The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-01-02

Close Ine DOCKS Oh the SIuQenG OI
quiet the busy hum of the halls of
learning and invite the cobwebs of
ignorance to weave their disfguring
mantle over the intellect. No, it
means a better and fuller life in
all the essential activities of the
world
Singleness of Purpose.-Calebs says:
Let us go up at once" Paul ex-
claims: This one thing 1 do" All,
brave hearts, with such a spirit as
that burning in their breasts no
wonder all the strong cities of
Canaan and the mighty sons of Anak
could not make Caleb falter, or the
chains and prison walls could not
cut short the great mission of the
mighty Paul. In this day of many
ideas and multiplied activities, it is
said that the man of a single idea
has little or no chance of success.
However that may be we are not
prepared to judge, but we are conf
! dent in our assertion that the man
of single purpose is the man who
will succeed in planting mis- banner
on the mountain top of achievement,
if any man can. "This one thing I
do" has been blazoned along the
rugged and steep pathway which has
been travelled by all those who have
achieved worthily and nightly in
the world. Here is indeed a worthy
sentiment for the New Year. Many
resolutions and elaborate plans are
made to-day to be broken and to faii
tomorrow. But the single purpose
of a Caleb or a Paul carries through
the difficult way to the Promised
Land of the high calling of God.
The one purpose of Paul was re-
troactive as well as progressive. 1t
dealt with the past which might
hinder and make him wish to go
back, and it marked out clearly in
the unmeasured distances ahead the
goal to which he aspired. Forget
ting those things which are behind"
he says, "and reaching forth unto
those things which are before, l
press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus" With the face set stead
fastly towards the rising sun and
the coming morning, he was deter
mined to press onward and up
ward. He was going to burn
the bridges behind him so that the
hardships in the unoccupied country
ahead might not tempt him to beat
an ignominious retreat. What do you
suppose it was that Paul was so anX-
ious to forget, and the memory Of
which would so evidently prove a
handicap in the race he was running?
Certainly it was not the bright One
he met in the way on his journey to
! Damascus, when he heard the voice
of his Lord speaking to him out of
the Heavens; certainly it was not his
! three years communion with his
Lord in the Arabian desert, during
which time he was caught up to the
third heaven and 'heard unspeall-
able words, which it is not lawful
for a man to utter" certainly it was
not the mighty work he had accom-
plished on his evangelistic tours
through Asia Minor and Europe; GER
tainly it was not his beloved church
at Philippi, for he says in his open
ing salutation to them in the letter
from which our text is taken: 81
thank my God upon every remem-
brance of you;" certainly it was not
his bonds and the Affections which
had come to him. What was it then
| that Paul wanted to forget? The
opening verses of the third chapter
of Philippians, 1 believe, tell us. He
wanted to forget his splendid pedi-
gree, his scholarly attainments, his
spotless life, for they fed pride and
self-centered esteem and hindered his
gaining the Promised Land of the
high calling of God. The things
that were gain for him, he counted
loss for Christ. And here is where
we need to begin to strip for the
race into the Promised Land. Pride
and self-centered esteem have
wrecked more lives and blocked the
entrance into the Promised Land of
the high calling of God than any
thing else that touches the human
heart and life. If you want to run
with Paul you must forget those
things which are behind which will
nourish pride and self-esteem. Strip
yourself of these hindering weights
and you may with this New Year en-
ter the Promised Land which God
sets before you. 1t was no easy task
which Paul set for himself. 1t will
be the hardest thing you ever did in
your life to kill that pride which is
binding your eyes and narrowing
your view of life, to break up that
self-centered esteem which has made
yourself the axis around which every
plan and purpose in life have revolved.
Break away from these things which
''do so easily beset" the human heart,
so that you may be able in the New
Year to leave the valley of narrow
the mountain of vision, look off into
the Promised Land which God has
selected for you and to which He
will faithfully lead. Yes, forgetting
those things which are behind in the
little narrow self, 'reach forth" unto
the larger opportunity of new and
better self. See the attitude of the
runner as he sets himself for the
race. The body strains forward with
every muscle set for the starting
spring, that will send him we'll along
in the race. He has no time to think
with pride on his splendid physique
and bulging muscles. The glory OF
these will only be manifest at the
end of the course when the laurel
wreath rests upon his brow. Every
thing is forgotten that would hinder
him at the starting point. So it
must be with you, if you would run
the race of this life well. As this
New Year dawps upon you, will you
not go up and with the help of God