The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1899-05-12


strong, stout hand, have wrenched that
child from the destroyer! You went
to your room, and you said: God, save
my child! God, save my child!" The
world seemed going out in darkness
You said: Il can't bear it; can't bear
it," You felt as if you could not put
the long lashes over the bright eyes
never to see them again sparkle. II
you could have taken that little one in
how gladly you would have done it! II
you could let your property go, your
houses go, your land and your store
house go, how gladly you would have al
lowed them to depart if you could only
have kept that one treasure!
But one day there came up a chill
blast that swept through the bedroom
and instantly all the lights went out
and there was darkness-thiclz, murky
impenetrable, shuddering darkness
But God did not leave you there. Mercy
spoke. As you took up the bitter CUP
to put it to your lips God said: ''Let il
pass" and forthwith, as by the hand OF
angels, another cup was put into your
hands. 1t was the cup of Gods con
ISOLATION. And as you have sometimes
lifted the head of a wounded soldier and
poured wine into his lips, so God puts
His left arm under your head and with
His right hand He pours into your lips
the wine of His comfort and His con-
ISOLATION, and you looked at the empty
cradle and looked at your broken heart,
and you looked at the Lords chastise.
ment, and you said: Gwen so, Father,
for so it seemeth good in Thy sight"
All, it was your first trouble. How did
you get over it? God comforted you
You have been better man ever since
You have been a better woman ever
since. In the jar of the closing gate of
the sepulcher you heard the changing OF
the opening gate of Heaven, and you
felt an irresistible drawing Heaven
ward. You have been spiritually better
ever since that night when the little one
for the last time put its arms around
your neck and said: "Good night, papa; !;
good night, mamma. Meet me in
Heaven"
But l must come to your latest sor-
row. What was it? Perhaps it was
sickness. The child's tread on the stair
or the tick of the watch on the stand
disturbed you. Through the long
weary days you counted the figures n
the carpet or the flowers in the wall pa.
per. Oh, the weariness of exhaustion!
Oh, the burning pangs! Would God il
were morning, would God it were night
was your frequent cry. But you are
better, or perhaps even well. Have you
thanked God that to-day you can come
out in the fresh air; that you are in
your place to hear Gods name and to
sing Gods praise and to implore Gods
help and to ask Gods forgiveness:
Bless the Lord who healeth all our dis
eases and redeemeth our lives from de-
struction.
Perhaps your last sorrow was a fnan-
Gal embarrassment. / congratulate
some of you on your lucrative profes-
sion or occupation, on ornate apparel,
on a commodious residence-every
thing you put your hands on seems tc
turn to gold. But there are others OF
you who are like the ship on which
Paul sailed where two seas met, and
you are broken by the violence of the
waves. By an unadvised Endorsement
or by a conjunction of unforeseen
events, or by fire or storm, or a sense
less panic, you have been flung head
long, and where you once dispensed
great charities you now have hard
work to win your daily bread. Have
you forgotten to thank God for your
days of prosperity and that through
your trials some of you have made in
vestments which will continue after the
last bank of this world has exploded
and the silver and gold are molten in
the fires of burning world? Have you,
amid all your losses and discourage
ments, forgot that there was bread on
your table this morning and that there
shall be shelter for your head from
the storm, and there is air for your
lungs and blood for your heart and
light for your eye and glad and glo-
rious and triumphant religion for your
soul?
Perhaps your last trouble was be-
That heart which in child |
iOCu was yOu1
leart, and which has been a source of |
he quickest sympathy ever since, has !
become silent forever. And |
low sometimes, whenever in sudden an |
loyance and without deliberation you
Jay: 81 will go and tell MOTHER" the |
hought flashes on you: 81 have no |
mother" Or the father with voice less |
ender, but with heart as loving, watch
ul of all your ways, exultant over |
our success without saying much, al
hough the old people do talk it over
~ themselves, his trembling hand on
hat staff which you now keep as a
amily relic, his memory embalmed in
'ratefui hearts-is taken away for
yer. Or there was your companion in
fe, sharer of your joys and sorrows,
aiken, leaving the heart an old ruin,
vhere the i'll winds blow over wild will
erness of desolation, the sands of the
esert driving across the place which
nee bloomed like the garden of God.
md Abraham mourns for Sarah at the
ave of Machpelah. AS you were NOV
lg along your path in life, suddenly,
ight before you, was an open grave.
eople looked down, and they saw ii
'as only few feet deep and few feet
'ide, but to you it was cavern, down
-hich went all your hopes and all your
xpectations. But cheer up, in the
anne Of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Com
orter. He is not going to forsake you.
id the Lord take that child out of
our arms? Why, He is going to shell
r it better than you could. lie is
Ding to array it in white robe and
lin branch and have it all ready to
rect you at your coming home. Blessed
le broken heart that Jesus heals!
lessed the importunate cry that Jesus
'mpassionates! ? Blessed the weeping
7e from which the soft hand of Jesus