The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-01-22

7 farther and farther away from God as
| the day of grace shortens, and the night
of judgment approaches. There is moth
| ing in Gods Word from Genesis to Rev.
| elatiOn which gives warrant for believ-
ing that God hates sin less, or that His
| Judgment upon sin has changed in the
| slightest degree.
y UT if God hates sin He loves the sim
! y ner, and He has never ceased in His
efforts to bring the sinner back into
| fellowship with Him The sinner is far
| from God, but God is not far from the
| sinner. as He yearns over him and longs
to bring him back to Himself. When
Paul went into that great and cultured,
but wicked, city of Athens "his spirit
was stirred in him, when he saw the
| city wholly given 10 idolatry." He
knew that the hearts of the people were
! far from God, and yet in his great ser
mon on Mars hill, as he felt the heart
throb of God for the sinful and idola-
| trous people, he declared that God was
| mot far from every one of u.s." He Is
near, 50 that He can hear the cry of
| the penitent. He is near, and waits to
|
love for sinners is attested by the fact
that He has provided a way of escape
for the sinner He has wrought out
scheme of redemption which does not
compromise his attitude towards sin
or set aside His judgment upon sin. And
| this fact our text blessedly brings before
US Far off from God we are by reason
of sin, brought nigh to God we may be
| by the cleansing power of Jesus blood.
Far off from God not because a way back
TO Him has not been provided, but
far from God because people
love darkness rather than light, and
| because they prefer to dwell in the far.
off country of sin and worldliness, in
stead of returning over the Jesus road
to the near country of blessed life and
fellowship with God. Far from God un-
less the power of the precious blood of
Jesus has been felt to draw the soul
nigh unto God. Far from God, or near
to God. Two great divisions or classes.
To which group do you belong? Are
you with those who are separated from
God by reason of sin unforgiven,
Savious spurned, or do your glad feet
stand with the great redeemed throng
upon the everlasting rock Christ Jesus,
whose blood has cleansed you from all
sin and made you fit to come into the
presence of God?
TAR from God! Who can measure all
that this means? Not many weeks
ago there died in one of the cheap
lodging houses of Chicago, a poor, mis-
cradle moral and physical wreck of a
man. In the pocket of his ragged coat
was found request that certain man in
certain city be notified in case of death.
This was done and he came and took the
remains away. The dead man was the
son of a wealthy banker, whose name
the friend would not divulge. He had
left home and wandered far from his ia
theirs care and love. Far off in Chicago
he was friendless and homeless-a mis-
cradle, wretched, despised and worthless
outcast; suffering and in want while
alive, dying alone and unattended. Far
off from home and father. 1t might have
been different if he had willed it so.
Home might have sheltered him. friends
might have cared for him. Comfort and
plenty might have been his portion if he
had so chosen. But being far from
home meant all of misery and wretched-
ness and degradation which the world
could give. Oh, what difference it made
with him because he was far from home,
and oh, what difference it makes with
the life that is far from God! And every
life is far from God unless it has been
brought nigh by the blood of Jesus
Christ. Far from God we find the world
with all her allurements, with all her
ambitions, all her pleasures, her power
and her activities; yes, and her woes and
heart aches, her troubles and suffering
her wickedness and crime. We find the
devil there going to and fro through the
earth, enticing, deluding, destroying, de-
vouring. Far from God we find every
thing with the stamp of sin upon it. Far
from God are dangers, privations, un-
satisfied longings The prodigal
son knew what it meant to be far from
his fathers house. 1t meant drinking
to the bitter dregs the cup of sin. 1t
meant disgrace, restitution, suffering
and would have meant death if he had
remained in the far country. Far from
God means the darkness of sin. 1t means
that this life is all that the soul is to
enjoy. 1t may mean ease and plenty, |
pleasures and honor, riches and power |
such as the world can give, and give in |
abundance. sometimes, but the limits |
of this life mark the end of all that |
the world can give. Far from God means |
that for the soul there is nothing beyond |
Far from God means eternal death, for, |
10, they that are far from Thee shall |
perish"
JESUS felt the agony of that separa-
{ ] ton from God as He hung on the |
cross and became sin for us. The |
intense mental suffering of that hour is |
indicated by the broken-hearted cry of
Jesus My God. my God, why hast
Thou forsaken Me?" AS the weight of
he worlds sin rolled upon His sinless
God turned from Him. Did
7ou ever try to understand what those
words HE became sin for us" mean9