The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-09-25

heart which God creates for the be-
lever in Christ has a new and larger
capacity for God. Gods Word declares
that eff any man be in Christ chat is,
If man by repentance and faith has
become established upon Christ the
Foundation) he is new creature; old
things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new" The old man
with it's affections and lusts cannot be-
come established upon Christ the
Foundation. If the rich young man
could have come into the Kingdom of
God dragging his riches with him, he
would gladly have come. And il many
a soul, which is clinging to the old life,
to it's ambitions and it's sins, could bring
all those unholy things with it, it would
quickly come. But the life established
upon Christ Jesus must be the cleansed
life. The new heart is the possession
of the wise man whose life rests upon
the sure Foundation. The foolish man
without foundation knows no such pos
session. The new heart is part of the
glorious transformation which God
brings to pass in the life when it turns
to the Rock Christ Jesus for salvation
and refuge. How appropriate it is that
upon the only sure Foundation God
places the man with a new heart. The
old heart is ''deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked" but the new
heart which God creates is the center
of the Divine life which is planted there
and which God desires to have grow
until it has attained unto the fullness
of the stature of Christ. The Founda-
ton for purer and larger and better
life. This is the building which it is
Gods purpose you shall place upon the
Foundation He has laid for you.
HIS means the changed life God
l never intended the Christian to go
on living the old life of sin. The
Foundation is worthy of more honor
able superstructure. Right here is the
battle-ground of the Christian. The
man with Christ as his Foundation is
the man who has conflict. There must
be a striving to put off the old man
and to put on the new. The changed
life is the superstructure which graces
and honors the Foundation, Christ. 1t
is the gold and silver of a pure and
loving faithful service which the Chris
tan must build upon the Foundation.
Paul goes on to declare that every
mans work shall be made manifest;
for the day shall declare it, because it
shall be. revealed by fire; and the fire
shall try every mans work of what sort
it is" If it be gold and silver and pre-
cious stones, it will abide, but if wood
or hay or stubble, it will suffer loss,
and the soul will be saved so as by
fire." God intends every life which is
founded upon the Rock, Christ Jesus,
shall be the changed life. Would you
dishonor Christ by clinging to the old
life, by seeking delight and satisfac-
ton in the old paths and old in
dulgences? Oh, what low plane many
of us live upon. We claim Christ as
Saviour, but we do not live as though
we were saved. We call ourselves
Christian, but we cannot be distin-
guished by our conduct from the chill
dren of the world. We claim safety on
the Foundation, but most of our time
is spent down on the sand with the
man without any foundation. No won
der reproach is brought upon the name
of Christ, and the people of the world
are but slowly brought to realize the
peril of no foundation.
Cd calls the man in this life who
~ is without foundation foolish, but
when the day of grace has passed and
the soul passes on into eternity, He
calls him a lost man. Now, while the
day of grace brings salvation nigh, |
He seeks to have the man on the sand |
mount to the Rock. Before the storm
of Gods wrath against sin breaks over
the soul it may leave the shifting sand |
and find safety and security upon the |
everlasting Rock, but when the dark |
night settles down. it will be too late. |
then can save the man with |
out foundation. The Foolish man has |
become the lost man, and only eternity |
will reveal all the horror and agony |
and anguish of the soul lost in |
its sin. The wise man who estab- |
fishes his life upon Christ the only |
Foundation-stands unmoved by the !
storm and blackness of death, for he |
is founded upon Rock.
Rock of Ages, cleft for me.
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood.
From Thy riven side which fow'd,
Be of sin the double cure;
Cleanse me from its guilt and powr.
while 1 draw this fleeing breath,
When my eyelids close in death.
When 1 soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee Thy judgment-throne;
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide ySelf in Thee"
GentIeness and Silence.
1t is good to prepare the thoughts in
gentleness and silence for consideration
of duty. Silence as we'll as gentleness