The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-04-15

III UlnHfHf14lf444HH(SKH IOllONlHS
9.1HhyNN!pll !pll51hH94GlETP Iy the teaching and
EWMhp' doctrin OF the
-"-* great apostle 1,
when certain conditions and influences
and individuals had combined to ora"
them away from obedience to the truth.
And Paul goes on to tell them plainly
that they have not been persuaded OF the
Christ who had redeemed them ana
called them into His service. 1t was
something counter to the will and pur-
pose of God which was hindering them
in the Christian race they were run
ming. He is copcerned for them, and
longs to guide their erring feet back into
the way marked out by the Lord. The
Galatian Christians to whom Paul sent
this message have passed away, but
Christians to-day manifest the same
tendencies which troubled the inspired
apostle, and the message which he wrote
to the Christians of that early day is as
much needed now as then. 1t is Gods
Word-cOnvicting, convincing, author1-
tative-for Christians of all time. And
how often God has 10 say to the Chris
tain: "Ye were running well; who him
dered you that ye should not obey the
truth? This persuasion came not of Him
that calleth you" 1t may not be that
Judaisers are busy among us leading us
into error as they were among the Gala
tians, but the Judaisers of the apostolic
days have given place to a multitude of
other conditions and influences which
operate with exactly similar results in
hindering the Christian in his obedience
to the truth, and in turning him aside
into sin and error. How many, many
Christians there are who have run well
and then been turned aside into the way
of disObedience and dislOyalty to the
Christ. There is hardly a follower of
Christ but has had such experience. Per-
haps even now you. who have run well
and faithfully, have turned aside and are
not now treading the pathway of obedi-
ence and truth. Who hindered you
that ye should not obey the truth? This
persuasion came not of Him that calleth
you.'
n the thirteenth chapter of the first
| book of Kings we find a striking
illustration of our text. Read it, for
we shall use the story to illustrate our
text. 1t tells of a prophet of God who |
did run well, but who was turned aside |
and met disaster and death. We do not |
know his name or the particulars of |
his life. We only know that, intrusted |
with a most important mission by God. |
he did splendidly for a time, but fell +
short of complete obedience and suf- |
fered sad and bitter end. The facts
in the story are these: Jeroboam, the |
Off TnINo ha Ii,
after the disruption of the kingdom
under Rehoboam, had with wicked
cunning established two places of sac
rifice and worship-one at Dan and the
other at Bethel-so that the children of
Israel would not continue to go up to
Jerusalem to make their offerings.
And, regardless of the sacredness Of
the Office, and the fact that the sons of
Levi were the DivineIy-appointed
priests, he formed a priesthood of his
own and he himself became the high
priest, as we'll as king. He established
-egular feast days. and upon one of
hese occasions, while he was officiat-
ng at the altar at Bethel and burning
incense, God sent His prophet from
Judah to utter the Divine judgment
against the altar. And in passing we
must note the fact that this is one of
he most remarkable prophecies in the
scriptures, and, lin its clearness, cir
,umstantial minuteness, and exact
of an event that took place
go years after, it stands in striking
contrast to the obscure and ambiguous
,racles of the heathen."
JAVING spoken the word which God
| had commanded him, and having il
onfirmed by the rending of the altar by
hand, the man of God start
d obediently to return to Judah by a
ifferent way from that by which he !
lad come. Jeroboam, who had felt the !
yithering power of Divine judgment ,
pon his arm, and had then been gra- 8
iously restored in answer to the prayer
f the prophet, sought TO stay him, and {
invited him to the royal palace to dine. 9
But the man of God had his explicit di- ,
ections, and plainly told the king that, {
: he should offer him half of his king ]
ON, he could not tarry, for God had {
old him TO neither eat nor drink until 7
e had returned to his own home. And
o. mounting his ass, he started. Thus !
ar he had run well. He had obeyed {
tut he loitered upon the way. He allowed ]
emptation to overtake him in the form I
{ a man who came to him with sancti- !
,onious face and reverential manner, [
nd told him that he had had revela- I
on from God, which countermanded f
he first orders of God. In short, that I
he man of God was to return to his Z
ouse, and eat and drink with him. And v
ecause he wanted TO believe this false Z
ophet-this wicked man who was t