The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-12-11

| i of Jesus life. 1t was that for
which He was born. 1t was the fruition
of His victory over sin. HE was in
all points tempted as we are, yet with
out sim At His TRANSPORTATION He
was ready, as far as He Himself was
! concerned, TO return to Heaven. He
| had won Heaven by sinless life. But
| in His conversation with Moses and
Elias He talked of His coming de-
cease, His substitutionary death. He
| set His face steedfastly towards the
| cross, that His sinless life might be
made the power of God unto salvation.
! When Peter would rebuke Him for de-
| claring that He must die for them, He
| tells him to Get thee behind me, Sa-
tan, for thou savorest not the things
| of God" OF what avail that sinless
| life, of what benefit to the human race
lost through sin, if as the Lamb of
| God without spot or biemish He did
not shed His precious blood for the
sin of the whole world. And by His
sacrifice what a transformation He
wrought! His blood able to cleanse
from all sin. Red blood TO make the
black robes of sin white. Says Alexander
McLaren: cit is like some apparent
pieces OF magic that you can see per-
formed III some of our dye-works now
adays. There is nothing else that will
touch my guilt except that one great
sacrifice offered once for all for a
worlds sins, for your sins and mine.
| There is nothing else that will de-
liver me from the dominion of my own
evil, except the power of the life and
love of Jesus Christ planted in my
heart, and there bringing forth the
! fruits of righteousness. There is an
old legend which says that the only
thing that could melt adamant was
the blood of pure lamb. l believe
| that the one power which brings for
| giVeness-and forgiveness is not mere
! impunity-is the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ. And 1 know that the one pow
er, which, transfused into a mans life,
can make him live soberly, righteously
and gOdly is that blood which is the
life Of Christ Himself impaired to us.
So, then, that which no man can do for
himself, and no man can do for any
others, and without which all else that
is done by us for ourselves or for 9TH
ers is inadequate to the necessities of
the case, is done, blessed be Godi for
us in that shed blood of Him who in
death bore the sins of, and in life i'm
parts Righteousness to, the whole
world"
! 1T is this elimination on the cross
L to which the soul must look for
cleansing from sin, and salvation from
its consequences. We may sing of HIS
| birth, We may rejoice because of His
| triumphs over sin and sickness, and
the designs of wicked men, but we
must glory in the cross, for it is our
hope. Paul eXclaims: God forbid that
| L should glory, save in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ" And this. too,
must be the theme of our rejoicing.
That which appears as foolishness to
the world is the evidence to the heart
of the believer of the power of God
And as related 10 Tie believer, of what
does this power consist? 1t is more
than a saving power manifested in
the redeemed soul. Ii, after cCnver-
SIGN, man with a tendency to sin could
be taken at once into Heaven he
| would, perhaps. need nothing more
than the salvation OF his soul, but, sur
| rounded. as he is here, with tampta-
lions and trials and difficulties. he
needs keeping power in addition to
the saving power which gave him his
first song as he united with the angels
in the glad song of another sinner who
had repented. God does not leave man
TO struggle on alone. His power is
manifested in behalf of His followers
at all times. The intimate relation
ship of father to child is sustained be-
tween God and His children. The
one who knows not the power of God
unto salvation" finds it hard to I'M
derstand the keeping and sustaining
power of God. But with salvation
comes a growing sense of the other.
And these are they who are being
saved day by day. and who have a
sense OF the power of God.
D UT the preaching of the "cross is
ID to them that are perishing foolish
ness 1t is such not because it is an
unreasonable Gospel, for it is worthy
| of all aCceptation," but because man
finds il more convenient for his pres-
ent desires and ambitions to put away
the claims of the Cross upon him. A
reasonable Gospel must be given a rea-
! sonable hearing. Cud is ready ALWAYS
to meet every soul and by His convict
ing and convincing Spirit reveal the
truths of this Gospel The cross
means a changed heart ard life, and
this is what man in mis- sinfulness and
sel1shness shrinks from. But man.
| though he characterize the preaching
of the cross of Christ as foolishness,
cannot escape the claims of that cross
upon him. The death of Jesus Christ
has theoretically wiped away the sin
of the world. If the world to-day
every living being-would turn to the
| Christ for cleansing the fountain of
blood opened on Calvary's brow would
DE sufficient to wipe away all sin. And
because the sacrifice of Jesus takes
in the whole world it gives Him a
claim upon it which cannot be denied
or set aside. This claim is reasonabl :.
first Of all, because man is ylade not
for time, but eternity, and onIy through
the power of the cross can man at
tain the privileges and blessings of
the eternal existence with God. In The
second place, there is nothing which
the world can give which will satisfy
the soul Of man. Imagine big, str,ag,