The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-01-28

rail- trains. mere is no man VINO oXpecUS
to miss Heaven. But how are you going
to get over all these obstacles? l ask you
as reasonable men, if the impediments in
the way ought not to arouse you?
Another awakening consideration is in
the value of the soul. Theodore forbade
the debasing of the National coin. They
say; "We ought to debase it. We can
mix something else in it and it will be just
as good" "No," said Theodore, 81 will
not have my face imprinted on a debased
COIN" Here we are. The image of God
has been imprinted upon our soul, and yet
it has been debased and has become a
counterfeit. We have all sinned, and we
are all lost, unless divine grace rescue and
redeem us. Now, here is the soul. What
is it worth? Is there not something in its
value to arouse us? sometimes hear peo-
pie compare the soul in value to a mine.
That is a very poor comparison, for the
silver and gold in the mine will melt after
awhile, and be of no more value than the
scoria spit out from Cotopaxi, while these
jewels of the soul will exist as long as
there are vases in eternity to hold them,
Might not rather take a pair of scales?
They are rightly adjusted. The Two sides
are just even now. hold up the balances.
On one side of that scale put in simply
soul, nothing else at all; no trapping, but
simply naked soul. That is on one side
of the balances. On the other side of the
balances I put this world with all it's
riches and honors and gains, ponderous
world. But that world rises; that side
goes up, while the other side in which
is the soul comes down with ten
thousand million ton weight. 1t is an
immortal SOUL 1t is priceless soul. 1t is
Gagged now. 1t beats sometimes against
the wires of the cage and tries to escape,
but it can not; but, let once the door of the
cage be opened the thousandth part of an
inch, as it will be after while opened, let
it be opened ever so little, and that soul
goes out, taking fifty worlds at bound.
o.! what shall it profit man if he gain
the whole world and lose his own soul?"
Another arousing consideration find in
the brevity of the time in which we have
to prepare for the next world How long
it took to complete the East River Bridge!
Twelve or thirteen years. If it it had
taken twenty years from the day the first
foundation stone was laid, it would not
have been great while for so magnificent
a structure. How long was st. Peters in
building? Scores and hundreds of years.
And st. Paul's is not done yet. If there is
u vast work to be done you expect it will
take great while to do it. Now, here,
they tell us, is a temple of holiness to be
built in every mans soul. How long are
you going to give US to build that temple?
thousand years. SO, no." you say ,"you
can't have so much as that" Nor seven
hundred, nor five hundred, nor three hun
dred, nor two hundred, nor one hundred,
and some of us will not have sixty, and
some of us will not have fifty, and some of
us will not have thirty, and some of us
will not have twenty-to build this great
temple. o how vast the work and how
short time there is to do It'll
When will this procession that you see
every afternoon from two to four O'Clock,
stop! This long. procession going out to-
ward the cemeteries. Not until all these
merchants have gone out of their stores
and all these mechanics have gone out of
their shops, and all these artists have gone
out of their studios, and all these mothers
have left their cradles, and all this city
shall be emptied of this present population
The procession will keep going on until
those who are here this night shall have
Joined it in silence. o, how brief life is =!
We talk about il till it gets q stale truth,
but sometimes God strikes it on the soul
with such vehemence that we are reused
up. My brother, "a missionary in China,
was telling me of an instrument that they
had at work in China during the insurrec-
ton for the beheading of men. He said it
worked a stroke something like that (indi-
cating) and at every stroke one life went,
and another, and another. And, l thought
to myself, that is just like the stroke of the
minutes. In just that way the genera
tions pass off. Certainly, as quickly as
that. A life-another is gone, and another,
and another. The waves of humanity
dash up on that other beach in quick sue
cession. Every stroke of the heart says:
'Be quickv The revolution of the sea-
sons; "Be quick'' The coming of the
morning, the dropping of the night: "Be
quickv' F...zs
Another arousing consideration find in
the glory to be won. Paul was very
fond of comparing the Christian life to a
foot race. Those foot races have gone out
of fashion But you have seen racing, and
you know that very often the driver and
his horse is influenced by the wager. He
| knows whether it is large wager or a
small wager. Two steamers start for
Liverpool, and it is known that the one
that makes the quickest trip gets the job of
carrying the United States mail. Will
| not the fact that the contract viii be given
| to the swiftest vessel somehow influence
the speed of those ships? Now, I say, we
| are started in a race, and ought not the
| fact that there are vast emoluments, great
gains, crown of glory that fadeth not
| away, before us, ought not these consid-
erations to inspirit us by the way? o,
blessed land. If you were offered in the
gospel merely bunch of withered flow
ers-if you were offered merely the dregs
of wine cup. l would not be surprised
ii you felt uninterested in the result;
but when / tell you of the joys that are
offered to you through the gospel do not
see how you can stop a moment in the
race. | do not understand why you do
not put forth redoubled strength that you
may gain the prize.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst
any more, neither shall the sun light on
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