The Bossier banner., 1890-08-21


which He receives a sinner back again?
Give ne plummet with which ] may
| fathom this sea. Give me a ladder
with which 1 can scale this height
Give me words with which L can de-
scribe this love. The apostle says in
one place, ''unsearchable in another,
''past finding out" Height overtopping
all height; depth plunging beneath all
depth; breadth comprising all immens-
ity.
Oh, this love! God so loved the world.
He loves you. Don't you believe iU
Has He not done every thing to make
you think so? He has given you life.
health, friends, home-the use of your
hand the sight of your eye, the hear
ing of your ear He has strewn your
path with mercies. He has fed yoti;
clothed you, sheltered you; defended
you, loved you, importuned you all your
life long. Don't you believe He loves
you? Why, if now you should start up
from the wilderness of your sin, He
would throw both arms around you.
To make you believe that He
loves you, He stopped to manger and
|
sions of His holy nature reused, He stands
before you to-day, and would coax you
to happiness and Heaven. Oh, this
Fathers kiss! There is so much mean
ing, and love, and compassion in it; so
much pardon in it; so much Heaven in
it. proclaim Him the Lord God, mer-
ciful, gracious and long suffering, album
danG in goodness and truth. Lest you
would not believe Him, He goes up
Golgotha, and while the rocks are rend-
ing, and the graves are opening, and
the mobs are bowling, and the sun
is hiding, He dies for you. See
Him! See Him on the Mount of
CrucifiXtion, the sweat on His brow
tinged with the blood exuding from His
lacerated temples! See His eyes swim
ming in death! Hear the loud breath
ing of the sufferer as He pants with a
world on His heart! Hark to the fall of
the blood from brow, and hand, and
foot, on the rocks beneath-drop drop
drop! Look at the nails! How wide the
wounds are! Wider do they gap as His
body comes down upon them. OH tEis
crucifxion agony! Tears melting into
tears. Blood flowing into blood. Dark
ness dropping on darkness Hands of
men Joined with hands of devils to tear
apart the quivering heart of she Son Of
Godl
Obi Will He never speak again? Will
that crimson face never light up again?
He will speak again; while the blood is
sutfusing His brow, and reddening His
cheek, and gathering on nostril and lip,
and you think He is exhausted and can
not speak, He cries out until all the
ages hear Him: Father forgive them,
they know not what they do?' Is there
no emphasis in such a scene as that to
make your dry eyes weep, and your hard
hearts break? Will you turn your back
upon it, and say by your actions what
the Jews said by their words: His
blood be on US. and on our childreni"
What does it all mean, my brother, my
sister? Why, it means that for our lost
race there was Fathers kiss. Love
brought Him down. Love opened the
gate. Love led to the sacrifice Love
shattered the grave. Love lifted Him
up in resurrection. Sovereign love-!
Omnipotent love! Infinite love! Bleed.
ing love! Everlasting love!
Oh for this love let rocks and hills
Their lasting silence break;
And all harmonious human tongues
: The Saviours praises speak.
r Now, will you accept that Fathers
, kiss? The Holy Spirit comes to you
3 with His arousing, melting, alarming,
r inviting, yivifying, influence. Hearer,
t what creates in thee that unrest? 1t is
the Holy Ghost. What influence now
/ tells thee that it is time to fly, that to-
/: morrow may be too late; that there is
one door, one road, one cross, one sacri-
fee, one Jesus? It is the Holy Ghost
t My most urgent word is to those who
/ like the young man of my text, are a
| great way off, and they will start foI
/ home, and they will get home. They
l will yet preach the Gospel and on com
munion days carry around the consecrat
ed bread, acceptable to every body, be.
l cause of their holy life, and their con
: secrated behavior. The Lord is going
r to save you. Your home has got to be
rebuilt. Your physical health has
3 got to be restored. Your world
r ly business has got to be re
a constructed. The Church of God i.
n going to rejoice over your discipleship
a You are not Gospel hardened. You have
t not heard or read many sermons during
g the last few years. You do not weep
t but the shower is not far off. You sigh
g and you have noticed that there is al
waBs sigh in the wind before the rair
+ falls. There are those who would give
( any thing if they could find relief in
( tears. They say: "Oh, my wasted life
! Oh. the bitter past! Oh, the graves owe
O which have stumbled! Whittier shall
n fly? Alas for the future! Every thing i
o dark-so dark, so dark. God help me! Coz
: pity mel" Thank the Lord for that las
g uttenrace. You have begun to pray
!: and when man begins to petition tina
3 sets all Heaven flying this way, and Coo
steps in, and beats back the hounds o.
4 temptation to their kennel, and arount
q about the poor wounded soul puts the
s covert of His pardoning mercy. Hark
q l hear something fall. What was that
- 1t is the bars of the fence around tn