The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-03-27

done more than Christ ever did, then
give them the preference; but if you
really think that Christ is as trust
worthy as they are, then deal with Hin
as fairly.
"Oh," says some one in light way
81 believe that Christ was born in
Bethlehem, and 1 believe that He died
on the cross. "
Do you believe it with your head OF
your heart? I will illustrate the differ
ence. You are in your own house. In
the morning you open newspaper, and
! you read how Captain Braveheart on
the sea risl1ed his life for the salvation
of his passengers. You say: "What a
grand fellow he must have been! His
family deserves very well of the coun-
try" You fold the newspaper and sit
down at the table, and perhaps do not
think of that incident again. That is
historical faith. But now you are on
the sea, and it is night, and you are
asleep and are awakened by the shrek
| of
"Firer'
You rush out on deck. You hear,
amid the wringing of the hands and the
fainting, the cries:
''No hope! We are lost! we arc lostr'
The sail puts out its wings of fire, the
ropes make burning ladder in the
night heavens, the spirit of wreck Kisses
in the waves, and on the hurricane deck
shakes outfits banner of smoke and dark
ness.
Down with the life-boats!' cries the
captain. ''Down with the life-boats!'
People rush into them. The boats are
about full. Room only for one more
man. You are standing on the deck he
side the captain. Who shall it be? You
or the captain? The captain says:
"You."
You jump and are saved He stands
there and dies. Now, you believe that
Captain Braveheart sacrificed himself
for his passengers, but you believe it
with love, with tears, with hot and
long-continued EXPLANATIONS, with grief
at his loss and JOY at your deliverance.
That IS saving faith. In other words,
what you believe with all the heart
and believe in regard to yourself On
$500
salvation of your immortal soul.
You often go across a bridge you know
nothing about. You do not know who
built the bridge, you do not know what
materlalit is made of; but you come to
it, and walk over it, and ask no cues
tions. And here is an arched bridge,
blasted from the Crock of Ages. and
built by the Architect of the whole
universe, spanning the dark gulf be-
tween sin and righteousness, and all
God asks you is to walk across it; and
you go little way on and you stop, and
you fall back and you experiment. You
say:
How do know that bridge will hold
me?''
Instead of marching on with firm
step, asking no questions, but feeling
that the strength of the eternal God is
under you. 0, was there ever a prize
offered so cheap as pardon and Heaven
are offered to you? For how much? A
million dollars? 1t is certainly worth
more than that. But cheaper than that
you can have it. Ten thousand dol
lars? Less than that One dollar?
Less than that. One farthing? Less
than that. without money and with
out price" No money to pay. No Jour
ney to take. Ma ,nenance to suffer.
Only just one decisive action of the
SOUL
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved.
Shall try to tell you what it is to be
saved? can not tell you No man, no /
angel can tell you. But 1 can hint at it.
For my text brings me up to this point:
Thou shalt be saved" 1t means hap
Ply life here, and peaceful death and a
blissful eternity. 1t is grand thing to
go to sleep at night. and to get UP in
tie morning, and to do business all day
feeling that all is right between nv
heart and God. No accident, no sick |
ness, no persecution, no peril, no sword |
can do me any permanent damage. I |
am forgiven child of God, and He is |
bound to see me through. The mount
aims may depart, the earth may burn, |
the light of the stars may be blown out
by the blast of the Judgment hurricane:
but life and death, things present and |
" NNlAiS, eSlC Au11lO- Cd. IufbDGr
than that-it means a peaceful death.
Mrs. Hemans, Mrs. Sigourney, DR..
Young and almost all the poets have
said handsome things about death.
There is nothing beautiful about it.
When we stand by the white and rigid
of those we love, and they give
no answering pressure of the hand, and
no returning kiss of the lip, we do not
want any body poetizing around about
is. Death is loathsomeness and mid
night, and the wringing of the heart
lntil the tendrils snap and curl
n the torture unless Christ be
With US. l confess to you to an in
mite fear, consuming horror. of
ieath unless Christ shall be with me. I
would rather go down into cave of
Wild beasts or a jungle of reptiles than
INTO grave, unless Christ goes with
ne. Will you tell me that am to be
'arried out from my bright home and
'ut away in the darkness l can not
oear darkness. At the first coming of
he evening must have the gas lit, and
he further on in life 1 get the more /
ike to have my friends around about
ne. And am to be put off for thous-
il, e