The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-05-22

of God for His children in all ages. IS
rael is mirror which God holds up Tor
" TO look into. 1t is a mirror when
has the penetrating power OF tne
y ray, and reveals in the human heart
and life that which lies beneath the
surface, and it is a mirror, also, whose
polished surface catches the light OF
Heaven and reveals God in all His full
ness. Let us look into this mirror that
we may drink in the picture which God
paints of the redemption of His Peo-
pie from bondage, of His leading,
of His deliverances, OF His care for
them, and of His wonderful patience
with them in their waywardness and
rebellion And as we sit before the
picture may we learn its lessons, 1or
these things were our examples (or,
as the margin of the revised version
puts it, in these things they become
figures of usO, to the intent that we
should not lust after evil things, as
they also lusted."
On the night on which death (the
full fruitage of SIM reigned in Egypt,
and when the children of Israel had
been delivered from that death by the
blood of the lamb sprinkled upon the
Intel and side posts of the door, COD
by the hand of Moses led them out
of the land of bondage towards the
promised land. The nregenerate'sin-
ner dwells in the land of bondage to
sin. The death angel hovers over that
land, for the wages of sin is death.
The soul that abides there is lost.
But should he heed the warnings OF
God and flee to the refuge upon which
has been sprinkled the blood of the
Lamb of God, he is safe, and then
will begin his march towards the
promised land. Satan's forces will
hotly pursue and try to draw back his
slaves to the old land of sin, but Gods
hand will deliver. Difficulties will be
met with in the journey. There will
be weary marches, and little to eat
and bitter waters to drink sometimes,
but all of these experiences Will be
given only to stir the soul up to eager
ness to gain the promised land of the
fullest blessings in Christ Jesus.
GONE Bible exegetes, in interpret
y ing the history of IsraePs bondage,
deliverance, wilderness journey and
possession of the promised land as
figures illustrating the spiritual life,
have held the wilderness journey as
a type of the Christian walk in this
life, the crossing of the Jordan as
type of death, and the possession of
the promised land as setting forth
the souls eternal dwelling place in
Heaven; but there are so many diff
ficuIties in the way of such interpreta-
ton, and il fails to harmonic in so
many essential details with the teach
ing of Scripture regarding the Chris
tan life and of Heaven, that we are
inclined to accept the Interpretation
of other commentators, who believe
that the wilderness journey is a type
of the redeemed but unsanctified be-
lever in Christ Jesus, and that the
crossing of the Jordan typifies full
surrender to God, and the possession
of the promised land illustrates the
sanctified and victorious life of the
saint.
Some of the difficulties which pre-
sent themselves against the reasona
bleness of the first-named interpreted
ton are that the crossing of the
Jordan marked the beginning of real
conflict with evil and the enemies of
God, while death marks the passage
of the soul from the scene of conflict
with evil and the enemies of God IN
this world TO the bliss and peace and
Joy of Heaven. The promised land
was filled with the enemies of right
eousness. Heaven cannot be such
place. The promised land was the
scene of desperate fighting, but no
such conflicts await the saint in
Heaven, while on the other hand in
this life the sanctified saint is the
one who has the most desperate fight
ing to do against the enemies of God
Satan is not troubling very much with
the saints who are wandering around
in the wilderness, but when they cross
over into the promised land of the
consecrated and sanctified life in
Christ Jesus then he begins his bitter
and relentless warfare. The promised
land witnessed the wandering from
God of His children. their indulgence
in idolatrous worship, their punish
ment by famine and pestilence and
war. their captivity, but none of these
things can be true of the Heavenly ex-
perience.
Paul in the seventh of Romans draws
a faithful picture of the saint who is
struggling through the wilderness ex-
periences. and when at last in utter de-
spair he exclaims: 20 wretched man
that I am! who shall deliver me
from the body of this death?'' he sud