The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-01-12

| the angel of sleep does not quit their
presence forever.
But | here and now pronounce high
| est consolation for all those who in any
| department have sacrificed their health
| TO duty. Your sleeplessness is as much
wound as you can find on any battle
| field and is an honorable wound. We
all look with reverence and admiration
| upon one who has lost an eye or an arm
in the service of lis country. and we
ought to look with admiration upon
those who. through extreme fidelity to
their life work, have lost their capacity
for slumber. Remember glorious Al
bert Barnes going along the streets of
Philadelphia at four o'clock in the
morning for many years to his church
study, writing all his commentaries be-
fore breakfast. and keeping on until
be was stone blind. Will not the Lord
reward such sacrifices? And if through
your fidelity you have lost capacity 10
sleep, God, who never slumbers or
sleeps, will look after you. When you
hear the clock strike twelve and one and
two and three and four without your
going to your slumber, let it remind
you that you have not been sluggard
or a do-nothing. You are suffering in
a good cause. Paul got sore eyes in the
Lords service. and had many a scar,
but, so far from complaining about it.
be eXults in those scars, saying-in the
only inspired letter we know that be
wrote with his own hand, for the other
letters were dictated to amanuenses-
in lar tor fn 10 a.
in my body the marks of the Lord
Jesus"
All the victims of insomnia ought
to be consoled with the fact that they
will have good long sleep after awhile.
Sacred and profane literature again
and again speak of that last sleep. God
knew that the human race would be
disposed 10 make great ado about
exit from this world, anG so he inspires
Job and David and Daniel and John and
Paul to call that condition sleep"
When at Bethany the brother who was
the support of his sisters after their
father and mother were gone had him
self expired, Christ cried out in regard
10 him: He is not dead. but sleep
eth" Cheering thought TO all poor
II
sleep, induced by DO narcotic, disturbed
by no frightful dream, interrupted by
no harsh sound. Better than any sleep
you ever took, o child of God, will be
the last sleep. In your other slumbers
your home may be invaded by burglars
and your treasures carried off, but
while here and there, in one case out
of millions, the resurreetionist may dis
turb the pillow of dust, the last sleep
is almost sure TO be kept from inva-
sion. There will be no burglary of
the tomb. And il viii be refreshing
sleep. You have sometimes risen in the
morning more weary than when you
laid down at night, but waking from the
sleep of which speak, the last fatigue,
the last ache. the last worriment, will
be forever gone. Oh, what a refreshing
sleep!
Most people are tired. The nights
do not repair the day. Scientists, by
minute calculation, say that every
night comes a little short of restoring
the body TO where it was the day be-
fore, and so every seventh day was
put in for entire rest, TO make up in
reparation for what the nights could
not do. But so Testful will be the last
sleep that you will rise from it with
out one sore nerve, without one tired
limb-rested, forever rested, as only
God can rest you. o We tired folks
all up and down the world, tired with
work, or tired with prosecutions, or
tired with ailments, or tired with be-
reavements, or tired in the struggle |
against temptation, clap your hands |
with eternal glee in eXpectat ton of |
that sleep from which you will wake |
up so rested that you will never need |
another sleep or even another night. |
There shall be no night there" be- |
cause there will be no need of Its
of the shadows OF tower and wall and |
gate. No evening mist rising from |
the river. No sundown. Thy sun |
shall no more 60 down, neither shall !
thy moon withdraw itself, for the |
Lord shall be thine everlasting light, |
and the days of thy mourning shall be |
ended"
So, my hearer, my reader. "Good |
night" May God give you such sleep |
tonight as is best for you, and if you
wake too soon may He fill your soul |
with "reminiscences and expectations
that will be better than slumber. Good |
night! Having in prayer, kneeling at |
the bedside, committed yourself and |
all yours to the keeping of the slum- |
berless God, fear nothing. The pesti- |
leGce that walketh in darkness will |
not cross your doorsill, and you need |
not be afraid of evil tidings. Good |
night! May you have no such ex-
perience as dob had when he said:
Thou scarest me with dreams and |
territiest me through visions" If |
you dream at all, may it be a vision of
reunions and congratulations, and, |
waking, may you find some of them
true. Good night And when you
come to the best sleep, the blissful |
sleep. the last sleep. may you be able
to turn and say to all the cares and |
fatigues and bereavements and pangs |
of a lifetime: Good nighti" and |
your kindred, standing around your
illumined pillow, give you hopeful
though sorrowful farewell as you
move out from their loving embrace
into the house of a welcoming God. |
Good night Good night!
Hard to Believe.
81 wouldn't have minded being |
whipped so much." said the young
eulprit, '-if the teacher hadn't said |
that my punishment hurt him more |
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