The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-08-02

cried ont: 30, Jesus! y, my blessed
Jesus! o, divine Jesus! who would not
die for thee"
Again, remark that Christ is precious
to the believer as friend You have COM
mercial friends and you have family
friends. To the commercial friend you
go when you have business troubles. You
can look back to some day--it may have
been ten or twenty years ago-when, if
you had not had that friend, you would
have been entirely overthrow in bust
ness. But want to tell you this morning
of Jesus. the best business friend a man
ever haa. He can pull you out of the
worst perplexities. There are people in
this audience who have got in the habit
of putting down all their worldly troubles
at the feet Of Jesus. Why, Christ meets
the business man on the street and says:
ooh, business man, l know all thy
troubles. 1 will be with thee. Twill see
thee through" Look out how you try to
corner or trample on a man who is back
ed up by the Lord God Almighty. Look
out how you trample on Him. Oh. there
is fnancier that many of our business
men have not found out. Christ owns all
the boards of trade, all the insurance
companies and all the banking houses.
They say that the Vanderbilts own the
railroads; but Christ owns the Wander
bits and the railroads, and all the plot
tings of stock gamblers shall be put to
confusion, and God, with his little finger,
shall wipe ont their infamous projects.
How often it has been that we have seen
men gather up riches by fraud, in a
pyramid of strength and beauty, and the
Lord came and blew on it and it was
gone; while there are those here to day
who, if they could speak out in this as
semblage, or dared to speak out, would
say:
"The best friend had in 1887, the best
friend 1 had in 1851, the best friend had
at the opening of the war, the best friend
1 ever had, has been the Lord Jesus
Christ would rather give up all other
friends than this one"
But we have also family friends. They
come in when we have sickness in the
household. Perhaps they say nothing;
but they sit down and they weep as the
light goes out from the bright eyes, and
the white petals of the lily are scattered
in the blast of death. They watch through
the long night by the dying couch, and
then, when the spirit has gone, soothe you
with great comfort. They say: 'Don't
cry. Jesus pities you. All is well, You
will meet the lost one again" Then.
when your son went off, breaking your
heart, did they not come and put the story
in the very best shape and propheS v the
return of the prodigal? Were they not
in your house when the birth angel
tapped its wings over your dwelling?
And they have been there at the baptisms
and at the weddings. Family friends
But have to tell you that Christ is the
best family friend. o, blessed is that
cradle over which Jesus bends. Blessed
is that nursery where Jesus walks.
Blessed is that sick brow from which
Jesus wipes the dampness. Blessed is
that table where Jesus breaks the bread.
Blessed is that grave where Jesus stand S
W it'll his SCARED feet ON the upturned sod,
saying:
81 am the resurrection and the life; he
that believeth in Me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live"
''God is our refuge and strength, an
ever-present help in time of trouble
! therefore we will not fear, though the
earth be removed, though the mountain
| be carried into the midst of the sea, though
the waters thereof roar and be troubled
blO luOullbttluS Sudko Will tue
swelling thereof. Selah."
The other day there was sailor who
| came into the Bethel in New York and
| said:
"My lads Che was standing among The
sailors) I don't know what's the m attel
with me. used to hear a good deal about
religion and about Jesus Christ l dom
know that I have any religion, or that
know any thing much about Christ, bu
when was in mid Atlantic I looked vi
one day through the rigging and there
seemed to come light through my soul.
have felt different ever since, and 1 love
| those that once hated, and feel joy
can't tell you. l really don't know what
| is the matter with me-"
| A rough sailor got up and said:
| my lad, l know what's the matter Of
| you. You have found Jesus. 1t is enoug
to make any man happy"
His worth, if all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love him too.
| Iremark again: Christ is precious t,
the believer, as final deliverer. Y o,
and [ must after awhile get out of thi
world. Here and there, one perhaps may
come on to eighty, to ninety years of age
| but your common sense tells you that the
next twenty-five years will land the ma
jority of this audience in eternity. TIL
next ten years will thin out great man,
of these family circles. This day may d.
the work for some of US. Now, why do
say this? To scare you? No; but just a
| would stand in your Office. if were
business man and you were bushes
man, and talk over risks. You do no
consider it cowardly to talk in your stor
over temporal risks. Is it base in us thi
morning to talk little while over tn
risks of the soul, that are for eternity
In every congregation death has the las
year been doing a great deal of work
Where is your fathers Where is you
mother? your child? your brother? you
sister? 0, how cruel does death seem t.
be! Will he pluck every flower? Viii
he poison every fountain? Will he pu
black on every door-knob? Will he sna
every heart-string? Can keep nothing
Are there no charmed weapons will
which to go out and contend against him
Give me some keen sword, sharpened il
Gods armory, with which I may stab hin
through. Give me some battle axe that
may clutch it, and hew HIM from helme
to sandal. Thank God, thank God, tina
he that rideth on the pale horse hatl