The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-05-09
GODS POTENT GIFT.
Sermon on John $40 by the High
way and Byway" Preacher
No Fairy's Talisman or Aladdfn's
Lamp Ever Wrought Half the
Blessing as Is Realized
Through Jesus Christ.
TCopyright, 1902, by A. N. Kellogg Newspa"
paper Col

paper Col
Chicago;
Text: For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whose
ever believeth on Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.-John S:lo.
The telescope of the astronomer
tells us that beyond the vision of the
natural eye there exist myrlads Oh
starry worlds, and we believe hm'
even though we have never been PRIV
| ileged to search them out Tor our
| selves. The microscope of the sclen-
| tist demonstrates that in the water
| we drink and the air we breathe there
are perfect swarms of queer and gro
tesque and hideous looking creatures.
We take. our glass of water and hold 1t
up to the light, and as the beams OF
sunlight flash and CLINT through the
clear crystal liquid it is hard to be-
lieve that what the wise man says Is
true, yet we do accept his statement
| as a declaration of fact.
| Gods Word tells us that coos
throne is in the heavens. and that the
earth is His footstool, and If our splr-
itual vision is not holden we believe
that it is true. Enoch walked with
God, and he was not, for God took h1m.
There is brief and complete blog-
raphy recorded by God. 1t tells us OF
his earthly career. He left the eartn
at the behest of God, and went where
| To the heavens where God has His
dwelling place. Elijah, when his mis-
| sion on earth was fulfilled, in the ProV-
idence of God, was waited to the
heavens in a chariot of fire, ana Elisha
was left behind with the mantle OF
- Enl1
the great prophet in his hands 10 ten
the story. The former pupils of Elijah,
who doubted Elisha's story, went out
to search for the translated prophet,
but found him not, but it was the priv
ilege of Peter, James and John on the
mountain in Galilee to see the Lord IN
His TRANSPORTATION talking to that
same Elijah, who so many hundreds OF
wears before had walked through the
land of Palestine and warned the Peo-
pie of their sins and had destroyed the
$50 prophets of Baal.
When Jesus began His public min
istry the heavens opened, we are tolo
by Gods Word, and voice from that
unseen region said: "Thou art My be-
loved Son; in Thee l am we'll pleased.
And Stephen, with his face lit up by
the glories of the Celestial Kingdom
as he looked steadfastly towards
Heaven, saw it open, and Jesus him
self standing at the right hand OF GOD
: the place which He had designated, be-
fore His crucifXion and resurrection
should be His abiding place until the
fulfillment of the time of the Gentiles
: and He should leave Heaven with {
shout of triumph and return to eartl
in the clouds of Heaven even as Ht
, went from earth into Heaven.
Paul bears testimony to the fac
that he was carried into the heavens
and whether he was in the body o.
out of the body he could not tell, bu
he heard unutterable things and de
1 clares that "eye hath not seen no
s ear heard, neither have entered int
3 the heart of man the things whicl
: God hath prepared for them that low
Y Him" Among the last declarations o
/ Jesus Christ were the words, in whicl
|. we find so much comfort, especially II
the hour of bereavement: 'In My Fa
=. theirs house are many mansions. /
it were not so 1 would have told yor
I go to prepare place for you An
if 1 go and prepare place for yo
l will come again and receive you unit
Myself, that where 1 am there ye ma
= be also"
/ Surely from the beginning of tn
i history of man, when Enoch steppe
from earth into the glories of Heaver
e to the vision of John the Beloved, VIII
4 saw the new Jerusalem being lie
n down from Heaven,swe have ampl
d proof and testimony that Heaven
o a real place, even though we canno
q see it with the natural eye, and it
q the dwelling place of God, and Hi
x Christ and the hosts of angels and th
D great company of the redeemed.
y And so in Heaven, before the found;
L tions of the world were laid, God pul
u posed in His infinite heart of love
70 give to the world the rarest treasure {
Heaven in order that earth might /
enriched and sinful man wooed back
Him. All Heaven was astir when th
time drew near that the Word of Co
the Son of God, should become fles
G and dwell among men. Abraham, wh
had the promise of God that in his see
Is should all the nations of the earth
a blessed, was among the long list {
IS patriarchs and prophets of the O
r Testament who rejoiced with II
D. Heavenly hosts in the gift which &c
8. was going to give unto men, the fu
IN fullment of all the law and the prop
L. cts.
At Heavens music burst upon huma
IL ears on that first Christmas morniI
is when the shepherds on the hillside
lg Judea heard the glad tidings th
b. unto you is born this day in the ci
ID of David a Saviour, which is Christ IL
g Lord" They came and worshiped Il
. young child and received Him in
> their hearts as the long-promised Me
siah. The wise men brought the
gifts of gold and frankincense al
myrrh. They bowed in homage b
fore the innocent babe, realizing,
inspira ton from Heaven, that wise
=. the learning of the world though tn
I, were, still here was a gift from t
:, God of all knowledge which made the
a. learning pale into insignifcance a.
II made them realize that the foolishne
ne of God is wiser than men, and t
IL weakness of God is stronger than me
ne And thus from Heaven came the gi
y. of God TO earth, for God so loved tn
on He gave. We are to talk of the poten
is of this gift. but we cannot pass t