The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-08-01

The boat-davits are swung around. The
boat is lowered. l get into it with red
flag, and cross over to where the City OF
Paris is coming, and wave the flag.
The captain looks off from the bridge
and says: "What do you want?" I re-
ply: Il come to take some of your pas
sengers across to the other vessel;
think they will be safer and happier
there" The captain would look down
with indignation and say: sect out of
the way or will run you down" And
then l would back oars, amidst the jeer-
ing of two hundred or three hundred peo-
pie looking over the taffrail. But the
Umbria and the City of Paris meet under
different circumstances after awhile.
The City of Paris is coming out of a cy-
clone; the life boats are smashed; the
bulwarks gone; the vessel rapidly going
down. The boatswain gives his last whis-
tie of despairing command. The passen-
gers run up and down the deck and some
pray, and all make a great outcry.
The captain says: F'You have
about fifteen minutes now to pre-
pare for the next world" "No hopep'
sounds from stem to stern and from the
ratlines down to the cabin. I see the dis
tress. I am let down by the Umbria. 1
push off as fast as can toward the sink
ing City of Paris. Before come up peo-
bic are leaping into the water in their
anxiety to get to the boat, and when I
swing up under the side of the City of
Paris, the frenzied passengers rush
through the gangway, until the officers,
with axe, and clubs, and pistols, try to
keep back the crowd, each wanting his
turn to come next. There is but one life
boat, and they all want to get into it,
and the cry is: ''Me nextl Me next?"
You see the application before I make it.
As long as man going on in his sin feels
that all is well, and he is coming out at a
beautiful port, and has all sail set, he
wants no Christ, he wants no help, he
wants no rescue; but if, under the flash of
Gods convicting spirit he shall see that
by reason of sin he is dismasted and
waterlogged, and going down into the
trough of the sea where he can not live,
how soon he puts the sea glass to his
eyes and sweeps the horizon, and at the
first sign of help cries out: II want to be
saved. want to be saved now. want
to be saved forever" No sense of dam
ger, no application for rescue.
The Bible is not comp limentary in its
language. 1t does not speak mincingly
about our sins. 1t does not talk apollo
getically. There is no vermilion in its
style. 1t does not cover up our trans
gressions with blooming metaphor. 1t
does not sing about them in weak fall
setto; but it thunders out: ''The imag-
nation of mans heart is evil from his
youth" every one has gone back. He
has altogether become filthy. He is
abominable and filthy, and drinketh in in
iquity like water" And then the Lord
Jesus Christ filings down at our feet this
catalogue: ''Out of the heart
of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornication, murders, thefts, blasphe-
N.Y." There is text for your RATIONAL
lists to preach from. Oh, the dignity of
human naturei There Is an element of
your science of man that the anthropolo-
gist never has had the courage vet to
touch; and the Bible, in all the ms and
outs of the most forcefuI style, sets forth
our natural pollution, and represents in
iquity as frightful thing, as an exhaust
ing thing, as a loathsome thing. 1t is not
q mere bemiring of the feet, it is not
mere befouling Of the hands; it is going
down, head and ears under, in a ditch.
until our clothes abhor us.
My brethren, shall we stay down where
sin thrusts us? l shall not if you do. We
can not afford to. have to-day to tell
you that there is something purer than
snow water, something more pungent
han alkali, and that is the blood of Jesus
Christ that cleanseth from all sin. Ave,
he river of salvation, bright, crystalline
md Heaven born, rushes through this
audience with billowy tide strong
enough to wash your sins completely and
brewer away. Oh, Jesus, let the dam
hat holds it back now break, and the
foods of salvation roll over us.
Let the water and the blood
From Thy side healing flood,
BE of sin the double cure,
Save from wrath and make me pure.
Let us get down on both knees and battle
n that flood of mercy. Ay, strike out
With both hands and try to swim to the
'ther shore Of this river of Gods grace.
70 you is the word of this salvation sent. /
Take this largess of the Divine bounty. |
though you Rave gone down in the deep /
st ditch of hbidinous desire and corrupt |
though you have sworn all |
'lasphemies until there is not one single /
Vord left for you to speak; though you
lave been submerged by the transgres-
ions OF lifetime; though you are so far
lown in your sin that no earthly help can
ouch your case, the Lord Jesus Christ
lends over you to-day and offers you
lis right hand, proposing to lift
ou up, first making you whittier
han snow, and then raising you to
Tories that never die. ''Billy," said
Christian bootblack to another, "When
re come up to Heaven it won't make any
Inference that we've been bootbIacks
ere, for we shall get in, not somehow or
ther, but, Billy, we shall get straight
trough the gate" Oh, if you only knew
ow full and free and tender is the offer
f Christ this day you would all take Him
'ithout one single exception; and if all
he doors Of this house were locked save
ne, and you were compelled to make
gress by only one door, and stood there
nd questioned you, and the Gospel of
hrist had made the right impression
pom your heart to-day, you would answer
lie as you went out, one AMI all: "Jesus
; mine, and | am His !" Oh. that this
light be the hour when you would receive
lin.
1t is not Gospel merely for footpads
nd Migrants and buccaneers; it is for
le highly polished and the educated and
le refined as we'll. Except a man be
orn again. he can not see the Kingdom
God" Whatever may be your asso-