The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-02-27

| Tree, mas ne not right 10 be merry
Suppose a father has an elegant man
sion and large grounds. To whom will
he give the first privilege of these
grounds? Will he say: ''My children,
you must not walk through these
paths, or sit down under these
trees, or pluck this fruit. These
are for outsiders. They may walk
in them" No father would say
any thing like that He would say:
''The first privileges in all the grounds,
and all of my house, shall be for my own
children" And yet men try to make US
believe that Gods children are on the
limits, and the chief refreshments and
enioyments of life are for outsiders, and
not for His own children. 1t is stark
atheism. There is no innocent bever-
age too rich for Gods child to drink;
there is no robe too costly for him to
wear; there is no hilari5y too great for
him to indulge in, and no house too
splendid for Him to live in He has a
right to the joys of earth; he shall have
right to the joys of Heaven Though
tribulation, and trial, and hardship may
come unto him, let him rejoice. Gre
joice in the Lord, ye righteous, and
again say, rejoice.
L remark again that Christ comes to
us in the hour of our extremity. He
knew the wine was giving out before
there was any embarrassment or morti-
fication, Why did He not perform the
miracle sooner? Why wait until it was
all gone, and no help could come from
any source, and then come in and per-
form the miracle? This is Christ's wav:
and when He did come in, at the hour of
extremity, He made first-rate wine. so
that they cried out: ''Thou hast kept
the good wine until now" Jesus in the
hour of extremity! He seems to prefer
that hour.
In Christian home in Poland great
poverty had come, and on the week day
the man was obliged to move out of the
house with his whole family. That
night he knelt with his family and
prayed to God. While they were kneel-
ing in prayer there was a tap on the
window pane. They opened the win
dow, and there was raven that the
family had fed and trained, and it had
in its bill ring all set with precious
stones, which was found out to be a ring
belonging to the royal family. It was
taken up to the Kings residence. and
for the honesty of the man in bringing
1t back he had house given to him and
a garden and farm. Who was it that
sent the raven tapping on the window?
The same God that sent the raven to
feed Elijah by the brook Cherith. Christ
in the hour of extremity!
Trouble came. You were almost torn
to pieces by that trouble. You braced
up against it. You said: 81
will be stole, and will not care;" but
before you had got through making the
resolution it broke down under YOU.
You felt that all your resources were
gone, and then Jesus came. 'In the
fourth watch OF the night" the Bible
says, Jesus came walking on the sea"
Why did He not come in the first watch?
Or in the second watch? or in the third
watch? do not know. He came in
the fourth and gave deliverance to His
disciples. Jesus in the last extremity!
wonder if it viii be so in our very
last extremity. We shall fall suddenly
sick; and doctors will come, but in vain.
We will try the anodynes and the stim-
llants and the bathings, but all in vain.
Something will say: ''You must 60"
No one to hold us back, but the hands
If eternity stretched out to pull US on.
What then? Jesus will come to us, and |
rs we say. Lord Jesus, I am afraid of
hat water; can not wade through to
'he other side, HE will say, ''Take hold
If my arm;" and we will take hold of
His ARMAND then He will put His foot in
he surf OF the wave, taking us all down
leeper, deeper, deeper, deeper, and our
oul will cry: "All thy waves and bill
ows have gone over me-" They cover |
he feet, come to the knee, pass the /
Sirdle and come to the head, and our I
ouls cry out: Lord Jesus Christ, / can /
lot hold Thine arm any longer" Then |
Tesus will turn around, throw both His
rms about us, and set us on the beach.
ar beyond the tossing pillows. Jesus
n the last extremity!
That wedding scene is gone now. The
Wedding ring has been lost, the tank
rds have been broken. the house is
own; but Jesus invites us to a grander
Wedding. You know the Bible saws that
he church is the Lambs wife, and the
ord will, after awhile, come to fetch
er home. There will be cleaning of
orches in the sky, and the trumpets of
Tod will ravish the air with their mu-
ic, and Jesus will stretch out His hand.
nd the church, robed in white, will put
side her vail, and look up into the face
f her Lord the King, and the BRIDE
room will say to the bride: ''Thou
asst been faithful through all
hese years! The mansion is readvl
ONE home! Thou art fair. NV
ove" and then He shall put upon
er brow the crown of dominion, and
he table will be spread, and it will
each across the skies, and the mighty
mes of Heaven will come in, garlanded
nth beauty and striking their eymbals:
nd the bridegroom and bride will stand
the head of the table, and the ban
ueters, looking up, will wonder and adj
lire and say: ''That is Jesus the
But the scar on His brow
covered with the coronet, and the
5ab in His side is covered with a robel'
nd THAT is the bride! The WEAKNESS
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