The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-06-06
uhich there shall hs no chains 10 hreak,

which there shall be no chains TO break,
no sorrows to assuage, no despotism to
shatter, no woes to compassionate. u
Christ, descendI Scared temple, take the
crown! Bruised hand, take the scepter!
Wounded foot, step the throne! Chime is
the kingdom" These things l say because
1 want you to be alert. l want you to be
watching all these wonders unrolling
| from the Heavens and the earth. God
has classified them, whether calamitous
| or pleasing. The Divine purposes are har-
messed in traces that can not break, and
| in girths that can not slip, and in buckles
| that can not loosen, and are driven by
reins they must answer. preach no IA
| talism. A swarthy engineer at one of the
| depots in Dakota said: "Wheu will you
| get on the locomotive and take ride with
us?"
"WelI," said, ''now if that suits you"
| So got on one side the locomotive, and
Methodist minister, who was also invited,
got on the other side, and between us
were the engineer and stoker. The train
started. The engineer had his hand on
the agitated pulse of the great engine.
The stoker shoveled in the coal and shut
the door with loud clang. A vast plain
slipped under us and the bills swept by,
trembled and bounded and snorted and
ragged as it hurried US on. I said to the
Methodist minister on the other side of
the locomotive: "My brother, why should
! Presbyterians and Methodists quarrel
about the DEGREES and free agency? You
see that track, that firm track, that iron
track; that is the decree. You see this
engineers arm? That is free agency.
How beautifully they work together.
They are going to take US through. We
could not do without the track, and we
could not do without the engineer"
There is house in London where Peter
the Great of Russia lived awhile when he
was moving through the land incognito
and in workman's dress, that he might
learn the wants of the people. A stranger
was visiting at that house recently, and
saw in a dark attic an old box, and he
said to the owner of the house, "What's
in that box?" The owner said: 81 don't
know; that box was there when l got
the house and it was there when my
father got it. We haven't had any
curiosity to look at it; guess there's
nothing in it." "Well," said the stranger,
'I'll give you two pounds for it." "Well,
DONE" The two pounds are paid, and
recently the contents of that box were
sold to the Gear of Russia for fifty thou
sand dollars. In it were the lathing ma
chine of Peter the Great, his private let
ters and documents of value beyond all
monetary consideration. And here are
the events that seem very insignificant
and unimportant, but they increase treas
ures of Divine providence and eternities
of meaning which after awhile God will
demonstrate before the ages as being of
stupendous value. As near as [ can tell
: from what l see, there must be a sod
r somewhere about.
When Titans play quoits they pitch
} mountains; but who owns these gigantic
| forces you have been reading about the
} last two months? Whose hand is on the
/ throttle valve of the volcanoes? Whose
foot suddenly planted on the footstool
D makes the continents culver? God! God!
: He looketh upon the mountains and they
: tremble. He toucheth the hills and they
, smoke. God! God! l must be at peace
C with Him. Through the Lord Jesus Christ
e this God is mine and He is yours. put
Y the earthquake that shook Palestine at
u the erucifxion against all the down rock
Y ings of the centuries. This God on our
= side, we may challenge all the centuries
r of time and all the cycles of eternity.
r Those of us who are in mid-life may
n we'll thank God that we have seen sc
y many wondrous things; but there are
/, people here to-day who will see the
: twentieth century. Things obscure to us
g will be plain to you yet. The twentieth
d century will be as far ahead of the nine
S teenth as the nineteenth is ahead Of the
a eighteenth and as you caricature the
;, habits and customs and ignorance of the
y past, others " i'll caricature this age. Some
.f TO-
e between the material and the spiritual
!. world lifted. Magnetism, a word will
n which we cover up our ignorance
1t will yet be an explored realm. Electrici
d ty, the fiery courser of the sky that Ben
iamin Franklin lassoed and Morse anC
y Bell and Edison have tried to control
Ie will become completely manageable, anC
p locomotion will be switched and worlC
j. of practical knowledge thrown in upoI
lie the race. Whether we depart in thi
10 century, or whether we see the opel
e. gates of more wonderful century, ",
,e will see these things. 1t does not maxi
al much difference where we stand, but tn
at higher the standpoint the larger the pros
se pect. We will see them from Heaven i
h we do not see them from earth.
i'd I Twas at Fire Island, Long Island, and
se went up in the cupola from which the,
Y telegraph to New York the approach o
10 vessels hours before they come into port
s, There is an opening in the wall, and tn
IN operator puts his telescope through tina
l. opening and looks out and sees vessel
lg far out at sea. While I was talking wit
d him he went up and looked out He said
&c "We are expecting the Arizona tonight.
ze 1 said: SIS it possible you know al
st those vessels? Do you know them a
:" you know mans face?" He said: s'Yes
ne never make a mistake. Before I Sc
ne the hulks 1 often know them b
he the masts. I know them all; I hav
~ watched them so long" Oh, what
of grand thing it is to have ships telegraphet
in and heralded long before they come t.
a port, that friends may come down to tn
lg wharf and welcome their 1ong-abser
e, loved ones. So to-day we take our stant
in in the watch-tower and we look off. an
Y through the glass of inspiration or Prov
IN idence we look off and see whole flee
Is of ships coming in. This is the ship @
Id Peace, flag with one star of BethleheI
d: floating above the top-gallants. That j
the ship of the Church, mark of salt wav
nv high up on the smokestack, showing SD
IL has had rough weather; but the Captai