The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-12-17

What they ought to ascribe
to, a slow liver. The body and
the soul are such near neighbors that they
often catch each others Diseases Those
who never saw a sick day and who, like
Hercules, show the giant in the cradle,
have more to answer for than those who
are the subjects of lifetime infirmities. He
who can lift twice as much as you can
walk twice as far and work twice as long,
will have double account to give in the
Judgment. How often is it that you do
not find physical energy indicative of
spiritual power. If clear head is worth
more than one dizzy with perpetual yer-
tigo; if muscles with the play of health in.
them are worth more than those drawn up
in chronic rheumatism; if an eye quick to
catch passing objects is better than one
with vision dim and uncertain, then God
win require of US efficiency just in proper
ton to what he has given us. Physical
energy ought to be typesof moral power.
We ought to have just as good digestion
of truth as we have capacity to assinlilate
food. Our spiritual hearing ought to be as
good as our physical hearing; cur spiritual
taste ought to be as clear as our tongue.
Samsons in body, we ought to be giants in
moral power. But where you find great
many men who realize that they ought to
use their money Alright and use their in
telligence Alright how few men
you find aware of the fact that
they ought to use their physical or
ganism Alright. With every thump of the
heart there is something saying: "Work!
work." and lest we should complain that
we have no tools to work with, God gives
us our hands and feet, with every knuckle
and with every joint and with every muscle
saying to US: clay hold and do some-
thing!" But how often it is that men with
physical strength do not serve Christ
They are like a ship full Unnamed and full
rugged capable of vast tonnage, able to en-
dure all stress of weather, yet swinging
lily at the docks when these men ought to
be crossing and recrossing the great ocean
of human suffering and sin with Gods
! supplies of mercy. How often it is that
physical strength is used in doing positive
damage or in luxurious ease, when, with
sleeves rolled up and bronzed bosom fear
less of the shafts of opposition, it ought to
be laying hold with all its might to lift up
shameful fact that much of the business of
the Church and of the world must be done
by those comparatively invalided. Richard
Baxter, by reason of his diseases, all his
|. days sitting in the door of the tomb, yet
writing more than hundred volumes and
sending out an influence for good that will
endure as long as the "Saints' Everlasting
Rest" Edward Payson, never knowing a
well day, yet how he preached and how he
wrote, helping thousands of dying souls like
himself to swim in sea of glory. And
Robert McChayne. walking skeleton, yet
you know what he did in Dundee, and how
he shook Scotland with zeal for God.
Philip Doddridge, advised by his friends
because of his illness not to enter the MINI
istry, yet you know what he did for the
'Rise and Progress of Religion" in the
Church and in the world. ,Wilberforce,
told by his doctors that he could not live
fortnight, yet at that very time entering
upon philanthropic enterprises that de-
manded the greatest endurance and per-
sistenee. Robert Hall, suffering excrucia-
tons so that sometimes while preaching he
would have to stop and rest little, and
then getting up again would preach about
Heaven until the glories of the celestial
city dropped on the multitude, doing more
work perhaps than almost any well man in
his day. Oh, how often it Is that men
with great physical endurance are not so
great in moral ard spiritual staturel
While there are achievements for those
who are bent all their days with sickness,
achievements Of patience, achievements of
prayer, achievements of self-denial,
| achievements OF Christian endurance, I
call upon men Of health, men of muscle
men of nerve. men of physical power, to
| devote themselves to the Lord. Giants in
body, you ought to be giants in soul
Behold also in this story of my text Illus
tration of the fact of the damage that
strength can do if it be misguided. It
seems to me that this man of my text spent
a great deal of his time in doing evil To
pay debt which he bad lost by the guess
ing of his riddle, he robs and kills thirty
people. He was not only gigantic in
strength, but gigantic in mischief, and a
| type of these men in all ages of the world
who, powerful in body or mind or in any
| faculty of social position and wealth, have
used their strength in Ubiquitous purposes
| Behold how asgiant may be slain of
a sorceress. Delilah started the train of
| circumstances that pulled down the temple
of Dagon about Samson's ears. And tens
of thousands of giants have gone down to
death and hell through the same impure
fascination. 1t seems to me that it is high
time that pulpit and platform and printing
press speak out against the impurities eff
modern society. Fastidiousness and prud-
cry say: Better. not speak-you will
arouse up adverse criticism; you will make
worse what you want to make better; bet
ter deal in glittering generalities; the sub
! Ject is too delicate for polite ears But
there comes voice from Heaven over
towering the mincing sentimentalities
OF the day, saying: 1'Cry aloud,
spare not; lift up thy voice like trumpet.
and show my people their transgrassions
and the house of Jacob their sfns.o The
trouble is that when people write or speak
upon this theme. they are apt to cover it up
with the graces of bellies letters, so that
the crime is made attractive instead of re-
palsive. Lord Byron, in Don Juan, adorns
this crime until it smiles like Nav oueen
Miehelet, the great French writer, covers
4 it tlp with hewitchinp rhator;o ,,,+;l -