The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-10-28
Thoughts for the Thoughtful.
RELIGIOUS SELECTIONS.

By Divine sympathy, and by the
Divine Image exhibited in the speak
ing act of Christ, the lost was sought
and saved.
The Atheist, says Robertson, is not
merely he who processes unbelief, but,
strictly speaking, every one who lives
without God in the world.
Love in God is what love is in man;
justice in God is what justice is in
man; bearing only this, that the one
is emotional, but the other is calm,
and pure, and everlastingly still. It
is through this humanity in the mind
of God, if I may dare so to speak Of
Deity, that revelation became pos
sible to man. 1t was the Word that
was made flesh; it was the Word that
manifested itself to man. It is in
virtue of the connection between God
and man that God made man in his
own image; that through a long line
of prophets the human truth of God
could be made known to man, till it
came forth developed most entirely
and at large in the incarnation of the
Redeemer. Now in this respect it
will be observed that God stands con
nected with US in relation to the soul
as ''the Light which lighteth every
man that cometh into the world"
Forgiveness is the work of long
life to learn. This Kas at the close of
Joseph's life. He would not have
forgiven them in youth-not when
the smart was fresh-ere he saw the
good resulting from his suffering
But years, experience, trial, had soft
ened Joseph's soul. A dungeon and
government had taught him much;
also his fathers recent death. Do not
think that any formula will teach this.
No mere maxims got by heart about
forgiveness of injuries, no texts per-
petually on the tongue, will do this
God alone can teach it: By expert
ence; by sense of human frailty; by
perception of "the soul of goodness
in things evil" by cheerful trust in
human nature; by strong sense of
Gods love; by long and disciplined
realization of the atoning love of
Christ; only thus can we get that
free, manly, large, princely spirit
which the best and purest of all the
patriarchs, Joseph, exhibited in his
matured manhood.
Settle it in your minds, the absolv-
ing power is the central secret of the
Gospel. Salvation is unconditional;
not an offer, but gift; clogged with
conditions, but free as the air we
breathe. God welcomes back the
prodigal. God loves without money
and without price. To this men re-
ply gravely. It is dangerous to speak
thus; it is perilous to dispense with
the safeguards of restriction. Law !
law there is nothing like lava sal
utary fear-for making men holy
0 blind Pharisee! had you ever
known the spring, the life which
comes from feeling free, the gush of
gratitude with which the heart
springs to duty when all chains are
shattered, and it stands fearless and
free in the light, and in the love of
God-you would understand that a
large trusting charity, which can
throw itself on the better and more
generous impulses of a laden spirit,
is the safest as well as the most beau
tiful means of securing obedience.
GoD.-With God there is no time
it is one eternal Now. This is made
conceivable to us by recent writer,
who had reminded us that there are
spots in the universe which have not
yet been reached by the beams of
light which shone from this earth at
its creation. If, therefore, we are
able on an angels wings to reach that
spot in second or two of time, the
sight of this globe would be just be-
coming visible as it was when chaos
passed into beauty. A few. myriads
of miles nearer, we should be met by
the picture of the world in the state
Of deluge. And so in turn would
present themselves the spectacles of
patriarchial life; of Assyrian, Grecian,
Persian, Roman civilization: and, at
short distance from the earth, the
scenes of yesterday. Thus a mere
transportation in space would make the
past present. And thus, all that we
need is the humiliation of space to
annihilate time. So that If we con-
conceive Being present everywhere
in space, to Him all past events would
be present. At the remotest extrem-
ity of the angel's journey, he would
see the worlds creation; at this ex-
tremity, the events that pass before
our eyes to-day. Omnipresence in
space is thus equivalent to ubiquity
in time. And to such a being, de-
monstrably, there would be no Time.
All would be one vast, eternal Now.
Every insincere habit of mind