The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-05-06


true, the counterfeit for the genuine
The glitter and display of externalities
are of more real concern to us than the
spirit and purpose which should lie be-
hind them. The Scribes and Pharisees oi
Jesus day had learned the art of coun-
telfeiting. They had lost Gods gold
and unwilling to lose the glamour of
the outward display of their religion
| they substituted the base metal of their
own fusing. They made for themselves
shields of brass that they might make
the same show and appear to have lost
nothing. They cared more for what
the eyes of man saw than for what
the all-seeing eye of God beheld. And
so with Rehoboam, and as with the
| Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day, so
with multitudes of people to-day. Gilt
tering shields must be had and the
worlds brass is eagerly taken and
used, when Gods gold is not to be had
| because of sin. Rehoboam might bet
ter have gone without shields alto
| gether after he lost the gold ones than
| to have substituted the brass ones of
his own making. Why should he try
to make it appear that he had lost
| nothing by Shishaks raid? Why
should he proudly hold his head aloft
and flatter himself with the glitter and
display which he had enjoyed before
his sin and punishment? And why
should people to-day, having forfeited
the gold of Gods favor and presence,
seek to ignore the loss and substitute
therefor the brass shields of their own
making?
HHE PossessIon.-Rehobo pos
i sessed shields of pure gold. They.
constituted a rich treasure which had
been committed to his hands. They
typified Gods protection, and the gold
from which they we're made was SYM
bolic of purity. Their possession was
sign of Gods favor and blessing. Gold
shields for Rehoboam when he came in
to the kingdom, and gold shields for
you and me when We enter the kingdom
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rich treas
ures committed to our hands. Gold
shields typifying the protection of God
and His purity. Ah, how we delight in
their possessionl We have them hung
about the walls of the palace of our heart,
and we delight to take them down and
march with them to the temple OF cur
God, where we may worship Him. Gold
shields of protection promised to them
that love and obey Him. Gold shields
of purity, because through the blood of
Jesus Christ we are made clean and His
righteousness and purity are counted for
US. Purity and protection-what more
can God give? Within these two are
comprehended all that God has to give
to the trusting soul. Purity is God-like
ness. And the Christian attains that
condition or quality in two ways: By
imputation and by requirement.
Through the cleansing and Transforming
pure. That is, Jesus, having borne the
punishment of our sin. is able to throw
over us as mantle His righteousness
and purity. Apart from Jesus Christ
there can be no purity in Gods sight If
God sees in us Christ, He sees purity and
holiness. If by faith the heart lays
hold of Christ, by that act of surrender
and obedience we become possessed of
His purity and righteousness, and God, in
beholding us, sees not the marred and
SCARED life, but His precious Son, behind
Whom the sinner takes refuge. Thus is
His purity and righteousness imputed
unto us.
TT HE Shield of Protection.-This is Of |
Il fensive and defensive. 1t implies |
the surrounding presence of God which |
shields from every danger, which nerves |
for every conflict, which sweetens every |
joy, which soothes every sorrow. which |
intensifies and deepens every relation |
ship and responsibility of life. This is |
what Gods protection means It in
cludes everything essential to the well
fare and enjoyment and success of life.
The child enjoys the protection of it's
father, and this protection comprises
shelter. food, clothing, as protection
against exposure, hunger and cold. It
includes provision for the best welfare
and needs. and development of the child
as well as a shielding from the dangers
that lurk on every hand to harm and
destroy. God speaks of holding us in the
hollow Of His hand. And Jesus in His
last prayer with His disciples reported
to the Father that He had guarded them
and not one of them had perished save
the son of perdition, who never really
belonged to Him. The protection of
God is of a three-fold character: Of
fensive, defensive and intensive. Of
fensive as that protection enables us to
grow from weak and immature babes
nto full-statured and strong saints
ready for aggressive warfare in His
lame. Defensive in that He prevents
he world, the flesh and the Devil, the
niquitous trinity, from crushing to
eternal destruction. When talking about
His righteous servant Job, God said to
he Devil: You may test him to the
ooint of taking his life, but upon his life ,
7ou shall not even lay so much as your
niger. Peter was in imminent peril of ,
litter annihilation by the Devil, but ,
resus prayed for him and set the bounds !
If the Devils power over him. And it 8
S so with Gods children always. They .
re kept from utter defeat and destruc- !
ion. His protection is defensive And '
Iod's protection is intensive. 1t gives
he sunshine and the rain, the rich soil
nd the tender care which are essential !
o the deeper roofing in Him and the {
ushing upward of the trunk and branch ,
nd the bearing of much fruit for Him. :
! larger growth, God says, and He deep :
ms the soil of our experience and en- {
iches it and mellows it so that the ,