The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-05-09

shall it profit a man IL he gain the
whole world and lose his own soul?"
Then he will realize that the realities
of life are not to be compared to
the riches of Heaven to which the
soul has access in Jesus Christ.
And so with the pleasure seeker.
The world is going mad in its quest
after diverting pastimes and exciting
pleasures. And is it ever satisfied?
Does it ever reach the point where it
can say am content? Never! Like
the dope of the morphine eater, each
successive dose of pleasure must be
intensified in order to secure the de-
sired effect. Sodom and Gomorrah
of ancient time. and the more recent
examples of Rome and Greece, show
to what end the pleasure seekers are
tending.
But the secret of true happiness is
found in the acceptance of Gods Gift.
No tarnish ever dims the luster of
that presence. No aching head and
shattered nerves ever come in the wake
of the happiness of dwelling in the
presence of Jesus. No anguish of soul
which leads so often to the suicides
grave ever crushes the soul with its
aftermath, when Christ is the satis-
flying portion.
The potency of Gods Gift is felt in
every throb and being of life. VIII!
seek what the world can give when
Heaven was emptied that all earth,
and Heaven, too, might resoCnd
throughout the ages with the praises
of the matchless Gift of God to men.
They,who with David, have said: "1had
rather be a doorkeeper in the house
of nv God, than dwell in the palaces
of the wicked" are to-day rejoicing In
the realities of Heaven, while their
contemporaries who rejected the rule
of God over their hearts are awaiting
| in darkness their eternal banishment
| from the Lord.
God has come down into the midst of
| men and is holding out, to whosoever
will take, this Gift of eternal life
through Christ Jesus. "What will you
do with Jesus, who is called the
Christ?' 'How shall we escape if we
neglect so great salvation?' Now is
| the accepted time, now is the day of
salvation" To-day, if you will hear
His voice, harden not your hearts"
had occasion the other day to en-
ter the home where aff1iction had
come. The father had gone to his work
as usual one morning. He kissed his
wife and two little boys a CHEEKY good
by and trudged off to work. With no
thought that a terrible accident was
impending, while the sun shone and
the fresh air spoke of coming spring,
and the birds echoed in glad notes the
feelings of reviving nature all about,
suddenly came the crash of cars, and
papa lies over at the hospital" was
the story the sturdy little boy told
me in subdued tones when l called.
AS 1 turned my way homeward pom
dering on the uncertainties of life anu
repeating: "Yea, verify, while we are
in life we are in the midst of death;
suddenly a tiny bird caught my eye
as he circled the tree higher and
higher seeking its food. Never a
thought but for the moment. Seeking
its complete JOY and satisfaction In
| the present moment. How like some
lives was that of this little bird. Here
! was life in all of its glad fullness. Not
a cloud in the sky to darken the
, warming rays of the. sun. Could it be
) possible that only a few steps back
? from the way that had come sor
/ rowing wife and tender children were
? mourning the sudden accident to the
{ husband and father. All, friend, are
, you counting on the morrow and the
; morrows that follow? Are you put
ting off the acceptance of this Gift OF
r fered you by God until more conve
nient season. How dare we risk tht
! eternal welfare of the soul in the face
: of life's uncertainties? Why shoulr
I we delay when we gain all through
: the Gift, and have nothing withou
I it?
l AS I neared my own door on tina
a Lords day afternoon I saw my neigh
Dor standing in his doorway. "Hov
is the little grip" I asked. The re
e port in the morning was that she wa
4 better, and as made the present in
\ quiry it was with the expectancy o
a good news of continued improvement
. but as looked into the drawn feature
a of the sorrow-stricken father, 1 rea
. his message, and "She is dead" nee
A not to have been spoken.
Deadi What dread sound that wor
has to the human heart. How w
shrink from the grim reaper. Oh, tn
= anguish of that home. If the finger @
: God had reached out and touche
with life, had put the light into tn
eye and strength into the little waste
:, limbs, what joy, what mad joy, woul
- have shook the frames of the parents
y revulsive emotion. We reason thu
e oftentimes in our childish imagining
- and fail to appreciate the saddle
, scene: the death of soul. Why, wha
:" we call death may be but the dark
beautiful gateway which ushers int
III the eternal life of which we have bee
le speaking. Gods Gift, His only Bego
o ten Son, makes of death but shadoy
E. with David while he sings: Though
r walk through the valley of the shade
lg of death 1 will fear no evil, for Tho
in art with me, Thy rod and Thy sta
n they comfort me-"
i'd The potency of Gods Gift is felt
I'd the present life as Jesus Christ b
comes the ruling factor in the yiel
E. ing will. Peter becomes the powerf
at preacher, before whom the hearts
n thousands melt as the love of God
" made manifest to them. Paul, from IL
:" raging lion of f1eshly passion goiI
es about in his mad zeal to fight again
lg God, becomes the great apostle to Il
IN Gentiles and the revealer of the my
to teries of the church, the body of j
ne sus Christ What the Gift of God h
ut done for Peter and Paul can be rea
s. lied in your life. Surely never w
dc o+bor rr;f4 c0 1oofapt aS this wh