The Bossier banner., 1891-11-12

placed gOlQ ana silver ana gems; III
deed, enough were placed there to bal
ance the king; then at the close of the
weighing, all those treasures were
thrown among the populace. But
Christ to-day steps on one side the
scales, and on the other side are all the
! treasures of the universe, and He says:e
'All are yours-all height, all depth,
all length, all breadth, all eternity; all
are yours" We don't appreciate the
promises of the Gospel. When an aged
clergyman was dying man very emf
nent in the church-a young theolog-
ical student stood by his side, and the
aged man looked up and said to him:
Cant you give me some comfort in my
| dying hour?" "No," said the young
man; II can't talk to you on this sub
ject you know all about it, and have
known it so long" 'Well," said the
dying man, lust recite to me some
promises. The young man thought a
moment, and he came to this promise:
THE blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth
from all SINS" and the old man clapped
his hands, and in his dying moment
said: That's just the promise l have
been waiting for. The blood of Jesus
Christ cleanseth from all sim" Oh,
the warmth, the grandeur, the mag
nifcence of the promises!
Come, also, to this Gospel well, ali
ye troubled. l do not suppose you
have escaped. Compare your view OF
this life at fifteen years of age with
what your view of it is at forty, or six
ty, o. seventy. What a great contrast
of opinion! We're you right then, or
are you right now? Two cups placed
in your hands, the one sweet cup, the
ether . sour cup. A cup of joy and a
cup of grief. Which has been the near
est to being full, and out of which
have you the more frequently par
taken ? What a different place
the cemetery is from what it
used to be. Once it was to you a grand
city Improvement, and you went out on
the pleasure excursion, and you ran
laughingly up the mound, and you crit
cised in a light way the epitaph. But
since the day when you heard the bell
toll at the gate as you went in with the
procession it is sad place, and there is
a flood of rushing memories that suffuse
the eye and overmaster the heart. Oh,
you have had trouble, trouble, trouble.
God only knows how much you have
had. 1t is wonder you have been able
to live through it. 1t is wonder your
nervous system has not been shattered,
and your brain has not reeled. Trouble,
trouble. If l could gather all the griefs,
of all sorts, from this great audience,
and could put them in one scroll, neith-
er man nor angel could endure the reci-
tation. Well, what do you want? Would
you like to have your property back
again? NO" you say, as Christian
man: II was becoming arrogant, and
l think that is why the Lord took it
away. 81 don't want to have my prop
erty back" Well, would you have
your departed friends back again?
NO." you say; 81 couldn't take the re-
sponsibility of bringing them back
from a fearless realm TO realm of
tears. I couldn't do it," Well, then
what do you want? A thousand voices
in the audience cry out: Comfort; give
us comfort" Fer that reason l have
rolled away the stone from the wells
mouth. Come, all We wounded of the
flock, pursued OF the wolves, come to
the fourtain where the Lords sick and
bereft ones have come.
But gather all the promises to-day
in a group, and l ask the shepherds to
drive their flOcks of lambs and sheep
up to the sparkling supply. Behold,
| ;e 4Ir
eth" Though He cause grief, yet will
He have compassion" "Many are the
Affections of the righteous, but the
Lord deIivereth him out of them all. ;"
Weeping may endure for night, but
joy cometh in the morning." / am
determined to-day that no one
shall go away uncontrolled. Yonder
is timid and shrinking soul who
seems to hide away from the consola-
tions I am uttering, as child with a
sore hand hides away from the ply
sician lest he touch the wound too
roughly, and the mother has to go and
compel the little patient to come out
and see the physician. So I come to
your timid and shrinking soul to-day,
and compel you to come out in the
presence of the Divine Physician.
He will not hurt you. He has
been healing wounds for many
years, and He will give you gentle
and omnipotent medicament. But peo-
pie, when they have trouble, go any.
where rather than to God. DeQuincey
| took opium to get rid of his troubles.
5 Charles Lamb took to punch, Theo.
J dore Hook took to something stronger.
7 Edwin Forrest took to theatrical dis
, sipation. And meE have run all around
} the earth, hoping in the quick transit
+ to get away from their misfortune. II
| has been a dead failure. There is onlv
l one well that can slalze the thirst of an
afflicted spirit, and that is the deep and
inexhaustible well of the Gospel.
Oh, what great flock of sheep God
will gather around the celestial we'll
t No stone on the wells mouth, while
5 the Shepherd waters the sheep. There
t Jacob will recognize Rachel the shep
herdess. And standing on one side OF
l the well of eternal rapture, your chill