The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-09-09

/ virtues any tuiHg Oh tu0 we'll AdH u6u
better read it as it is. Daniel did not mis-
interpret or modify the handwriting on the
wall. 1t is all foolishness to expect a
minister of the gospel to preach always
things that the people like or the people
choose. What shall 1 preach to you to-
day? Shall / tell you of the dignity of
human nature? Shall 1 tell you of the
wonders that your race have accomplished:
"Oh, no." you say, "tell me the message
that came from God" will. If there is
any handwriting on the wall it is this les
son: "Repent, accept of Christ and be
saved" / might talk of a great many
other things, but that is the message, and
SO declare it. Jesus never fattered those
to whom he preached. He said to those
who did wrong and who were offensive in
his sight: aye generation of vipers? Ye
whited sepulchers! How can We escape
the damnation of help" Paul the Apostle
preached before a man who was not ready
to hear him preach. What subject did he
take? Did he say: "Ob, you are good
man, a very fine man. a very noble IN an?''
No; he preached of Righteousness to a
man who was unrighteous; of temperance
to a man who was the victim
| of bad appetites; Of the judg-
ment to come to a man who was unfit for
it. So we must always declare the mes
sage that happens to come to us. Daniel
must read it as it is. A minister preached
before James l. of England, who was
James vi. of Scotland. What subject did
he take? The King was noted all over
the world for being unsettled and waver-
ing in his ideas. What did the minister
preach about to his man who was James l.
| of England and James vi. of Scotland?
He took for his text:
He that wavereth Is like wave of tn e sea
driven with the wind and tossed-Jam es,
i,6. $40 Nt
| Hugh Latimer offended the King by a
sermon he preached, and the King said:
| "Hugh Latimer, come and apologize
| 81 WILL" said Hugh Latimer.
| So the day was appointed, and the
Kings chapel was full of lords and dukes,
ands The mighty men and women of the
country, for Hugh Latimer was to apollo
gize. He began his sermon by saying:
| Hugh Latimer, bethink thee! Thou art
in the presence of thine earthly King, who
can destroy the body! But bethink thee,
Hugh Latimer that thou art in the pres
ence of the King of Heaven and earth,
who can destroy both body and soul In
hell fire. o, King, cursed be thy crimes ~
2. Another lesson that comes to us:
THERE'S great difference between the
opening of the banquet of sin and its close.
Young man, if you had looked in upon the
banquet in the first few hours you would
| hav vxyich ol hoI
and could sit at the feast. 80, the grand
eur of Belshazzar's FEAST" would have
said; but you look in at the close of the
banquet and your blood curdles with hor-
ror. The King of Terrors has there a
| ghastlier banquet; human blood is the
wine and dying groans are the music. Sin
has made itself king in the earth. Ithas
crowned itself. 1t has spread a banquet
1t invites all the world to come to it. 1t
has hung in its banqueting hall the spoils
| of all kingdoms and the banners of all ma
lions. 1t has gathered from all music. 1t
has strewn from its wealth the table and
floors and arches. And yet how often is
that banquet broken up, AMI how horrible
is its end! Ever and anon there is a hand
| writing on the wall. A king falls. A
great culprit is arrested. The knees of
| wickedness knocked together. Gods judg-
ment, like an armed host. breaks in upon
| the banquet, and that night is Belshazz ar,
the King of the Chaldeans, slain.
Here is young man who says: 81 can
| not see why they make such fuss about
the Intoxicating cup. Why, it is exhil-
| arating. 1t makes me feel we'll. l can
talk better, think better, feel better. lean
not see why people have such prejudice
| against it," A-few years pass on and he
wakes up and finds himself IN the clutches
! of an evil habit which lie tries to break,
but he can not; and he cries out: "Oh,
Lord God, help mew 1t seems as though
God would not hear his prayer, and in an
agony of body and soul he cries out:
1t bteth like serpent and stingeth like an
adder.
How bright it was at the start! how
black it was at the lastl
Here is man who begins to read
French novels. "They are so charming"
he says; II will go out and see for myself
whether all these things are so." He
opens the gate of sinful life. He goes
| in. A sinful sprite meets him with her
wand. She waves her wand and it is
all enchantment. Why it seems as if the
| angels Of God had poured out phials of
perfume in the atmosphere. As he walks
on he finds the hills becom ing mo-, 9 radiant
with the falling water. ., what charm
ing landscape he sees! But that sinful
sprite with her wan | meets him again;
but now she reverses the wand, and all the
enchanment is gone. The cup is full of poi
son. The fruit turns to ashes. All the
leaves of the bower are forked tongues of
Kissing serpents. The flowing fountains
fall back in dead pool, stem chful with
corruption. The Turing songs become
curses and screams of demonac laughter.
Lost spirits gather about him, and feel for
his heart, and beckon him on with: ssHail
brother! Hail, blasted spirit! Hal 20 He
tries to get out. He Genes to the front
door, where he entered, and tries to push
1t back, but the door turns against him:
and in the jar of that shutting door he
hears these words: -,sz...-.s0..
This night is Belshazzar, the King of the
Chaideans, slain.' 80 3EW
Sin may open bright as the morning: it
closes dark as the night.
3. learn further from this subject that
a n h o<Ns, ~NAs L. L