The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-07-25

reach the height of the theme, rouses it
up in an oratorio. Oh, there is no life on
earth so happy as really Christian life.
I do not mean sham Christian life, but
a real Christian life. Where there is a
thorn there is whole garland of roses.
Where there is one groan there are three
doxologies. Where there is one day Of
cloud there is whole season of sunshine.
Take the humblest Christian man that
you know-angels of God canopy him
with their white wings; the lightnings of
Heaven are his armed allies; the Lord is
his Shepherd, picking out for him green
pastures by still waters; if he walk forth,
Heaven is his body-guard; if he lie down
to sleep, ladders of light, angel blossom
ing, are let into his dreams; if he be
thirsty, the potentates of Heaven are
his cup-bearers; if he sit down to food,
his plain table blooms into the Kings
banquet. Men say: Look at that old
fellow with the WORKOUT coat;" the an
gels of God cry: lift up your heads, ye
everlasting gates, and let him come imp
Fastidious people cry: ''Get off my front
steps," the doorkeepers of Heaven cry:
"Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit
the kingdoml" When he comes to die,
tAOuSA AO may DO CdIIlOu Oub LII d pine
box to the potter's field, to that potter's
field the chariots of Christ will come
down, and the cavalcade will crowd all
the boulevards of Heaven.
bless Christ for the present satisfac-
ton Of religion. 1t makes man all right
with reference to the past; it makes
man all right with reference to the fut-
ure. Oh these neither springs OF COM
fort! They are perennial. The founda-
ton of God standeth sure having this
seal: "The Lord knoweth them that are
His" "The mountains shall depart and
the hills be removed, but my kindness
shall not depart from thee, neither
shall the covenant of my peace
be removed, saith the Lord, who
hath mercy upon them" Oh,
cluster Of diamonds set in FURNISHED
gold! Oh, neither springs of comfort
bursting through all the valleys of trial
and tribulationl When you see, you of
the world, what satisfaction there is on
earth in religion, do you not thirst after
it as the daughter of Caleb thirsted after
the water springs? 1t is no stagnant
pond, scummed over with malaria, but
springs of water leaping from the Rock
of Ages? Take up one cup of that spring
water, and across the top of the chalice
will float the delicate shadows of the
heavenly wall, the yellow of jasper, the
green of emerald, the blue of sardonyx,
the fire of iacinth.
wish could make you understand the
joy religion is to some of us. 1t makes
man happy while he lives, and glad when
he dies. With two feet upon chair and
bursting with dropsies, l heard an old
man in the poor house cry out: "Bless
the Lord, oh my soulW / looked around
and said: "What has this man got to
thank God forT It makes the lame man
leap like the hart, and the dumb sing.
They say that the old Puritan religion is
a juiceless and joyless religion; but l re-
member reading of DR.. Goodwin, the
celebrated Puritan, who in his last
moments said: SIS this dying? Why, my
bow abides in strength 1 am swallowed
up in God" 'tHer ways are ways of
pleasantness, and all her paths are
peace" Oh, you have been trying to
satisfy yours elves with the 'tsouth land"
of this world, do you not feel that you
would this morning like to have access
to the neither springs of spiritual COM
fort? Would you not like to have Jesus
Christ bend over your cradle and bless
your table, and heal your wounds, and
strew flowers OF consolation all up and
down the graves of your dead?
TITS religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures while we live;
IT'S religion can supply
Sweetest comfort when we die
But have something better to tell you,
suggested by this text. It seems that old
father Caleb on the wedding day of his
daughter wanted to make her Just as hap
Ply as possible. Though Othniel was tax
en- her away, and his heart was almost
broken because she was going, yet he
gives her "south land;" not only that,
but the upper springs. o God, my Fa-
ther, Il thank Thee that Thou hast given me
a "south land" in this world, and the
neither springs of spiritual comfort in this
world; but, more than all, thank Thee
for the upper springs in Heaven. 1t
is very fortunate we can not see
Heaven until we get into it. Oh,
Christian man, if you could see what a
place it is we would never get you back
again to the office or store or shop, and
the duties you ought to perform would go
neglected. / am glad shall not see that
world until enter it. Suppose we were
allowed to go on an excursion into that
good land with the idea of returning.
When we got there, and heard the song,
and looked at their raptured faces, and
mingled in the supernal society, we would
cry out: "Let us stay! We are coming
here anyhow. Why take the trouble of
going back to that old world? We are
here now; let us stay" And 1t would
take angelic violence to put us out of that
world, If We once got there.
But as people who can not afford to pay
for an entertainment sometimes come
around it and look through the door ajar,
or through the opening in the fence, so
we come and look through the crevices in
that good land which God has provided
for us, We can just catch glimpse of
it. We come near enough to hear the
rumbling of the eternal orchestra, though
not near enough to know who blows the
cornet or who fingers the harp. My soul
spreads out both wings and claps them in
triumph at the thought of those upper
springs. One of them breaks from be-
meath the throne; another breaks forth
from beneath the altar of the temple; an
other at the door Of ''the house of many
Upper springs Of gladnessI
Upper springs of light Upper springs of
love! 1t is no fancy of mine. "The Lamb
which is in the midst of the throne shall
lead them to living fountains of waters. -
Oh, Saviour Divine. roll in upon our