The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-12-26

for ACKNOWLEDGMENT. l declare to you
that if we ever get a new church the let
ter we should like to have on every stone
and every timber would be the letter G,
for that would stand both for Christ and
for Catholicity. The last two words
uttered in the old church on Friday
night, some of you may remember, were
'Hallelujah! Amenw
The two words that I utter now as
most expressive of my feelings in this
our first service after the Baptism of
Fire, are hallelujahl Amenl "None of
these things move me-"
We are kept in this mood by two or
three considerations. The first is, that
God rules. In what way the church took
fire do not know. 1t has been charged
on the lightnings. Well. the Lord con-
trolls the lightnings. He managed them
several thousands of years before our
electricians were born. The Bible in
dicates that though they fash down the
sky recklessly, God builds for them a
road to travel
In the Psalms it is said: "He made a
way for the lightning and thunder"
Ever since the time of Benjamin Frank
lin the world has been trying to tame the
hghtnings, and they seem to be quite
we'll harnessed, but occasionally kick
over the traces. But though we can not
master great natural forces, God can and
does, and that God is our Father and
best friend, and this thought gives us
confidence.
We are also REINFORCED by the in
creased consolation that comes from
eonfraternity of sorrow. The people who,
during the past sixteen years, sat on the
other side of the aisle, whose faces were
familiar to you, but to whom you had
never spoken-you greeted them this
week with smiles and tears as you said:
well. the old place is gone." You did
not want to seem to cry, and so you
swept the sleeve near the corner of the
eye, and pretended it was the sharp wind
made your eyes weak, Ali there was
nothing the matter with your eyes; it was
your soul bubbling over. I tell you that
1t is impossible to sit for years around
the same church Preside and not have
sympathies in common. Somehow you
feel that you would like those people on
the other side of the aisle, abou whom
you know but little, prospered and par
doned and blessed aud saved. You feel
as If you are in the same boat, and you
want to glide up the same harbor and
want to disembark at the same wharf.
II you put gold, and iron, and lead, and
zinc in sufficient heat they will melt into
conglomerate masss and 1 really feel
that last Sabbath's fire has fused US all,
grosser and finer natures, into one. 1t
seems as if we all had our hands on a wire
connected with an electric battery; and
when this church sorrow started it
thrilled through the whole circle aud we
all felt the shock. The oldest man and
the youngest child could Join hands in
this misfortune. Grandfather said. ~
expected from these affairs to be buried;"
and one of the children last Sabbath
cried: "Grandpa, that place was next to
our own house.o Yea, we are supported
and comforted in this time by the cross
of Christ.
That is used to the fire. o the dark
day when Jesus died, the lightning struck
it from above, and the flames of hell
dashed up against it from beneath. That
fearful, painful, tender, blessed cross
still stands. On it we hang all our hopes.
beneath it we put down all our sins; in
the light OF it We expect to make the rest
of our pilgrimage. Within sight of such
a sacrifice, who can feel he has it hardg
In the sight OF such a symbol, who can
be discouraged, however great the dark
ness that may come upon him? Jesus
livesl The loving, patient sympathiz-
ing, mighty Jesusl 1t shall not be told
on earth, or in hell, or in Heaven, that
three Hebrew children had the Son of
God beside them in the fire, and that
whole church was fOrsaken by the Lord
when they went through furnace about
two hundred feet wide.
o, Lord Jesus shall we take out of Thy
hand the flowers and the fruits, and the
brightness and the joys, and then turn
away because Thou dost give us one cup
of bitterness to drink? Oh, no Jesus! we
will drink it dry. But how it Is changed!
Blessed Jesus, what hast Thou PIT into
the cup to sweeten it? Why, it has be-
come the wine of Heaven, and our souls
grow strong. 1 come now, and place
both of my feet deep down into the black
ened ashes of our consumed church. and
1 cry out with an exhilaration that
never felt since the day of my SOUPS
emancipation: Victory victory through
our Lord, Jesus ChrlstW
Your harps, yOsrembling saints,
Down from the willows take.
Loud to the praise of love divine
Bid every string awake.
We are also re-enforced by the cath.
ol1city that / have already referred to.
We are in the Academy to-day, not be.
cause we have no other place to go. Last
Sabbath morning at nine O'Clock we had
but one church; now we have thirty, all
at our disposal. Their pastors and their
trustees say: ''You may take our main
audience rooms, you may take our
lecture room, you may take our church
parlors, you may baptize in our bap-
Histories and sit on our anxious seats"
OIL if there be any larger hearted min
listers or larger hearted churches any,
where than in Brooklyn, tell me where
they are that may go and see them be.
fore die. People keep wondering when
it is coming. 1t has come. The lion and
the lamb lie down together, and the tiger
eats straw like an OK. / should like to
have seen two of the old time bigots.
with their swords fighting through that
great fire on Schermerhorn street last
Sa bbath. | am sure the swords would
have melted, and they who welded them
would have learned war no more.
can never say word against anv
other denomination of Christians, I.
thank God never have been tempted to
do it. can not be a sectarian. 1 have
been told ought to be, and / have tried