The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1898-03-18
SUBSCRIPTION: Sl.OO Per Year.


finally saved, will be a handful.
suppose that the few sick people in the
hospital to-day, as compared with the
hundreds of thousands of well people
| in the city, would not be smaller
than the number of those who shall
be cast out in suffering, compared
with those who shall have upon them
the health of Heaven. For we are to
remember that we are living in COM
| paratively the beginning of the Chris
| tian dispensation, and that this world
| is to be populated and redeemed, and
! that ages of light and love are to fow
on. If this be so, the multitrdes of the
saved will be in vast majority.
Take all the congregations that have
| to-day assembled for worship. Put
them together and they would make
but small audience compared with
the thousands and tens of thousands,
and ten thousand times ten thousand,
and the hundred and forty and four
thousand that shall stand around tho
throne. Those flashed up to Heaven
in martyr fires; those tossed for many
years upon the invalid couch;
those fought in the armies of
liberty, and rose as they fell
those tum0led from high scaffoldings,
or slipped from the mast, or were
washed off into the sea. They came up
from Corinth, from Laodicea from the
Red sea bank and Gennesaret's wave,
from Egyptian brick yards, and eide
on's threshing floor. Those, thousands
of years ago, slept the last sleep; and
these are this moment having their
eyes closed and their limbs stretched
out for the sepulchre.
A general expecting an attack from
the enemy stands on hill and looks
through a field-glass, and sees, in the
great distance, multitudes approach
ing, but he has no idea of their num-
bers. He says: Il can not tell any
thing about them. L merely know
that there are a great number" And
so John, without attempting to count,
says: "a great multitude that no man
can number"
We are told that Heaven is place
of happiness; but what do we know
about happiness? Happiness in this
world is only a half-fedge thing; a
howery path, with serpent kissing
across it; broken pitcher, from which
the water has dropped before we could
drink it; a thrill of exhilaration, fol-
lowed by disastrous reactions. To help
US understand the joy of Heaven, the
Bible takes US to river We stand on
the grassy bank. We see the waters
| How on with ceaSeless wave. But the
filth of the cities are emptied into it;
and the banks are torn; and unhealthy
exhilarations spring up from it; and wa
fail to get an idea of the River of Life
| in Heaven.
We get very imperfect ideas of the
reunions of Heaven. We think of some
| festal day on earth, when father and
mother were yet living, and the chill
dren came home. A good time that!
But it had this draw wbaclz-all were not
| there. That brother went off to sea,
and never was heard from. That sister
did we not lay her away in the fresh
ness of her young life, never more in
this world to look upon her? All! there
was a skeleton at the feast; and tears
mingled with our laughter on that
Christmas day. Not so with Heave
reunions. 1t will be an uninterrupted
gladness. Many a Christian parenp
will look around and find all his chill
dren there. ''Ah!" he says, ''can it be
possible that we are all here, life's perils
over? The Jordan passed, and not one
wanting? Why, even the prodigal is
here. l almost gave him up. How
long he despised my cOunsels! but
grace hath triumphed. All here! all
here! Tell the mighty joy through
the city. Let the bells ring, and the
angels mention it in their song. Wave
it from the top of the walls. All
| here!'
No more breaking of heart-strings,
but face to face. The orphans that
were left poor, and in mercilcss
world, kicked and cuffed of many hard
ships, shall join their parents, over
whose graves they SO long wept
and gaze into their glOriied coun-
| tenances, forever, face to face. We
may come up from different parts of
! the world, one from the land and an
| other from the depths of the sea; from
| lives aff1uent and prosperous, or from
scenes of ragged distress; but we shall
all meet in rapture and jubilee, face to
| face.
Many of our friends have entered
upon that joy. A few days ago they
sat with us studying these Gospel
themes; but they only saw through
glass, darkly-now revelation
hath come Your time will also come.
God will not leave you noundering in
| the darkness. You stand wonder-struck
and amazed You feel as if all thu
/ loveliness of life were dashed out. You
stand gazing into the open chasm of
the grave. Wait little. In the pres
ence of your departed, and of Him
who carries them in His bosom,
you shall soon stand face to face.
oh, that our last hour may kindle
up with this promised joy! May we
be able to say, like the Christian not
long ago, departing: Though pill
grim, walking through the valley, the
mountain tops are cleaning from
peak to peakP' Or, like my dear
friend and brother, Alfred Cook
man. who took his fight to the throne
of God, saying in his last moment that
which has already gone into Christian
classics: Il am sweeping through the
pearly gate, washed in tn blood of the
Lamb!
The Wages of Sin.
Many respectable people grow rich
from the wages of vice an immortality.
Selfish men and women of wealth will
rent buildings to the poor which are
/ e. F.. -