The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-09-06


ence what the world thinks of you,
glowing and everlasting relationship
SYi<h the God of the whole universe!
That is the JOY that makes a hal
leluiah seem stupid. Why do we want
to have peace through our Lord Jesus
Christ? Why, if we had gone on in
10000 years of war against God we
could not have captured so much as
a sword or cavalry stirrup or
listed off one of the wheels of the
chariot of his omnipotence. But the
moment we bring this olive branch
God and all Heaven come on our side.
Peace through our Lord Jesus CArist,
and no other kind of peace Is worth
anything.
But my teXt takes a step further,
and it says, Go into the mountain
and fetch olive branches and pine
branches and palm branches. Now, the
palm tree was very much honored
by the ancients. 1t had 800 different
uses. The fruit was conserved, the
sap was a beverage, the stems were
ground up for food for camels. The
base of the leaves, was turned into
the root to the top of the highest
leaf there was usefulness. The tree
grew S5 feet in height sometimes,
and it spread leaves four and five feet
long. 1t meant usefulness, and it
meant victory-usefulnesS for what
it produced and victory because it
was brought into celebrations of
triumph. And oh, how much we want
the palm branches in the churches
of Jesus Christ at this timel A
great many Christians do not amount
to anything. You have to shove
them off the trac4l to let the Lords
chariots come along.
1 know the old plan was, the plan
row is, in regard to worldly invest
ments-you hear it, merchants tell
you-do not put everything into one
thing, do not put all your eggs into
one basket. But I have to- tell you
in this matter of religion you had
get in yourself. Oh, says some one,
My business is to sell silks and
cloths" Well, then, my brother, sell
silks and cloths to the glory of God.
And some one says, "My business is
to raise corn and carrots" Then,
my brother, raise corn and carrots to
the glory of God. And some one
says, My business is to manufacture
horseshoe nails" Then manufacture
| horseshoe nails to the glory of God.
There is nothing for you to do that
you ought to do but for the glory of
God.
Usefulness is typified by the palm
tree. All, we do not want in the
church any more people that are
merely weeping willows, signing into
the water, standing and admiring
their long lashes in the CLASSY spring.
No wild cherry, dropping bitter fruit.
We want palm trees, holding some
| thing for God, something for angels,
something for man. 1 am tired and
sick of this fat, tame, insipid, satin
slippered, nambypamby, hightytighty
religioni 1t is worth nothing foc this
world, and it is destruction for eter-
nifty. Give me 500 men and women
fully consecrated to Christ, and we
will take this city for God in three
years. Give me 10000 men and
women fully up to the Christian
standard. In ten years 10000 OF
them would take the whole earth for
God. But when are we going to be-
gin? We all want to be useful. There
is not a man in the pews that does
not want to be useful. When are
we going to begin?
But the palm branch also meant
victory. You all know that. In all
| ages, in all lands, the palm branch
means victory. Well, now, we are by
nature the servants of satan. He
stole us, he has his eye on us, he
wants to keep us. But word comes
from our Father thai if We will try
to break loose from this doing OF
wrong our Father will help us, and
we look the black tyrant in the face
and we fly at him, and we wrestle
him down, and we put our heel on
his neck, and we grind him in the
aust, and we say, Victory, victory
through our Lord Jesus Christi" oh
what a grand thing it is. to have sin
under our foot and a wasted life be-
hind our backs. BLESSED is he whose
-transgression is forgiven and whose
sin is covered"
Do YOU not think we had better
begin now to celebrate the coming
victory? In the old meeting house
| at Somerville my father used to LEAD
the singing, and he had the old fash
ioned tuning fork, and he would
strike it upon his knee, and ther
put the tuning fork to his ear tc
catch the right pitch and start the
hvmn. But, friends, do you not think
we had better be catching the pitch
of the everlasting song, the song o1
victory, when we shall be more thar
conuuerors? Had we not better be-
gin the rehearsal on earth? Ihe9
shall hunger no more, neither thirst
any more; neither shall the sur
! light on them, nor any heat. For the
Lamb which is in the mist of The
throne shall feed them and shall leao
them to living fountains of waters
and God shall wipe away all tear:
from their eyes"
But then we must have that other
olive branch, peace with man. Now
it is very easy to get up a quarrel
There are gunpowdcry Christians al
around US, and one match of provoca
ton will set them off. 1t is easy
enough to get up a quarrel. But, my
brother, do you not think you ha6
better have your horns sawed on
Had not you better make an apol
ogy? Had not you better submit tc
a little humiliati ton? "Oh," you say
s'until that man takes the first stel
I will never be at peace with him
Nothing will be done until he is read.