The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-06-26

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locusts and wild
honey. This man, a Voice from God,
coming with his message of, Repent
We, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand" The cry stirs the eXpectant
Jews of all classes, and they flock to
the wilderness to see and hear the
strange prophet who has arisen to pre-
pare the way of the Lord. Among
those who come from Jerusalem, and
all Judea and all the region round
about Jordan are many of the
Pharisees and Sadducees, the two prin-
cipal sects of the Jews who controlled
and directed the religious thought and
worship of the Jewish people at that
time. And when John sees them, with
Elijah-like bluntness, he says: 20
generation of vipers, who hath warned
YOU to flee from the wrath to come?
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for
repentance" These are the circum-
stances connected with the words of
our text. And in answer to their in
ward protest if not outwardly express
ed exception to Johns arraignment,
the prophet goes on to declare: "Think
not to say within yourselves, we have
Abraham to our father: for say unto
YOU, that God is able of these stones to
raise up children unto Abraham.
7 UKE gives us the additional infprma-
l. ton that the people, following the
lead of the Pharisees and Sadducees,
also came asking: "What shall we do
then?" To which John replied: 'He
that hath two coats, let him impart to
him that hath none; and he that hath
meat, let him do likewise Thus re-
buking the selfish, avaricious spirit
which prevailed at that time, and
whiol in this, our day, is again TAX
ing hold of the people of the world IN
their relations one with another. And
the publicans-that large class of tax
patherers which had grown up under
the Roman system of government
came. asking what they should 90.
Exact no more than that which is ap-
pointed YOU" was Johns reply. And
then came that other great class of
people, the soldiers, by aid of whom
Rome had brought into subsection the
known world and maintained her rule,
and desired also to know what they
should do. And with them John began
likewise with those matters which
most vitality concerned their own
selves and their relations to others,
for he replied: do violence to no
man, neither accuse any falsely; and
be contented with your wages"
THE burden of Johns message was
| the CRY: Repent ye." And lest
they might make the mistake which is
so often made that repentance was
merely lip confession with no out
ward change of hSert or life, he went
on to demand that they bring forth
therefore fruits meet for repentance"
The religionists of his day, the people,
the publicans, She soldiers. were
brought face to face with the practical
side of life. The way of the coming
Lord was not to be prepared by a more
intense Journalism and devotion to
ceremonial traditions, but the path
way over which He was to pass was to
be paved with the changed hearts and
altered lives of the penitents. Religion
was to be cast inco a new mold and all
life was to feel its vitalizing influence.
Is there less need to-day for Johns
message of repent ye; bring forth
therefore fruits meet for repentance"
than there was when that message
first broke on the wilderness air? Has
the element of genuine repentance
been lost in greater or less degree from
the Christian life and the Christian re-
ligion? Is it not true that the great
majority of the Christians of to-day
have their periods of emotional re-
pentance, and, iE response to a
troubled conscience because of way-
wardness and faithlessness. express
contrition in the public meeting or in
the private audience of the heart. and
then resolve to do better. but who
never get beyond the point of lip re-
pentance and good resolves? How is it
in your own case? Repentance is not
sorrow or contrition. 1t is infinitely
more.
THAT little girl in a certain Sunday
l school, who was asked what re-
pentance meant, got it pretty nearly
correct when she replied that repent
ance was being sorry enough to quit
That is the thought which. Paul ex-
presses in his second letter to the
Corinthian church where he says:
''Now I rejoice, not that ye.were made
sorry, but that We sorrowed to re-
pentance, for We were made sorry after
a Cody manner; for Cody sorrow
worketh repentance to salvation not
to be repented of; but the sorrow of
the world w orketh DEATH" Words lose
their force and meaning, because care
lessly used. Repentance is not a
synonym for sorrow. Sorrow may be
an element of repentance, but it is
never repentance. Sorrow may be the
emotion which makes one desire to