The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-09-19

Christ suffered for His enemies, and just
take an olive branch, not stripping off
the soft, cool, fragrant leaves, but leav-
ing them all on, and then try on them that
Gospel switch. 1t won't hurt them, and
it will save you. Peace with God;
peace with man. 1t you can not take
those two doctrines you are no Christian.
Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts In Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred mind9
Is like to that above.
From sorrow, toll and pain,
And sin we shall be free
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.
But the text goes further. 1t says: $50
up into the mountain and fetch olive
branches and pine branches" Now what
is suggested by the pine branches? The
pine tree is healthy; it is aromatic; it is
evergreen. How often the physician says
to his invalid patient: eco and have a
breath of the pinesi That will invigorate
YOU" Why do such thousands of people
go South every year? 1t is not merely to
get to warmer climate. but to get to the
influence of the pine. There is health in
it, and this pine branch of the text sug-
gests the healthfulness of our holy re-
ligion; it is full Of health, health for all.
health for the mind, health for the soul.
knew an aged man who had no capital
or physical health. He had all the dis
eases you could imagine; he did not
eat enough to keep child alive; he lived
on beverage of hosannas. He lived
high, for he dined every day with the
King. He was kept alive simply by the
force of our holy religion. 1t is a
healthy religion; healthy for the eye,
healthy for the heart, healthy for the
hand, healthy for the feet, healthy for
the liver, healthy for the spleen, healthy
for the whole man. 1t gives man such
peace, such quietness, such independence
OF circumstances, such holy equipoise.
Oh, that we all possessed it. that we pos
sessed it now. 1 mean that it is healthy
if man gets enough Of it. Now, there
are some people who get just enough re-
ligion to bother them, just enough re-
ligion to make them sick; but if a man
take a full, deep. round inhalation of
these pine branches of the Gospel arbor,
he will find it buoyant, exuberant, indy
ing, immortal health.
But this pine branch of my text also
suggests the simple fact thati is an ever
green. What does this pine branch care
for the snow on its brow? It is only a
crown of glory. The winter can not
freeze 1t out. This evergreen tree branch
is as beautiful in winter as it is in the
summer. And that is the characteristics
of our holy religions; in the sharpest
coolest winter of misfortune and disaster
1t is as good religion as it is in the
bright summer sunshine. Well, now that
is practical truth. For if | should go
up and down these aisles, would not find
in this house fifty people who had had no
trouble. But there are some of you who
have especial trouble. God only knows
what you go through with. Oh, how many
bereavements, how many poverties, how
many prosecutions! How many misrep-
resentationsi And now, my brother, you
have tried every thing else, why
don't you try this evergreen religion?
1t is just as good for you now
as 1t was in the days of your pros
perity; it is better for you. Perhaps
some Of you feel almost like Muckle
Backie, the fisherman, who was chided
one day because he kept on working, al
though that very day he buried his child.
They came to him and said:
''It is indecent for you to be mending
that boat when this afternoon you buried
your child"
And the fisherman looked up and said:
Sir, 1t is very easy for you gentlefolks
to stay in the house with your handker-
chiefs to your eyes in grief; but, sir,
ought l to let the other five children
starve because one of them drowned? No,
sir, we maun work, we maun work.
though our hearts beat like this ham,
mer."
You may have had accumulation of
sorrow and misfortune. They come in
fiocks, they come in herds upon your
soul; and yet have to tell You that this
religion can console you, that it can help
You, that it. can deliver you if nothing
else will. Do you tell me that the riches
and the gain of this world can console
you? How was it with the man who had
such fondness for money that when he
was sick he ordered a basin of gold
pieces to be brought to him, and he put
his equity hands down among the gold
pieces, cooling his hands off in them, and
the rattle and rolling of these gold
pieces we're his amusement and entertain
ment. All, the gold and silver, the hon.
ors, the emoluments of this world are q
poor solace for perturbed spirit. You
want something better than this world
can give. A young Prince. when the chill
dren came around to play with him, re-
fused to play. He said: 81 will only
play with kings" And it might be sup
posed that you would throw away all
all other solace before this regal salts
faction, this imperial joy. Ye who are
sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty
ought to play only with kings.
The hill OF Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the Heavenly fields
Or walk the golden streets.
But my text makes further step, and
1t says: go into the mountain and fetch
olive branches, and pine branches, and
palm branches" Now, the palm tree was
very much honored by the ancients. 1t
had three hundred and sixty different
uses. The fruit was conserved; the sap
was beverage; the stems were ground
up for food for camels; the base of the
leaves was turned into hats and mats and
baskets, and the leaves were carried In
professions; and from the
root to the top of the highest leaf there
was usefulness. The tree grew eighty
five feet in height some times, and it
spread broad leaves four and Eve Yards
lov,cr ELL