The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-10-10

Just the crude unShapen maS5 of mar
BILE Very different indeed in appear
ance from the finished product which
| artistic conception and the skill of
genius were able to call into being,
So with the finished product of Gods
workshop. 1t is very different from
the crude materials which are first
received. And what of this raw ma
teriaI?
Scripture is clear and positive in its
description and Identification of the
raw material with which God has to
deal. From the Old Testament flash
such declarations of God as: "All our
righteousness are as filthy rags"
"There is none that doeth good. They
are all gone aside, they are all to-
gether become filthy: there is none
that doeth good, no, not one" And
the New Testament lays bare the aw-
| full condition of the human heart and
life, its desperate need, when it de-
clares: MEN shall be lovers of their
own selves, covetous, boosters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accus-
ers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of
those that are good, traitors, heady,
highminded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers Of Cod This long and full
enumeration by Paul is but the differ
ent manifestations of fhe condition of
the human heart and life. which is one
of deafness, until it is called into life
in Gods workshop; for we are all dead
in trespasses and sins
Let Ezekiel, the prophet, supply us
with a metaphor which he applied to
the house of Israel, ikening them to
valley full of dead and dry and bleach
ing bones. The blackness and silence of
death there. Heaps on heaps of hid
eous, grinning skeletons, but no life,
no activity, no usefulness there. Such
is the condition of the world. A great
valley full of the deadness and black
ness of sin. The world does not see it,
for it loves darkness rather than the
| light because its deeds are evil. But
the Holy Spirit, the Active Agent of
! Gods workshop, is out in the world
! trying to convince it of its dead con-
| dition. If you will let Him present
His overwhelming arguments to your
soul He will convict you of your con-
I dition and your need.
The very best salesman in the world
with an article of the most pronounced
/ merits would not be able to sell it un-
/ less he could secure an audience with
! the prospective buyer. The need of the
latter might be most pressing. and the
argument of the salesman unanswer-
able. yet it all would be of no avail if
he should refuse to listen. The Holy
! Spirit is pressing upon the human
/ heart on every hand for an opportunity
| TO present His claims and secure raw
material for Gods workshop. Let Him
! clarity your vision and you will be able
/ to see the dry bones all about And
| can these bones live? Is it possible
| that out of such hideous and revolving
material can be made saint to shine
eternal in the heavens? Is it possible
for that black and Jagged rock before
the smelter door 70 yield the pure I'M
tarnished gold? Is it possible for the
blocks of steel and brass in the factory
to yield the perfect little timepiece.
ticking off the vanishing minutes? Is
it possible that that blackish tar. that
fOul-smelling refuse of the gas plant,
, can yield under the proper processes
the pure white paraffine? Is it pos
sible that Mother Nature can take the
cold, black earth with its offensive fer
tilizer and pour into your lap the
golden grain and the ripened fruit
All, how wonderful. But how infin-
itely more wonderful is it that God can
take into His rlshOp the raw mate
rial of mans failure and recreate-him
in Christ Jesus.
The Power of Choice-But suppose
the gold quartz should refuse to yield
to the refining process. the steel and
brass should not submit to lathe and
drill. the black offensive tar should
persist in flowing to waste instead of
into the retort where its different ele-
ments could be chemically separated.
or Mother Nature should disdainfullv
turn from the rich. black loan TO the
glistening white hard sand OF the sea
shore?' No bright and shining gold. no
busy ticking watch, no white paraffine.
no grain and fruit. Useless would be
the plants established to carry on
these processes. So is it with man.
Unless he lets the Holy Spirit have him
to take into Gods workshop. there to
carry on the wonderful transforming
work, the infinite love and power of
God cannot be manifested in him. Man
can say to the quartz, the steel and the
brass. and the coal tar, you must. But
God does not go to the human heart
with any such imperative summons.
He has given to man the power of
choice. He must decide himself wheth
er to enter Gods workshop and submit
to the molding of the Divine hand and
will.
The Process-The world has been
asking with Nicodemus, ever since
that midnight conversation in the
presence of Jesus, how soul could be
born again, how God could create it
anew. And the Lord comes with the
same answer as of old: THE wind
bloweth where it listeth, and thou
nearest the sound thereof, but canst
not tell whence it cometh, and whittier
it goeth; so is every one that is born
of the Spirit" And would we dare to
attempt to lay bare the hidden mys-
teries of God? We may not enter into
the workshop of God and spy out with
curious eye the wonder-working oper-
ations there. We may not study the
life-giving process, as an astronomer
searches out new facts in regard to the
tiny star, or the scientist through his
microscope learns more and more of
the infnitesimal microbe, but. oh!
we NAV submit to the hand of God and
experience the thrilling JOY of the new
life.
.'I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart
Nor how believing in His word
Wrought peace within my heart