The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-09-30

conduct, was about to punish the offender, |
when the old man arose and said:
"Don't hurt him: it's all right; forty
years ago this morning dragged out my
father by the hair of his head"
1t is a circle My father lived into the
eighties, and he had very wide expert
ence, and he said that maltreatment of
parents was always punished in this
world. Other sins may lie adjourned to
the next world, but maltreatment of par
ents is punished in this world.
The circle turns quickly, very quickly.
Oh, what a stupendous thought that the
good and evil we start come back to us!
Do you know that the judgment day will
be only the points at which the circles
ioin-the good and the bad we have done
coming back to US, unless divine interview
ton hinder-coming back to us, welcome
of delight or curse of condemnation?
Oh, would like to see Paul, the invalid
missionary, at the moment when his in
fiuence comes to full orb-his influence
rolling out through Antioch, through
Cyprus, through Lystra, through Corinth,
through Athens, through Asia, through
Europe, through America, through the
first century, through five centuries,
through twenty centuries, through all the
succeeding centuries, through earth,
through Heaven, and, at last, the wave of
influence having made full circuit, strikes
his great soul! No one can tell the wide
swe p of the circle of his influence, save
the One who is seated ON the circle of the
earth.
l should not want 10 see the coun.
| tenance of Voltaire when his influence
| comes to full orb. When the fatal hemor-
rhage seized him at eighty -three years Of
| age his influence did not cease. The most
brilliant man of his century, he had used
all his faculties for assaulting CHI is
tianity; his bad influence widening
| through France, widening out through
Germany, widening through all Eu-
rope, widening through America, widen
ing through the 10l years that have gone
by since he died, widening through hell;
until at last the accumulated influence Of
his lad life in fiery surge of omnipotent
wrath will beat against his destroyed
spirit, and at that moment it will be
enough to make the black hair of eternal
darkness turn white with the horror. No
one can tell how that bad mans influence
girdled the earth, save the One who is
seated on the circle of the earth-the Lord
Almighty.
"Well, now" say people in this audi
ence, "this in some respects is a very glad
theory, and in others a very sad one; we
would like to have all the good we have
ever done come back to US, but the
thought that all the sins we have ever
committed will come back to us fills us
with alright"
My brother, have to tell you God can
break that circle and will do so at your
call. / can bring twenty passages Of
Scripture to prove that when God fol
Christ's sake forgsve man, the sins of LII:
past life never come back. The wheel may
, roll on and roll on, but you take your pc ST.
tion behind the cross, and the whee
strikes the cross and it is shattered for
, ever. The sins fly off from he circle int
the perpendicular, falling at right angle:
with complete oblivion. Forgiven! for
given! The meanest thing a man can de
: is, after soma difficulty has been settled
to bring it up again; and God will not h
: so mean as that. Gods memory is mighty
enough to ho'd all the events of the ages
Q but there is one thing that is sure to slil
his memory, one thing ne is sure to forget
l and that is pardoned transgression. How
t do know it? will prove it.
l Their sins and iniquties will remembe
0 no more.
/ Come into that state this morning, m,
o dear brother, my dear sister.
Blessed is the one whose transgression
are forgiven.
Q But do not make the mistake of thinkin
o that this doctrine of the circle stops wit
this life; it rolls on through heaven. Yo
d might quote in opposition to me what s.
v John says about the city of Heaven. H
d says it 'slieth four square, That doe
seem to miti gate against this idea, but yo
d know there is many a square house tha
has family circle facing each other an
d in circle moving, and can prove tina
d this is so in regarl TO heaven. st. job
ID says:
VI Iheard the voice of many angels roun
- about the throne and the beast and tn
y elders.
20 And again he says: L
g There was rainbow round about til
e. throne.
,, The TWO former instances circle: I'll
3, last either a circle or a semi-circle. I'll
seats facing each other, the angels facin
Is each other, the men facing each othe
er Heaven an amphitheater of glory. Gil
ID conference of patriarch, and prophet, al
K, apostle. circumference of Scotch GOV
le nanters, and Theban legion, and ALL
m genses. Circumference of the good of 6
ages. Periphery of splendor unimagint
and indescribable circlei A circle!
Us But every circumference must have
Y. center, and what is the center of th
n. Heavenly circumference? Christ. His
1t the glory, His all the praise, His ell Il
d, crowns. All Heaven wreathed into ga
Id land round about Him. Take off the il
1t perial sandal from His foot, and beho
IN the scar of the spike. Lift the coronet
dominion from His brow, and see whe
be was the decorations of the briars. Cor
closer, all Heaven. Narrow the Giro
e. around His great heart. o Christ, t
on Saviour! o Christ, the man! 0 Chri
nd the God! Keep Thy throne forever, sea
inn ed on the circle of the earth, seated on t
inn circle of the heaven!