The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-08-07


- wrapped their cold
waters about the sinking feet of Peter
and reached higher and higher IN
seeming endeavor to still his voice
forever. Oh, the agony of soul as one
realizes that but an instant OF time
separates it from eternity The aw-
full blackness of death is just ahead,
and as one feels the feet sinking into
the abyss, the cry is wrung from the
lips: Help Help" Hardly day
passes but the news columns OF the
papers tell of some such sad scene as
this Hardly summer resort on sea
or inland lake or river, during the
summer but hears the dread cry and
is stricken with the palsy of fear and
horror before tae impending tragedy.
Only a few days ago at a Wisconsin,
lake resort a young woman perlsheo
in the sight of her friends, powerlesD
to help. Way out in the grasp of the
waves, for she was a good swimmer,
her strength gave out and with no hand
near to save. she sank out OF slght,
while the cry for help went up IN
despairing wall. Oh, what intense ag-
ony in that cryl All the strength of
that perishing soul was thrown into
the last appeal for aid. The friends
who stood upon the bank and wit
messed the awful sight will never for
get it, that awful cry will haunt them
during their waking and sleeping
hours. No one can stand unmoved be-
fore such a scene, whether the sink
ing one is friend or loved one or only
a stranger. 1t stirs the soul in way
never to be forgotten. 1t unnerves
and shocks Why? Because the soul
cannot stand in the presence of
death unmoved. Eternity seems so
far away during the even, pleasant
course of life, but suddenly, when it
opens up and swallows another soul
while the despairing cry breaks forth,
man pauses in the mad rush of life
and for a moment thinks.
WHAT a picture we have here in
w this incident surrounding our
text The frail bark tossed and pound
ed by the boisterous waves, while the
despairing men in the boat tug al
most helplessly at the oars and seem
to make no Roadway. The night Is
dark, and the scurrying clouds over
head give the sky an angry look and
the stars blink with cold and distant
unconcern as they look through the
riffs upon the scene below. 1t is a
night to make mems hearts quail.
With anxious forebodings and rising
fears, they struggle on. Conscience,
ever at work in the moments when
the soul is brought face to face with
itself and it's condition, begins to
throw upon memory's canvas the
mistakes and failures and sins of the
past life. There is a nervous tension
which makes them start at every
swish of the waves and every moan
of the wind as though they were &C
cusing voices. No wonder that, as
the dark object in the distance skim
ming over the surface of the rolling
waters draws nearer and nearer, it is
taken for a spirit. They know not
that it is the Lord. The terrors of the
wind and waves are increased by this
supernatural manifestation. The fear
that had been silently Juggling at their
hearts breaks the letters of the tight
shut lips and the cry of terror
mingles with the rushing wind. 1t is
the cry of despair, of desperate need
But while the bark trembles in the
teeth of the storm and the men with
in quail and quake, the voice of Jesus
is heard above the rush of the wind
and the swish of the waves: BE of
good cheer; it is I; be not afraid"
DETER is the first to recover con-
| troll of himself. and he cries: Lord,
If it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee
on the water!" Oh, that the soul
might always in the time of distress
and danger be- as eager to reach the
side of its Lord! And Jesus never
says nay. but His reply is always:
Come" Peters eager obedience takes
him over the side of the boat, and
he starts bravely for his Lord, but
when he saw the wind boisterous,
he was afraid" and he began to sink.
What a moment of intense suspense
that must have been. The terror
stricken men in the boat as they be-
held their comrade sinking into the
black waters! The cry of despair and
appeal for help! I wonder if any OF
them ever forgot that experience?
And while Peter sinks and cries for
help, while the others look on in
mute terror, or shrek in helpless
fright, Jesus stands calmly and COM
passionately looking on. And with
the first cry and first despairing look,
Jesus stretched forth His hand and
caught him" Peter was safei
Snatched from the death that was
crowding in upon him. But the dis
ciples in the boat were still tossed by
the waves. They were still in peril.
But when thSS Jesus and 9eter)