The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-09-11

were as much changed as Gourgis, the
heather, who went into prayer-meet-
ing with dagger and gun to disturb
the meeting and destroy it, but the
next day was found cryings ''Oh, my
great sins! Oh, my great Saviour!" and
for eleven years preached the Gospel OF
Christ to his fellow-mountai the
last words on his dying lips being:
Free gracew Oh, it was free grace!
There is man who was for ten years
a hard drinker. The dreadful appetite
has sent down its roots around the pal
ate and the tongue, and on down until
they were interlinked with the vitals
of body, mind, and soul; but he has not
taken any stimulants for ten years.
What did that? Not temperance socie-
ties. Not prohibition laws. Not moral
suasion. Conversion did it. why"
said one upon whom the great change had
come, ''sir, l feel just as though l were
somebody elser' There is a sea cap
tain who swore all the way from New
York to Havana, and from Havana to
San Francisco, and when he was in port
he was worse than when he was on the
sea. What power was it that washed
his tongue clean of profanities, and
made him psalw-Singer? Conversion
by the Holy Spirit There are thou
ands of people in this assemblage to-
day who are no more what they once
were than a water-lily is nightshade,
or morning lark is vulture, or day
is night.
Now, if l should demand that all
those people here present who have
felt the converting power of religion
should rise, so far from being ashamed,
they would spring to their feet with
more alacity than they ever sprang to
the dance, the tears mingling with
their exhilaration as they cried: ''We
are Witnesses And if they tried to
sing the old Gospel hymn they would
break down with emotion by the time
they got to the second line:
Ashamed of Jesus that dear friend
On whom my hopes of Heaven depend?
No! When blush, be this my shame:
That no more revere His name.
Again l remark that we are witnesses
of the Gospels power to comfort. There
are Christian parents here who are will
ing to testify to the power of this Cos
pei to comfort. Your son had just grad
uated from school or college and was
going into business, and the Lord took
him. Or your daughter had just gradu-
ated from the young ladies' seminary,
and you thought she was going to
be useful woman and of long life;
but the Lord took her, and you were
tempted to say: "All this culture of
twenty years for nothing!' Or the lit
tie child came home from school with
agonized prayer or for the skillful ply
stefan, and the little child was taken.
Or the babe was lifted out of your rms
by some quick epidemic, and you stood
wondering why God ever gave you that
child at all, if so soon He was to take it
away. And yet you are not repining,
you are not fretful, you are
not fighting against God. What
has enabled you to stand all
the trial? oh" you say, 81 took
the medicine that God gave my sick
soul. In my distress l threw myself at
the feet of sympathi. ing God; and
when was too weak to pray or to look
up, He breathed into me peace that
think must be the foretaste of that
Heaven where there is neithera tear MOI
farewell, nor a grave" Come, all We
who have been out to the grave to weep
there-come, all We comforted souls get
up off your knees Is there no power in
| this Gospel to soothe the heart? Is
| there no power in this religion to quiet
the worst paroxys of grief? There come;
up an answer from comforted widow,
hood, and orphanage, and childlessness,
saying: "Ay, ay, we are with esses!"
When man has trouble the world
comes in and says: Now get your
mind off this; go out and breathe the
fresh air; plunge deeper into business.
What poor advice! Get your mind off it
When every thing is upturned with the
bereavement, and every thing reminds
you of what you have lost. Get your
mind off it? They might as well advise
you to stop thinking. You can not
stop thinking, and you can not stoI
thinking in that direction. Take q
walk in the fresh air. Why, along tina
very street. or that very road, she once
accompanied you. Out of that grass
plat she plucl1ed flowers, or into that
show window she looked, fascinated,
saying: Come see the pictures
Go deeper into business? Why
she was associated with all you
business ambition, and since she ha.
gone you have no ambition left
Oh, this is clumsy world when it trie!
to comfort broken heart can builC
Corliss engine, 1 can paint Raphaeli
Madonna" / can play Beethovent
''Erotca Symphony" as easily as thi
world can comfort broken heart. AnC
yet you have been comforted. How wa
it done? Did Christ come to you an(
say: Get your mind off this; go gu
and breathe fresh air; plunge deeper in
to business?" No. There was minut,
when He came to you-perhaps in tn,
watches of the night, perhaps in you
place of business, perhaps along tn,
> street-and He breathed something int
! your soul that gave peace, rest. infnit,
quiet, so that you could take out tn,
J photograph of the departed one anC
/ lrz,1y s,,f@ ~