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

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the marriage supper. One portrays q
soul coming, during the earthly life,
into the presence of God, the other of
one who has come after the earthly
life into the marriage supper of
the Lamb, without the wedding gar
ment of preparation. Isaiah, this side
the grave, realizes the Righteousness
of God and his own sinful condition,
and cries out: WOE is me! for am a
man of unclean lips, and dwell in the
midst of a people of unclean lips; for
mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord
of hosts" And when the soul comes
to God with that cry, He does for it
what the live coal from off Gods altar
did for Isaiah. He cleanses from all
sin.
But the man without the wedding
garment on, having refused to hear
Gods voice in this life and prepare TO
meet Him, stands speechless in His
presence. Isaiah was able to utter
cry for mercy, but the man without
the wedding garment, having sinned
away the day of grace, is face to face
with judgment.
There was time when his tongue
could frame reasons and excuses with
great glibness for not yielding him
self to the Lord. Most likely he was
the chap who was always running
down the followers of Jesus Christ
and showing how much better he was
than were they. He was always look
ing for the failures of others and some
how or other had an idea he would be
able to convince the Lord Almighty
that he had as good or better right
to a place in Heaven than some of His
weak followers. All, but how changed
it all is when he gets into the pres
ence of God! His erstwhile glib and
convincing tongue is palsied and still.
No sound can be forced from his lips,
until, bound hand and foot, and cast
into outer darkness, his teeth gnash
together and the sound of despairing
weeping breaks from his darkened
and lost soul.
Face to face with God means some
thing. And because of its solemn and
eternal import, we come to our fourth
point. We need preparation to meet
Him. Prepare to meet thy God"
There is escape even yet for the way
ward children of Israel and follow
ing this solemn call of God to them as
voiced by our text there comes in the
fifth chapter the tender pleading:
"Seek the Lord, and We shall live" A
last chance of preparation before
judgment falls and they come face
to face with God. In the recent coro-
nation of King Edward you could not
help but be struck by the Importance
attaching to every one in attendance
being in proper dress. Every detail of
the dress of every rank and every per-
sonage there was weigh ed with the ut
most care, and failure to provide the
garment designated would have ex-
cluded from the brilliant GROWING
scene in Westminster Abbey.
Even in unconventional America
great Importance is unconsciously at
tached to appropriateness in dress.
The laborer in silk hat and patent
leather shoes would attract instant
attention and become the mark for the
irreverent street urchin. The bank
president with overalls on as he sat at
his desk during banking hours would
be adjudged insane and sent to the
asylum. The lady with the party
TO the store to do her marketing
would set all the gossiping tongues
Of the neighborhood TO wagging. We
10 not realize how conventional we
really are until some irregularity in
dress forces it upon the attention. To
have on the proper garment is really
rery essential. It is absolutely essen
tial that the soul should be clothed
upon with the proper garment in prep
aration for meeting God. The man
who had not on the wedding garment
was cast out from the feast. So will
-ou be cast out from the pres
nee of God if you have not on the
of His righteousness fur
1ished in Christ Jesus. All our own
garments Tor righteousness, as Isaiah |
alls them) are as filthy rags. A re-
oentant heart must strip the soul of |
elf. David cries: "a broken and a
'ontrite heart, oh God, Thou wilt not |
espise" Here is the first step in |
for meeting God. Con-
ciousness of sin and repentant |
leart. John the Baptist came bearing |
hat message. Christ began His min
stry with that cry upon His lips. |
That is the message of the Gospel to-
lay. Repent. for "the blood of Jesus
1hrist cleanseth from all sin" And |
s we hear that message and believe it |
We become stripped of our own right
,ousness and become clothed in the
potless garment of Christ's righteous
less. Then we are ready to meet our
rod.
ut In SoT7
With this text is~a beautiful thought
or the followers of Jesus Christ
That of fellowship day by day with
lin. which makes the heart glad at
he thought Of meeting God, the low
ng Father. To the unprepared soul
he words of our text come with dread
nd terrible sound. To the soul rest
ne sweetly in the Saviour's cleansing
,lood and saving power, the words
ound as Heaven-sent music, stirring
o more Christ-likeness day by day.
Dr. F. b. Meyer says: Each morning,
vhen we stand ready for the duties
# the day. we hear the voice: Prepare
O meet Me- Each Lords Day we wake
nth this same summons in our heart,
nd prepare ourselves to meet our
iod. Each illness. each f1uttering of
he canvas of our mortality, each
of our end, takes up the
anne appeal: Prepare to meet God
md as we hear the words we have no
read, 10 fear. Clothed in Christ's per-
ect righteousness, arrayed in His
eauty, we know that we are accepted;
hat the love wherewith the Father
oves the Son is waiting to greet us.
"But there should be preparedness
E heart. We should not rush heed