The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-04-17

the door posts that saved the Israelities;
and now that vengeance has come upon
Jericho it is the same color that assures
the safety of Rahab and all her house.
hold. My friends, there are foes com.
ing upon US, more deadly and more tre-
mendous, to overthrow our immortal in
terests They will trample US down and
crush us out forever, unless there be
some skillful mode of rescue dOen. The
police of death already begin to clamor
for our surrender; but, blessed be God,
there is way out It is through the
window, and by rope so saturated with
the blood of the cross that it is as red
as that with which the spies were low
cred; and if once our souls shall be de-
livered, then, the scarlet cord stretched
across the window of our escape, we
may defy all bombardment, earthly
and Satanic.
In the first place, carrying out the
idea of my text, we must stretch this
scarlet cord across the window of our
rescue. There comes a time when a
man is surrounded. WHAT'S that in the
front door of his soul? 1t is the threat
enings Of the future. What is that in
the back door of his soul? 1t is the
sins of the past. He can not get out of
either of those doorways. If he at
tempts it he will be cut to pieces. What
shall he do? Escape through the win
dow of Gods mercy. That sunshine
has been pouring in for many a day:
Gods inviting mercy. Gods pardoning
mercy. Gods all-conquering mercy.
Gods everlasting mercy. But, you say,
the window is SO high. All, there is a
rope, the very one with which the cross
and its victim were lifted. That was
strong enough to hold Christ, and it is
strong enough to hold you Bear all
your weight upon it, all your hopes for
the life that is to come. Escape now
through the window. But" you say,
shat cord is too small to save me; that
salvation will never do at all for such
a sinner as l have been" l suppose
that the rope with which Rahab let the
two spies to the ground was not thick
enough; but they took that or nothing.
And, my dear brother, that is your al
formative. There is only one scarlet
line that can save you. There have
been hundreds and thousands who have
been borne away in safety by that scar
let line, and it will bear you away in
safety. Do you notice what very mar
row escape those spies had? l suppose
they came with fustered cheek and
with excited heart They had very
narrow escape. They went in the broad
door of sin; but how did they come out?
They came out of the window. They
went up by the stairs of stone; they
came down on slender thread. And
SO, my friends, we go easily and una
bashedly in sin, and all the doors are
open; but if we get out at all it will be
by being let down over precipicas, wrig-
Cling and helpless, the strong grip above
keeping us from being dashed on the
rocks beneath. 1t is easy to get into
sin, young man. 1t is not easy to get
out of it.
A young man goes to the marble coun-
ter of hotel. He asks for brandy
smash-called so, I suppose. because it
smashes the man that takes it. There
is no intoxication in it. As the young
man receives it he does not seem to be
at all excited. 1t does not give any
glossiness to the eye. He walks home
in beautiful apparel, and all his pros
poets are brilliant. That drink is not
going to destroy him, but it is the first
step on bad road. Years have passed
on, and l see that young man after he
has gone the whole length of dissipa-
ton. 1t is midnight, and he is in
hotel-perhaps the very one where he
took the first drink. A delirium is on
him. lie rises from the bed and comes
to the window, and it is easily lifted: so
he lifts it. Then he pushes back the
blinds and puts his foot on the window
sill. Then he gives one spring, and the
finds his disfgured body un-
recognizable, on the pavement. Oh, if
he had only waited little-if he had
com down on the scarlet ladder that
Jesus holds from the wall for him, and
for you, and for me; but no, he made
one jump-and was gone.
A minister of Christ was not long ago
dismissed from his diocese for intoxica-
ton, and in a public meeting he gave
this account of his sorrow. He said:
II had beautiful home once, but
strong drink shattered it. l had beau
tiful children, but this fiend of rum
took their dimpled hands in his and led
them to the grave. l had a wife-to
know her was to love her; but she sits in
tonight while wander
over the earth. had mother, and the
pride of her life was I; but the thunder
bolt struck her. now have scarcely q
friend in the world. Taste of the bit
ter cup have tasted, and then answer
me as to whether I have any hatred for
the agency Of my ruin. Hate it! hate
The whole damning traffic. l would to
God tonight that every distillery was
IN flames, for then in the glowing sky I
would write in the smoke of the ruin:
Woe to him that putteth the bottle to
his neighbor's lips"
That minister of the Gospel went in
through the broad door of temptation:
1e came out of the window And when
see the temptations that are about us
n all countries, and when know the
of sin in every mans heart,
see that if any of us escape it will be |
! very narrow escape. Oh, if we have.
ny friends, got off from our sin. let us |
lie the scarlet thread nv which v,a hove