The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-05-02
HELP ONE ANOTHER.
It Is a Duty Incumbent Upon ALI
Christian People.
Sermon of Rev. Frank Dewitt Tall
mage on Bearing Another's Bur-
dens-EncouraEe the
Hopeless.
Copyright. 1902. by Louis Klopsch.l

Chicago,
In this sermon DR.. Frank De Wit
Talmage shows that mutual helpful
ness is duty of our common human
ity and especially a duty incumben
upon Christian people; text, Gala
tians 6:2, Bear ye one another's bur
dens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Paul was the noblest Christian
martyr who ever lived. He could wei
quote himself as an example for al
his contemporaries. From the very
moment when his blinded eyes were
opened by the good Ananias on the
Damascus street called straight" he
never ceased to sacrifice himself fol
his fellow men. But so important is
the lesson of vicarious burden bear
| ing Paul would not have his friends
look to any human guide. He seems
to come to the members of the
Galatian church in the same way that
staff officer of the commander of a
great army delivers his orders to a
captain, a major, a colonel or briga-
dier general, and they are orders of
beneicent import, as were those that
the Representatives of Gen. Grant de-
livered when they rode through the
federal lines telling Sheridan and
Meade and Humphreys and Ord and
Warren and Wright and Hartranft to
cease firing because the two national
leaders, Grant and Lee, were meet
ing under a flag of truce at Apo
mattoX.
Paul seems to say: "The duty of
bearing one another's burdens is not
my own command, nor is it given to
us by the command of Peter or John
or Apollos, but by the command of
the great Divine Chieftain himself"
Read the words as they were written
to the rugged mountaineers who con-
stituted the Galatian church. Hear
We the command as it is spoken for us
to hear: Bear We one another's bur-
dens and so fulfill the law of Christ"
The law of Christ is the law with
which every Christian should be in
harmony. 1t is the law which ought
to inspire US all. Like all Christ's
laws, it is reasonable and is devised
for the common good.
John B. Cough was able to picture
the misery of the inebriate in the
blackest and the reddest colors be-
cause he himself had writhed in the
lowest depths of a living inferno. He
had drunk the cup of horrors to the
bitter dregs. He signed the pledge
and broke it again and again. One
day, weak and helpless with de-
lirium, he stood in the foundry work
ing upon a piece of iron. Suddenly
that bar of iron began to twist and
II L.
pent. In horror the delirious man
dropped it, and as it lay there he
seemed to see it writhing and twist
ing upon the floor of the foundry.
John 3. Coughs crazed brain knew it
twas only n bar of iron, and yet there
he saw it a living, hideous, kissing
snake. His courage broke down. He
thought it was useless to struggle
longer. Just then a Christian gentle
man who had the spirit of a true bur-
len bearer came in and said: "Hello,
Cough! 1 saw you up at the tenn
perance meeting last week. / saw
you sign the pledge. We have missed
you for four days. 1 thought L would
come around and find out how you
ire getting along. God bless you.
Keep up the struggle. Christ will
lelp you through"
Those few words saved John B. |
Cough Tor time and eternity. He never |
touched a drop of fatal intoXicant |
after that. Those words were the |
helping hand that drew him out of the |
-uts and pushed him over the up |
grade. Those few words made John B. |
Tough a free man-free for time, free |
or eternity.
To bear one another's burdens will
'ften inspire hopeless, helpless, pur-
,oseless sinner to put forth his own
energies until after awhile he gathers
trength enough to help himself.
lave you ever seen team of horses
litched to heavy laden wagon that
s stuck in the ruts? The horses strug-
lie and pull until they become abso-
utely helpless and can pull no more.
Then have you ever seen a couple of
nen come with some long, stout bars?
hey place those bars underneath the
ind axle and begin to heave. The
wagon moves. Then after the ruts
ave been passed have you ever seen
he team of horses, which were help
ess when the wheels were stuck in
he ruts, easily pull the wagon along
he broad highway? Have you ever
cen great engine, fastened to the
nd of a l"ng train, putting and blow
lg. with its wheels whirling around
nd around and yet not moving one
lch ahead? That train is stalled upon
n up grade. Then have you ever seen
mother engine, being fastened to that
rst engine, by the addition of its pow
: draw the train up? Then after the
p grade has been passed have you
cen that second engine uncoupled, ,
ecause the first engine was then able
} do all the work?
The great trouble of this world is
'me men are too heavily burdened.
hey have too big pack upon their
acks. To use the figure of the :
agon or the engine, they are stalled
'on the up grade. They are stuck in i.
lie mud. When they first came to a /.
andstill they pulled and tugged and |
ruggled, and the more they pulled
lie more exhausted they became The I
suit was instead of getting ahead [
icy became discouraged. They just t
i've up dn nope and lay down to die. /
you would go to that wearied and c
umbling man and help him carry the C
ad up the crossing. help him out of e
e ruts, you would not only do good b
the extent to which yev relieved q