The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-06-06
A DOUBLE BLESSING.
Forgiveness of Sins and Bestowal of
Temporal Blessings.
Sermon by the "HIghway and Byway'
Preacher on the Cleansing and
Healing OF the Man Sick.
with the Palsy.
ICopyright, 1902 by A. N. Kellogg Newspa-
per Col

with the Palsy.
ICopyright, 1909, by A. n. Kellogg Newspa-
per Col
Chicago.
Text: whether is easier. to say: Thy
sins be forgiven thee, or to say: Rlse up
and walk? But that ye may know that
the Son of Man hath power upon earth 10
forgive sins Gle said unto the SICK OF the
palsy, l say unto thee: Arise, ana take up
thy couch, and go into thine mouse. Aho
immediately he rose up before them, ana
took I'D that wherein he lay, and depart
ed to his own house, clarifying God.
5:23-25.
Take YOUR Bible and read the beau
tiful and stirring story of the healing
of the man sick with the palsy, as re-
corded by Luke, in the fifth chapter
of his gospel. from the seventeenth to
the twenty-sixth verse. Jesus has re-
turned to Capernaum, the center OF
some of His mightiest works. lmmed1-
ately the news of His coming is nolsed
abroad. The sixteenth verse tells us
that just previous to this He had with
drawn himself to the wilderness, there
to commune in secret with the Father
and obtain from Him the strength and
| refreshing that was necessary to the
| carving out of His great mission. He
| has been missed. On previous Sab
| bath day He had cast out the devil
from a man in the synagogue, had
| healed Peters wife's mother, and had
spent the closing hours of the busy
| day in laying His hand on all who were
brought to Him sick with divers dis
eases and healing them.
And now, on His return, those in
need flock to this great Healer and
Teacher and later go away and say:
1--WE have seen strange things to-
day Blessedly strange because He
gave so differently from the way in
which the world gave, and spake as
never man spake before. And 1T is
ever thus. Where Jesus is in mani
fest power there are strange things
wrought, and souls are blest. But
the critics of our Lord were there,
| Pharisees and doctors of the law.
You will always find them where the
Lord is at work. There, to hinder
and not to help. There, not to glori-
fy God for His mighty works, but to
criticise the manner in which the
work is done. TIE Lords methods
did not quite fit into the cold formal
|
ism of the leaders of the Jews. Nor
can church, or denomination, OF
creed, or ritualism, or fanaticism, OF
conservatism dictate to-day the times
and seasons of Gods visitation. OF
monopolize the ways and channels
through which the Holy Spirit shall
operate.
The power of the Lord was present
to heal them, and they came. From
all over that thriving, busting city
of Capernaum the people gathered
until the court of the house where the
Lord was became crowded, and the
street without was filled with the
eager throng. Behind the rest, be
cause hindered by the burden they
were carrying, came the men bear
ing the bedridden paralytic. Could
we have been there, we might have
overheard him YEARLY protesting tt
those who were bearing him tina
the crowd was blocking the way, anC
he would never be able to see Jesus
and so they had better carry hin
back home. But no, they knew tina
hope lay ahead, and that faith would
find a way. All, loyal, persisten
friends, what an example they hav'
been throughout the centuries t.
those who are laboring to brin:
some friend to Christ. There is al
ways some way of getting them int
the presence of Jesus, even if all for
mality has to be cast to the wind
and the frown of the modern Phari
sees and doctors of the law has t.
be faced To the roof they go wit
: their helpless burden, and thei
eager hands soon have the thing
thrown to one side and way mad
/ to the presence of Jesus.
It IS always possible to get int
the presence of Jesus, but it is no
always easy. Sometimes the peopl
are between you and Jesus. Yo
, know you ought to come. The cor
, victing power of God has wrought i
> your heart and convinced you tina
you need to see Jesus, but you hes
,, tate. The people are between 20
and Jesus. You have not the cou1
age of your convictions to pas
them. You cannot endure their gaZ,
and their sneer, perhaps, or thei
chatting. The crowd got betwee
Jesus and Zacheus, but he need
5 must see Jesus, and he climbed u
= into the sycamine tree and that da
r became the butt for all the rud
: jokes of the passing, motley throns
:. but he saw Jesus, and the lord weI
/ and took dinner with him, and d.
!. clared before He left that salvatio
;. had come to Zacheus' house. Tha
+, was blessed reward for all the HI
initiation of the sycamine tree. Your
may be a like experience if you wi
put aside pride and endure the tri;
= of the effort to see Jesus. You ma
have to climb to the roof and becom
a gazing stock for the world, yo
may have to tear away the tiles
prejudice and preconceived notion
g but you can see Jesus if you onl
j.. will.
= AS the swinging couch was 1Overe