The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-09-16

creek where eight or ten other persons are
sitting with hook and line; but, like the
fishermen of Newfoundland, sailing of
and dropping net away outside forty or
fifty miles from shore. Yes, there are
non-church.goers here who will come in.
Next Sabbath they will again be in the
religious service. They are this moment
being swept into Christian associations.
Their voice will be heard in public prayer.
They will die in peace, their bed sur
rounded by Christian sympathies, and
be carried out by devout men to be buried.
and on their grave be chiseled the words:
Precious in the sight OF the Lord Is the
death of His saints.
And on resurrection day you will get
up with the dear children you have al.
ready buried, and with your Christian
parents who have already won the palm.
And all that grand and glorious history
begins now.
Other sheep have, which are not OF this
fold.
/ remark again: The Heavenly Shep-
herd is going to find great many of his
sheep among those who are positive re-
jecters Of Christianity. / do not know
how you came to reject Christianity. 1t
may have been through hearing Theodore
Parker preach, or through reading Re-
mans "Life of Jesus" or through the inf
del talk of some young man in your store.
1t may have been through the trickery of
some professed Christian man who dis
gusted you with religion. do not ask
you how you became SO; but you frankly
tell me that you do reject it. You do not
believe that Christ is a divine being, al
though you admit that he was q very
good man. You do not believe that the
Bible was inspired Of God, although you
think that there are some very fine
things in it. You believe that the Scrip
tural description of Eden was only an al
legory. There are fifty things that be
lieve that you do not believe.
And yet you are an accommodating
man. Every body that knows you says
that of you. If should ask you to do q
kindness for me, or II any one else should
ask Of you Kindness. you would do it.
Now have kindness to ask of you to-
day. 1t is something that will cost yot
nothing and will give me great delight
want you. by experience, to try the
power of Christ's religion. If should come
to you, and you were very sick, and doc
tors had given you up and said there was
no chance for you, and should take ou
a little bottle and say:
"Here is medicine that will cure you
it has cured fifty people and it will cure
YOU"
You would say: 81 have no confidence
in it"
Iwould say: "Won't you take it tt
| oblige me?"
SWELL" you would say, "if it's any &C
commodation to you I'll take it,"
My friend, will you be just as accomme'
dating in matters of religions
| There are some of you who have founG
out that this world can not satisfy you
| soul. You are like the man who told mi
after the service was over:
81 have tried this world and found it al
| insufficient portion. Tell me Of something
better"
| You have come to that. You are sicl
| for the need of Divine medicament. Nov
/ come and tell you of a physician wht
| will cure you, who has cured hundreds
/ and hundreds who were sick as you are.
"Oh," you say, 81 have no confidence il
him"
But will you not try him? Accomodat
| me in this matter; oblige me in th1 mat
ter; just try him. / am very certain h
win cure you. You reply: II have n
special confidence in him; but II you asl
mo as matter Of accommodation, introduce
him." So introduce him--Christ, the
/ physician who has cured more blind eyes
and healed more CHASTITY wounds, an
bound up more broken hearts, than all tn
doctors since the time of Esculapius.
That Divine physician is here. Are yo'
not ready to try himl VIM you not as
pure matter of experiment state your cas-
before him nowi Hold nothing back from
him. II you can not pray, if you do no
know how to pray any other way, say:
"Oh, Lord Jesus Christ, this is strang
thing for me to do! know nothing abou
the formulas of religion. These Christian
people have been talking so long abou
what thou canst do for me. am ready t
do whatever thou commanded me to do.
am ready to take whatever thou command
est me to take. If there be any power i
religion, as these people say. let me hav
the advantage of it." AS
Willyou try that experiment? do no
at this point Of my discourse say tha
there is anything in religion; but simpl
say try it-try it. Do not take my cour
sci, or the counsel of any clergyman,
you despise clergymen. Perhaps we ma
be talking professionally; perhaps we ma
be hypocritical in our utterances; perhar
our advice is not worth taking. The
take the counsel of some very respectabl
laymen--as John Milton, the poet; a
William Wilberforce, the statesman; O
Isaac Newton, the astronomer; as Robel
Boyle, the philosopher; as Locke, tn
metaphysician. They never preached {
pretended to preach; and yet putin
down-one his telescope, and another hi
Parliamentary scroll, and another hi
electricians wire-they all declare tn
adaptedness of Christ's religion to til
wants and troubles of the world. If yo
win not take the recommendation of til
ministers Of the gospel, then take Il
recommendation of highly respectful
laymen. Oh, men skeptical and struc
through with unrest, would you not lii
to have some of the peace whic
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