The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-02-19

Win Qlm anu ne Win Me. 1Q0y invited
Him in. II those Samaritans had been
like great many people they would
have wished to wait until they had
cleaned up their city and covered up all
the cess pools OF sin, and whitewashed
all their dwellings. But they didn't seem
to think about getting ready to receive
Jesus. They knew they must invite Him
to come at once or not at all. So many
people hesitate to invite Jesus to come in
and abide with them because of what
Jesus will find within the heart and life.
1t is one of the subterfuges of TIC devil
to make the soul believe that 1t must be
a little better; that it must cut off this
sin here, and cover up that hideous sore
there; that 1t must whitewash and
houseclean, before inviting Jesus in
The soul that attempts that always
makes a botch of it, and makes it in
finitely harder for Jesus when He does
come If the Samaritans had waited to
get ready for Jesus they would have
made a woeful job of it, and it would
have taken Jesus two months, probably,
instead of two days to perform His
cleansing, saving grace in that city. The
artist, who invited the miserable, ragged
beggar to come to his studio to sit as a
model for the beggar in the picture he
was painting was not more bitterly dis
appointed when the beggar came the next
day all cleaned and clothed in goodly
garments, than is Jesus when the soul
tries to clean up and fix up before invit-
ing Jesus in. He wants you just as you
are. Come out to Jesus. Respond to
the invitation at once, and it will be re-
corded of you even as it was concerning
those Samaritans, that Jesus abode with
them.
6 A ND Jesus abode there two days"
~ Those were busy days, you may be
sure, and believe the social and business
life of that city was shaken to its founda-
tions. Was shaken until the false and
the unclean and the sinful were thrown
to the ground and buried out Of sight.
We can judge something of the moral
rottenness of the city from the life OF
the woman, whose inmost secrets Jesus
revealed. And / cannot believe that
Jesus went into that city and stayed two
days without working a revolution in
the lives and conduct of those people.
During those two days we know that
Jesus taught them, for their saving faith
was the result of His direct teaching.
And do not believe it was lot of plati-
tudes and sweet phrases Jesus spoke.
Rather did He deal with the direct needs
of the people. And it is reasonably GER
tain that they Immediately obeyed the
truth, for if they had not it would have
stung them and made them angry even
as it did the Pharisees. Such joy as the
Samaritans expressed in their testi-
mony Of the Christ and what He had be-
come to them could only have come
from changed life and heart, the fruit
of obedience othe truth. Gods message
some wrong doing, but instead of obey
ing Gods Word and turning from the
sin I cling to it. Are there no joy AMI
peace within? No, such a condition is
impossible I am of all men most mis-
cradle. AS the Psalmist says: MY
bones waste away through my groaning
all the day long" But when sin is con-
fessed and turned from, then comes joy
into the heart. This was the experience
of the Samaritans, I am certain. They
heard Jesus and they obeyed Him. The
immoral blemishes were removed. The
fostering plague spots of sin were healed
by contact with the Christ. New JOY
and hope came into the life. No wonder
they joyfully told the woman who had
first told them of the Christ that, "'Eow
we believe, not because of thy speaking;
for we have heard for ourselves, and
know that this is indeed the Saviour of
the world"