The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-12-03


thing it is when social position and wealth
surrender themselves to God. When re-
ligion comes to neighborhood the first to
receive it are the women. Some men say
it is because they are weakminded. say
it is because they have quicker perception
of what is right more ardent affection and
capacity for sublimer emotion. After the
women have received the Gospel, then all
the distressed and the poor of both sexes,
those who have no friends, accept Jesus.
Last of all come the people of affluence and
| high social position. Alas, that it is so !!
| If there are those here to-day who have
| been favored of fortune, or, as I might
better put it, favored of God, surrender all
you have and all you expect to be to the
Lord who blessed this Queen of Sheba.
| Certainly you are not ashamed to be found
| in this Queens company. l am glad that
| Christ has had his imperial friends in all
| ages-Elizabeth Christina, Queen of Prus-
| STA; Maria Feodorovna, Queen of Russia;
| Marie, Empress of France; Helena, the
| imperial mother of Constantine; Arcadia,
| from her great fortunes building public
| baths in Constantinople and toiling for the
| alienation of the masses; Queen Clotilda,
/ leading her husband and 5000 of his armed
warriors to Christian baptism; Elizabeth,
of Burgundy, giving her jeweled glove to
a beggar and scattering great fortunes
among the distressed; Prince Albert, sing
ing Crock of Ages" in Windsor Castle,
and Queen Victoria incognito reading the
| Scriptures to a dying pauper. bless God
that the day is coming when royalty will
bring all its thrones and music, all its har-
monies and painting, all its pictures and
sculpture, all it's statuary ana architecture,
| and the queens of the earth, in long line of
advance, frankincense filling the air and
the camels laden with gold, shall approach
Jerusalem, and the gates shall be hoisted,
and the great burden of splendor shall be
lifted into the palace of this greater than
Solomon.
Again, my subject teaches me what is
earnestness in the search of truth. Do you
know where Sheba was? 1t was in Abys-
sinia, or some say in the southern part OF
Arabia Felix. In either case it was great
way off from Jerusalem. To get from
there to Jerusalem she had to cross q coun-
try infested with bandits, and go across
blistering deserts. Why did not the
Queen of Sheba stay at home and send
committee to inquire about this
new religion, and have the dele
gates report in regard to that re-
ligion and the wealth of King Solomon?
She wanted to see for herself, and hear
for herself She could not do this by work
of committee. She felt she had soul
worth 10000 kingdoms like Sheba, and,
she wanted a robe richer than any
woven by Oriental shuttles, and she
wanted a crown set with the jewels of
eternity. Bring out the camels. Put on
the spices. Gather up the jewels of the
throne and put them on the caravan.
Start now; no time to be lost. Goad on
the camels. When I see that caravan
} dust-covered, weary and exhausted, trudg-
! ing on across the desert and among the
bandits, until it reaches Jerusalem,
say: 'There IS an earnest seeker after
; the TRUTH But there are great many
of You, my friends, who do not act in
that way. You all want to get the truth
but you want the truth to come to you;
you do not want to go to it. There are
! people who fold their arms and say: 81
am ready to become a Christian any time
! If | am to be saved I shall be saved
and if | am to be lost shall be lost"
man who says that and keeps on saying il
will be lost. Jerusalem will never come
to you; you must go to Jerusalem
The religion of the Lord Jesus Chris
will not come to you; you mus
: go and get religion. Bring out the camels
!. put on all the sweet spices, all the treasure:
$ of the hearts affection. Start for thu
l throne. Go in and hear the waters of sal
: walton dashing in fountains all arount
: about the throne. Sit down at the ban
g guet-the wine pressed from the grapes o
the heavenly Eshcol, the angels of Coo
: the cup-bearers. Goad on the camels
! Jerusalem will never come to you; yol
q must go to Jerusalem. The Bible declare
l it: "The Queen of the South"-that is, thi
very woman I am speaking of-eTh
a Queen of the South shall rise up in judg
: ment against this generation and condemn
L it; for she came from the uttermost part
!, OF the earth to hear the wisdom of Solo
5 mon, and 10! a greater than Solomon
here" God help me to break up the in
: fatuation of those people who are sittin
y down in idleness, expecting to be saved
s "Strive to enter in at the straight gate
q ask and it shall be given you; seek and y
n shall find; knock and it shall be opene
to you." Take the kingdom of Heaven b
f violence. Urge ON the camels.
= Again, my subject impresses me with th
i fact that religion is a surprise to any on
d who gets it. This story of the new religio
g in Jerusalem and of the glory of Kin
l Solomon, who was a type Of Christ-ths
e story rolls on and on, and is told by ever
# traveller coming hack from Jerusalem. Th
), news goes on the wing of every ship an
1 with every caravan, and you know stor
It enlarges as it is retold, and by the tin
$ that story gets down into the southern pal
! OF Arabia Felix and the Queen of Sheb
>. hears it, it must be tremendous stor,
70 And yet this Queen decl ares in regard |
e it, although she has heard SO much, an
IS had her anticipations raised so high, tt
10 haf-the half was not told her. So reli gio
: is always surprise to any one that ge
y it. The story of grace-an old stor,
Is Apostles preached it with rattle
lie chains martyrs declared it with ar
e of fire; death beds have affirmed
is with visions of glory, and ministers of r,
s igion have sounded it through the Ian,
ie and highways and the chapels and IL