The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-08-05

Paul was a cool logician, with nerves un-
shaken in the Mediterranean shipwreel..
granitic nature, comfortable with the
whole world against him, shaking his fist
in the face of the Governments of earth and
the forces Of darkness; yet the thought
of Christ thrilled him, transported him,
overwhelmed him. John Knox was un-
bending in his nature, and hard in some
respects. The flash of his indignation
made the queen shiver and the duchess
quake; yet he sat down as a little child at
the feet of Jesus. Solomon was surround
ed by all palatial splendor-his ships go
ing out from Ezion- geber on voyages Of
three years, bringing back all the wonders
of the world; his parks afoat with myrrh
and frankincense, and a-rustle with trees
brought from foreign lands, the traces of
his stupendous gardens found by the
traveller at this day. Solomon sits down
in this place to think of Christ, the alto
whilst seated, there comes a breath of the
spices and aromatic woods, and of the
blossoms, in through the palace win
dow, and he crys out:
My beloved Is unto me rs cluster of
campfire from the vineyards OF En-gedi.
o rich and rare, exquisite and ever-last-
ing perfume! Let it in every poor mans
windows; plant it on every grave; put it's
leaves under every dying head; wreath
its blossoms for every garland; wave It's
branches in every home; and when am
about to die, and my hands lie cold and
stiff and white upon the pillow, let some
plain and humble soul come and put in my
dying grasp this living branch with clus-
tiers.
OF campfire from the vineyards OF En- gedi.
1t Is many years now since found the
Lord. I must in your presence tell you
how good He has been to my soul. Often
since then have given Him hard thrust
in His sore side; but He has been patient
with me by day and by night. 1t is the
grief of my life that have treated Him so
badly; but He has never let me go. Ihave
seen no wonderful sights, have heard no
wonderful sounds, / have no marvellous
experiences; it has been a plain story of
patience on His part and of unworthiness
on my part Some of my dear friends be-
fore me have had more rapturous expe-
riences. Christ to them has been the con-
queror on the white horse, or the sun of
Righteousness setting every thing aLlaze
with light, or the bridegroom coming with
lantern and torches. To me it has been
very quiet and undemonstrative expe-
rience. 1t has been something very sweet
but very still. How shall describe itf
have it now:
My beloved IL unto me like a cluster of
campfire from the vineyards of En- gcdL
But I remark further: This campfire
plant of the text was a sy mbol Of Christ in
the fact that it gives coloring. From the
Mediterranean to the Ganges the people
pulverized them, and then used them rs
dye for identifying garments and their
own persons. It was that fact that gave
the campfire plant of the text it's COM
mercial value in the time of King Solo,
mon; type of my Lord jesus, who beau
titles, and adorns, and colors everything
he touches.
have no faith in that mans conversion
whose religion does not color his entire
life. 1t was intended so to do. If a man
has the grace of God in his heart it ought
to show itself in the life. There ought to
be this ''cluster of campfire" In the ledger,
in the roll of Government securities, in the
medical prescription, in the law book. A
religion is of no value to a merchant I'M
less it keeps him from putting false labels
on his goods; or to the plaster er, unless it
keeps him from putting up ceiling which
he knows will crack in six months; or to
the driver, unless it keeps him from LASH
ing his horses to eight miles an hour when
the thermometer is at ninety degrees; or
to the farmer, unless it keeps him from
putting the only sound pippins on the top
OF the barrel. or to the shoemaker, unless
it keeps him from substituting brown pa
per Tor good leather in the soIes. In other
words, the religion of Christ is good for
every thing or it is good for nothing. The
grace OF God never affects US by piece
meal. II the heart is changed the head is
changed, and the liver is changed, and the
spleen is changed, and the hands are
changed, and the feet are changed, and the
store is changed, and the house is changed,
and every thing over which the man has
any influence comes to complete and
radical change. The religion of the
Lord Jesus Christ is not pot of hya-
cinth to be set in a parlor bay-window
Tor passers-by to look at, and to be exam.
fned only by ourselves when we have COM
pany; but 1t is to be perfume filing all
the room of the heart as "a cluster Of
campfire from the vineyards of n-gedi."
The trouble is men do not take their re-
ligion with them. The merchant leaves it
outside the counter lest it disturb the
goods. The housekeeper will not let her
religion trail its roles in the kitchen on
washing-day. The philosopher will not
let his religion come in amid the batteries
lest it get a galvanic shock. But, tell you,
unless your religion goes with you every
where, 1t goes nowhere. That religion
was intended to color all the heart and
the life.
But, mark you, it was bright color.
For the most part 1t was an orange dye
made Of this campfire plant, one of the
most brilliant Of all the colors; aud so the
religion of Jesus Christ casts no bla ckness
or gloom upon the soul. 1t brightcns up
life; 1t brightens up everything. There ID
no more religion in a funeral than there il
in wedding; no more religion in tears
than In smiles. David was no better when
he said he cried out out of the depths OF
hell, than he was when he said that his
mouth was filed with laughter and his