The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-08-22

the right road. Ha1ling Traveller
passing in the other direction asked
if 1 was on the right road to Holmes
Vile. you are" he said, and on 1
sped, over the easy and broad road,
which descended before me. Being
anxious to make doubly sure that I
was on the right road, a mile or so
farther on / accosted an elderly man
who, much to my dismay, informed me
that was all wrong and that the road
to Holmesville lay back the other way,
up a hill and over a difficult way. Are
you sure?" asked, telling him that a
considerable ways back I had passed
a man who told me l was going all.
right. ''Well,' said the old man before
me, AZ ought to know. 1 used to live
near Holmesville and have been over
the road hundreds of times" He then
proceeded to give me instructions and
describe landmarks along the way
which 1 afterwards found were cor
rect and made the way perfectly GER
tain before me. Roads look good
deal alike sometimes, and it is hard to
strike the right one unless we secure
directions from reliable guide-one
who has been over the road we are
travelling and knows to what point it
leads. We have Guide Book furnished
US, but we need a Leader. The day I
got on the wrong road to Holmesyille
1 had my guide book with me, but I
found l needed some one who knew the
way to help me use it. So it is with the
one travelling the Narrow Way. Not
only does he need a Guide Book but
Leader. In order to enter the Mar
row Way one has to seek for the Strait
Gate. 1t is easy to get on one of the
many paths of the Broad Way and
imagine one is going safely on the
Narrow Way. To really get on the
Narrow Way one has to pass through
the Strait Gate, and to do this one
must needs meet the great Leader,
Christ, who will assure the heart that
| it is on the right road and point out
the way, every inch of which He has
been over.
Chance never takes one through the
Strait Gate into the Narrow Way.
When one is about to start upon
journey, the road is selected and the
time of the starting of the train
learned, 1t is not mere chance that
takes you to the right depot and
places you aboard the train going to
the point you wish to reach. With
definite purpose you lay all your
plans and 90 successfully reach the
destination desired. So is it with one
who travels the Narrow Way. The
soul believes the declaration of the
| Guide Book that it is the only road
which reaches the desired haven of
eternal life. Thought is then taken
how to enter the right road, and the
Guide Book again faithfully directs
the soul to the Straight Gate. As one
cannot travel over a railroad without
ticket or pass, so one seeking to pass
over the Narrow Way must obtain
properly accredited credentials. These
consist of full and free pass signed
with the precious blood of Jesus
Christ and certified to by God the Fa-
Their. To pass through the Strait Gate
and obtain one of these precious
passes, which insures for one a safe
journey and certainty of eternal life,
one must come as a penitent and have
the travel-stained garments of sin re-
moved and be clothed upon with the
righteousness of Jesus Christ. For our
Guide Book declares that "all our
righteousness are as filthy rags"
and that only the blood of Jesus Christ
is efficacious to cleanse from all sin.
In addition to this, the human Will
must be surrendered and the Divine
will of God accepted s the ruling fac
tor in the life.
The Bypaths.-God wants to control
entirely in the life of the one who
has entered the Strait Gate and
started upon the Narrow Way.
But very few yield perfect obedience
to the will of God, and as
result the soul gets off
into the many bypaths which
are met with in the way. These by
paths seem at first to parallel the Mar
row Way and appear pleasant to
travel One feels freer and the road
smoother sometimes when seeking
! ones own will and not exactly fol-
| lowing Christ Jesus, the Leader, over
| the hard and rougher portions of the
| Narrow Way. But the smooth and
pleasant bypath which seems to skirt
the difficult places in the road is but
a snare, and before long leads the
! soul into darkness and Doubling Cas-
tie. Then it is hard work to get back
to the Narrow Way again. But our
| Guide Book comes to our relief, and
we read: eff we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive US our
| sins and cleanse US from all upright
eousness."
Sometimes the Broad Way winds its
way as near to the Narrow Way as
| it can, and by its worldly attractions
tries to lure the soul from the right
path. All kinds of assurances are
given that the soul can enjoy the
| fruits of sin for season and get back
upon the right road at last. But our
| Guide Book declares that she that
putteth his hand TO the pillow and look
eth back is not fit for the Kingdom
! of Heaven" And on the other hand,
we hear Jesus say: "Those that Thou
l>pavest me I have kept, and none of
them is lost" If we really belong to
| Him He follows US into the bypaths
of sin. and when we have come to our
selves, as did the prodigal son. He
leads us back to the Narrow Way.
Dear friend, have you wandered from
the Narrow Way in which you started
months or years ago? Have business
cares or domestic trials taken you
from YOUR Leaders side? Have self
Indulgence and love of ease caused you
to stop by the wayside while your
Saviour went on? Have worldly at
fractions and pleasures drawn you
into their mad whirl? Have the de-
mands of society been placed before
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