj
vanced age be a clog rather than an
advantage. But none are too young
for Christ's regiment; none can be
too old. The hand that is strong
enough to bound a ball or trun-
die a hoop is skilled enough to
fight for Christ, while many a hand
trembling with old age has grasped
the arrow of truth, and with dim eye
close to it, taking aim, has sent its
sharp point right through the heart of
the Kings enemies. Many of you have
long ago had your names written on
the roll of celestial troops, and you
like the service well, although you now
bear the scars of multitudinous con-
f1icts and can recount many a long
march, and tell of siege guns opened
on you that you thought never would
be spiked. But there may be some who
have not yet enlisted. Your being here
implies that you are seriously thinking
about it, and your attention makes me
hope you are only looking for the
standard to be hoisted. VIII you not,
hundred of you, with all the aroused
enthusiasm of your nature, come bound
ing into the ranks, while I'm the name
of God we set up our banners?"
Through natural modesty do you hold
back and say: Il will be of no advan-
tage to Christ; am too awkward to
learn the step of the host, or to be of
any service in the shock of battle?" To
you l make the reply: Try it. One hour
under Christ's drill, and you would so
well understand His rules that the first
step of your march Heavenward would
make the gates of hell tremble on their
hinges. We may not be as polished and
trim as many Christians we have
known, and we may not as well under
stand sharp-shooting but there is rough
work which we can all accomplish. We
may be axmen and hew a pathway
through the forests. We may be
spadesmen and dig the trenches or
throw up the Notifications. We do not
care where, we do not care what-if we
can only help in the cause of our King
and shout as loudly as any of them at
the completion of the contest.
There are non-professors who have
very correct idea of what Christians
ought to be. You have seen members
of the church who were as proud as
Ahab and lied as badly as Ananias, and
who were as foul hypocrites as Judas.
You abhor all that. You say followers
of Christ ought to be honorable, hum
bic and self-denying, and charitable,
and patient and forgiving. Amen! So
they ought. Come into the kingdom
of Christ, my nearer, and be just that
glorious Christian that you have de-
scribed. Every church has enough
stingy men in it to arrest its
charities, and enough proud men
in it to grieve away the Holy Ghost,
and enough lazy men in it to hang on
behind till its wheels, like Pharaoh's
chariots, drag heavily, and enough
men to exhaust the patience of
the very elect, and enough snarly men
tic make appropriate the Bible warn
ing: Beware of dogs" If any of you
men on the outside of the kingdom ex-
pect to make such Christians as that, |
we do not want to come, for the church |
has already a million members too
many of just that kind. We do not |
want our ranks crowded with serfs |
when we can have them filed with |
zouaves.
Again, when a grand victory has been
won, it is customary to announce it by
flags floating from public buildings and
from the masts of ships. They are the
signal for eulogy and rejoicing and
So the ensign which the
church hoists is a banner of victory.
There was time when the religion of |
Christ was not considered respectable. |
Men of learning and position frowned
upon it. Governments mathematical |
it's supporters. To be a Christian was
to be an underling. But mark the
difference. Religion has compelled |
the worlds respect. Infidelity, in |
the tremendous effort it has made |
to crush it, has complimented |
It's power. And there is not now
a single civilized nation but in its
or laws, or proclamations |
pays homage to the religion of the
cross. In the war in India, when Sir |
Campbell found in an hour
Of danger that the men he ordered to |
the field were intoxicated, and asked |
for the piouS men whom the Christian /