The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-07-08
Thoughts for the Thoughtful.
(REIrorous sHLEcr1oxs.)

DELICIOUS sELEcT1oxsl
Faith does not create q child of
God, nor does it make fact. II only
appropriates that which is a fact al
ready.
Baptism is the visible declaration
of this saying, "Now, remember you
are child of God; from henceforth
live as such"
He who feels his souls dignity,
knowing what he is and who, redeem
ed by God the Son, and freed by God
the Spirit, cannot cringe, nor pollute
himself, nor be mean.
The sacrifice Of Christ does not
alter Gods will: it does not make sin
a trife; it does not make it safer to
commit ofenses. It does not abro-
gate, but declares Gods law.
When a guilty man begins to think
of dying, it is like vision Of the Son
of Man presenting itself and calling
out the voices of all the unclean
spirits in the man-"Art thou come
to torment us before the timer"
You must die. The day will come,
and the coffin. Life in God alone
robs that thought of dreadfulness:
when the resurrection being begun
within, you can look upon the decay
of the outward man, and feel, am
not dying.
| Christianity is permeation; it per-
meates all evil with good; it aims al
overcoming evil by good; it desires to
transfuse the spirit OF the day of rest
into all other days, and to spread the
holiness of one nation over all the
world. To saturate life with God,
and the world with heaven, that is the
genius of Christianity.
Does your friend really think thai
the certainty of death in six months
would not sound to her like q knell
Oh, no; be sure few really wish fol
death. Bad as life is, it is in the
power of single dream to make uf
feel that it is not death we long for:
'Tis life whereof our nerves are scant;
More life and fuller, that we want,
No heart in which was healthful breath,
Has ever truly longed for death.
4 Conscience, when it is healthy
ever speaks thus: 'tMy transgresion.
It was not the guilt of them thai
tempted you-they have theirs; blu,
each as separate agent, his own de.
gree Of guilt. Yours is your own
the violation of your own and no,
another's sense of duty; solitary
awful, unshared, adhering to you
alone Of all the spirits Of the universe
Estimate rightly the death OF Christ
It was not simply the worlds example
1t was the worlds Sacrifice. He
died not merely as a martyr to the
truth. His death is the worlds life
Ask ye what life is? Life is not ex.
emption from penalty. Salvation il
not escape from suffering and punish.
ment. The Redeemer suffered pun
ishment, but the Redeemer's soul hao
blessedness in the very midst of pun
ishment.
The chief knowledg which we have
of Gods holiness comes from oul
acquaintance with unholiness. W.
know what impurity is-God is no
that. We know what injustice is
God is not that. We know VIVA
restlessness, and guilt, and passion
: are, and deceitfulness, and pride, ani
waywardness-all these we know
God is none of these. And this il
; our chief acquaintance with Hi
character. We know what God i
not.
: By the sacrifice OF life, voluntar,
or involuntary, and by that alone, cal
, other and higher life exist. Tn,
mineral soil gives its force to thu
, grass, and the grass its life to til,
, cattle, and. they sacrifice theirs TO