The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-09-18

believes it. The Greenlander believes
it. The Swiss believes it. The Turk
believes it. Under every sky, by every
river, in every zone, the theory is adopt
ed; and so say principle universally
implanted must be God-implanted, and
hence a right belief. The argument is
| irresistible.
Again, l adopt this theory because
there are features of moral tempera-
ment and features of the soul that will
distinguish us forever. How do we
know each other in this world? Is it
merely by the color of the eye, or the
length of the hair, or the facial proper
tions? Oh, no. 1t is by the disposition
as well, by natural affinity, using
the word in the very best sense
and not in the bad sense; and
| if in the dust our body should
perish and lie there forever, and there
should be no resurrection, still the
soul has enough features and the dis
position has enough features to make
US distinguishable. I can understand
how in sickness a man will become so
delirious that he will not know his
own friends, but will we be blasted
with such insufferable idiocy that,
standing beside our best friends for all
eternity, we will never guess who they
are?
Again, l think that one reason why
we ought to accept this doctrine is be-
cause we never in this world have an
opportunity to give thanks to those to
whom we are spiritually indebted. The
Joy of Heaven, we are told, is to be in
augurated by a review of life's work.
These Christian men and women
who have been toiling for Christ
have they seen the full extent of their
work? Oh, no. In the church at Som
ervilIe, N. ID, John Vredenburgh
preached for great many years. He
felt that his ministry was a failure,
and others felt so. although he
was a faithful minister, preach
ing the Gospel all the time.
He died, and died amid discour-
agements, and went home to God; for
no one ever doubted that John Vreden-
burg was good Christian minister. A
little while after his death there came
a great awakening in Somerville, and
|
at the Christian altar espousing the cause
of Christ, among them my own father and
mother. And what was peculiar in re-
gard to nearly all of those two hundred
souls was that they dated their re-
ligious impressions from the ministry
of John Vredenburgh. Will that good
Christian man before the throne of
God never meet those souls
brought to Christ through his
instrumentality? Oh, of course he
will know them. I remember one
Sabbath afternoon, borne down with a
sense of my sins, and knowing not God,
/ took up Doddridge's 'eRise and Prog
ress." Oh, what dark afternoon it
was, and l read the chapters, and read
the prayers, and ] tried to make the
prayers my own. o, must see Philip
Doddridge. A glorious old book he
wrote! 1t is out of fashion now.
There is mother before the throne
of God. You say her JOY is full. Is it?
You say there can be no augmentation
of it. Can not there be? Her son was
a wanderer and a vagabond on the
earth when that good mother died. He
broke her old heart She died leaving
him in the wilderness of sin. She is
before the throne of God now.
Years pass and that son repents
of his crimes and gives his
heart to God and becomes a useful
Christian, and dies and enters the gates
of Heaven. You tell me that that moth
er's joy can not be augmented. Let them
confront each other. The son and the
mother. ''Oh," she says to the angels oil
God, rejoice with me! The dead is
alive again, and the lost is found. Hal
lelujah! never expected to see this
lost one come back"
Oh, how different it is on earth from
the way it is in Heaven when a
Christian dies! We say ''close his
eyes" In Heaven they say give him
palm" On earth we say 'let him dowr
in the ground" In Heaven they say
raise him on a throne" On earth
it is farewell, farewell" In HEAVIER
it is welcome, welcome" And so I see
a Christian soul coming down to the
river of death, and he steps into the
river and the water comes to the ankle
, He says: Lord Jesus, is this death?'
, mo- says Christ, ''this is mo-
, DEATH" And he wades still deeper
down into the waters unit
y the flood comes to the knee
and he says. Lord Jesus, tell me. tel
, me, is this death?" And Christ says
a ''No, no, this is not DEATH And he
| wades still further down until the
wave comes to the girdle, and the sou
J.. says: Lord Jesus, is this death?' mo,
!. says Christ, this is not" And deeper
in wades the soul till the billov
, strikes the lip, and the departing
, | one cries: Lord Jesus is this deathP'
\ ''No,'' says Christ, "this is not' Blu
/. when Christ has lifted that soul on ;
: throne of glory, and the pomp and joy o
. Heaven came surging to its feet, the1
Christ said; This, OH transported soul
this is death"
d SaIutary influence Of the Press.
1t is gratifying, says the New Yorl
= Tribune, to hear from so high an au