The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-10-02

grain is the golden
80 full-ripe ears which
are ready for the
sa e aaari''' i. n never yer
1900 more glorious than
when the luscious
=E3S fruit hangs in yell
G. low and crimson
splendor from the
bending bouehs of the faithful and
bountiful trees. The sproutlng grain is
fresh and beautiful in its eager hope of
fruitage; the dainty blossoms as they I'M
fold upon the trees whisper hopefully
of the days of harvest to come, but Meth
er the growing wheat field nor the fra
grant orchard can claim that glory which
alone is the reward of ripeness and ma
turity. Nature is eager in her spring
time of beginnings, she is patient and
persistent in the summertime of testing
and growth, but she is magnificent and
bountiful and satisfying in the glory of
her harvest-time, for the harvest Is re-
alization, it Is completion.
The artist does not find glory and for
tune in the rough sketch, but in the COM
pleted and perfect work of art of which
the rough sketch was the beginning. The
Inventor does not win the praise and ap-
proval of the world while yet his ideas
of some great machine are crude and I'M
developed, but when the completed ma
chine performs the work for which 1T
was constructed glory crowns the efforts
of the maker 1t is the returning, vic
torious army, and not untried troops,
tt w1<@,-- <Nf Id
tory's page. The conquest completed, the
task finished, the device perfected, the
enterprise concluded, are possessed of a
glory which they could not know in
their immature, imperfect state. My
little daughter has just entered school.
1t was pretty sight to see her start on
proudly and enthusiastically, eager to
begin her climb up the ladder of knowl-
edge, but the glory of that beginning
must be found in the graduation, ten or
twelve years in the future, when she
shall have finished the grade and high
school work. If she would share in the
honor and distinction of the graduation,
she must endure the long years of plod-
ding study. What joy, what satisfac-
ton, what glory attaches to the thing
completed The harvest field, the ripen-
ing fruit of the orchard are eloquent in
expression of this thought. The glory
of completion!
IN the service for Christ, this is espe-
L cially true. They that turn many
to righteousness shall shine as the stars
forever and ever" There is the crown
of life promised to the Christian who
endures the fiery trial of temptation.
There is the crown of righteousness
which is promised to those Christians
who are watching faithfully until their
Lord comes. There is the crown of
glory which fadeth not away promised
to the faithful under shepherds when
the Chief Shepherd shall appear. What
a time that will be! l want to attend
that magnificent coronation ceremony.
When the faithful who have patiently
turned many to righteousness shall
burst forth in glory respondent as the
stars forever and ever and when they
shall be crowned. What a picture to
dazzle the Christian! Who is there
that does not long to stand some day
among the honored and glorified throng?
The glory of the completion Of the Chris
tian course. Paul exclaims: Il have
finished my course. Henceforth there
is laid up for me a crown of righteous
ness" Jesus on the cross cried with
His dying breath: at is finished" And
on the other side of that cross were the
resurrection triumph and the ascension
glory. When the course is run, when
the mission is finished, when the duty
is done, then comes the time of glory
and rejoicing. The certainty of this
day is the star of promise for the Chris
tian.
D UT there is day of realization near
- er than the great final harvest time.
There is the reaping here, as we'll as
over there. The blessed privilege
comes of seeing souls brought to Christ
by personal effort. The word spoken,
the deed of kindness performed. the
duty discharged, bring forth their fruit
age which God often permits us to be-
hold here in this life. And how the
glory of such fruitage rests as a halo
upon the one who has not been weary in
we'll doing, but who has persisted until
the hardened and obstinate and sin-lov-
ing sinner has been won for Christ, has
persisted in the hard way of duty until
victory and success have been won. The
Christian never shines more resplend-
emily or glorifes his Lord more fully
than when the harvest time has come.
with its reaping of precious souls But
the weary days of waiting, and water
ing, and tending, have preceded. The
hot sun of trial and persecution has beat
down, the storm of criticism and oppo-
sition has ragged about. 1t has been a
long and hard journey between the time
of sowing and the day of reaping. But
Gods promises are sure and His words:
'Tn due season we shall reap, if we
faint not" have encouraged to stead
fastness And at last the reaping has
come. 1t is a delightful place to be,
but it has cost something to get there.
And there is still another kind of reap
ing. that which has TO do with the per-
sonal and inner life. The fruits of the
Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffer-
ing, gentleness, goodness, faith, meek
ness, temperance. When we find these
shining out in a Christians life how
beautiful and attractive and influential
is that lifei How prone the Christian
who lives on a lower plane is to sigh |
and long that he. too. might be as beau
tiful and Christlike in character. The |
glory of such character attracts him, !
and he would like to be as Christlike, |
hj1t he fOrqetS that there has hoop q |