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

pity US as they look over and down and
see US, and say: "Poor things away
down in that world" And when some
Christian is hurled into fatal acct
dent they cry: "GoodI ae is COM
ing" And when we stand around the
couch of some loved one, whose strength
is going away, and we shake our heads
forebodingly, they cry: II am glad he is
worse; he has been down there long
enough. There, he is dead! Come home!
Come homew Oh, if we could only get
our ideas about that future world I'M
twisted, our thought of transfer from
here to there would be as pleasant to us
as it was to little child that was dying.
She said: 'Papa, when will go homc?"
And he said: ''To-day, Florence" ITO
day? So soon? am so gladw
wish could stimulate you with these
thoughts, oh Christian man, to the high
est possible exhilaration. The day of
your deliverance is coming, is coming.
1t is rolling on with the shining wheels of
the day, and the jet wheels of the night.
Every thump of the heart is only ham,
mer-stroke striking off another chain of
clay. Better scour the deck and coil the
rope, the harbor is only six miles away.
Jesus will come down in the ''Narrows"
to meet you. Now is your salvation near
er than when you believed. UnfOrgiven
man, unpardoned man, will you not to-
day make a choice between these two por-
tons, the "south land" of this world,
which slopes to the desert, and this
glorious land which thy Father offers
thee, running with eternal water courses?
Why let your tongue be consumed with
thirst when there are the neither springs
and the upper springs, comfort here and
glory hereafter?
Let me tell you, my dear brother, that
the silliest and wickedest thing man
ever does is to reject Jesus Christ. The
loss of the soul is mistake that can not
be corrected. 1t is downfall that knows
no alienation; it is aruin that is remedi-
less; it is a sickness that has no medical
ment; it is a grave into which a man
goes, but never comes out. Therefore,
putting my hand on your shoulder as one
brother puts his hand on the shoulder of
brother, l say this day, be manly and
surrender your heart to Christ You have
been long enough serving the world; now
begin serving the Lord who bought you.
You have tried long enough to carry
these burdens; let Jesus Christ put His
shoulder under your burden.
Do hear any one in the audience say:
"bmean to attend to that after awhile: it
is not just the timer" It is the time, for
the simple reason that you are sure of no
other; and God sends you here this morn
ing, and He sent me here to confront you
with this message; and you must hear
now that Christ died to save your SOUL
and that if you want to be saved
you may be saved. "Whosoever
will, let him come" You will
never find any more convenient season
than this. Some of you have been wait
ing ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty aud
sixty years. On some of you the snow
has fallen. see it on your brow, and yet
you have not attended to those duties
which belong to the very springtime Of
life. 1t is September with you now, it is
October with you, it is December with
you.
am no alarmist. I simply know this:
If man does not repent in this world he
never repents at all, and that now is the
accepted time, and now is the day of sal
walton. Oh put off this matter no longer.
Do not turn your back on Jesus Christ.
who comes to save you, lest you should
lose your soul. On Monday morning a
friend of mine started from New York to
celebrate her birthday with her daughter
in Virginia. On Saturday of the same
week, just after sunrise, 1 stood at the
gate of Greenwood waiting for her silent
form to come in. 1t is long journey to
take in one week-from New York to
Philadelphia, from Philadelphia to Balti-
more, from Baltimore to Washington,
from Washington to Virginia, from Vir-
ginia into the great eternity. "What thy
hand findeth to do, do it."