The Bossier banner., 1891-09-17

Gourgis, the heather, who went into a
prayer-meeting with dagger and q
gun to disturb the meeting and destroy
it, but the next day was found crying:
"Oh! my great sins! Oh! my great Saw
iourP' and for eleven years preached
the Gospel of Christ to his fellow-mOun-
taineers, the last words on his dying
lips being Free gracep Oh, twas free
grace!
There is man who was for ten years
hard drinker. The dreadful appetite
had sent down its roots around the pal
ate and the tongue, and on down until
they were interlinked with the vitals
of body, mind and soul; but he has not
taken any stimulants for two years.
What did that? Not temperance sOcie-
ties. Not prohibition laws. Not NOR
al suasion. Conversion did it. "Why,"
said one upon whom the great change
had come, ''sir, I feel just as though l
were somebody else" There is a sea
captain who swore all the way from
New York to Havana, and from Ha-
vana to San Francisco, and when he
was in port he was worse than when he
was on the sea. What power was it
that washed his tongue clean of pro-
families and made him psalm-singer?
Conversion by the Holy Spirit. There
are thousands of people here to-day
who are no more what they once were
than a water lily is nightshade, or a
morning lark is vuIture, or day is
night.
Now, if l should demand that all
those people here present who have felt
the converting power of religion should
rise, so far from being ashamed, they
would spring to their feet with more
alacrity than they ever sprang to the
dance, the tears mingling with their ex-
hilaration as they cried: ''We are wit
nesses"' And if they tried to sing the
old Gospel hymn, they would break
down with emotion by the time they got
to the second line:
Ashamed of Jesus, that dear friend
On whom my hopes of Heaven dep nd?
Not When blush, be this my shame:
That no more revere His name.
Again, l remark that ''we are wit
nesses" of the Gospels power to com
fort When man has trouble the
world comes in and says: ''Now get
your mind off this; go out and breathe
the fresh air; plunge deeper into busi-
ness" What poor advice! Get your
mind off it! when everything is up
turned with the bereavement, and
everything reminds you of what you
have lost. Get your mind off it! They
might as well advise you to stop think
ing, and you can not stop thinking in that
direction. Take a walk in the fresh air!
Why, along that very street, or that
very road, she once accompanied you.
Out of that grass-plot she plucked flow
ers, or into that show-window she
looked fascinated, saying: Come see
the pictures Go deeper into busi-
ness! Why, she was associated with
| all your business ambition, and
since she has gone you have no ambi-
ton left. Oh, this is a clumsy world
when it tries to comfort a 1brolxen
heart! l can build a Corliss engine,
can paint a Raphaefs Madonna"
can play Beethoven's symphony" as
easily as this world can comfort a
broken heart And yet you have been
comforted. How was it done? Did
Christ to come to You and say: "Get
your mind off this; go out and breathe
the fresh air; plunge deeper into busi
ness" No. There was a minute when
He came to you-perhaps in the watches
of the night, perhaps in your place oil
business, perhaps along the street
and He breathed something into your
soul that gave peace, rest, infinite quiet
so that you could take out the photo
grash of the departed one and look into
the eyes and the face of the dear one
and say: ut is all right; she is better
off; | would not call her back Lord
thank Thee that Thou hast comforteC
my poor heart"
There are Christian parents here who
are willing to testify to the power O.
the Gospel to comfort. Your son haC
! just graduated from school or college
/ and was going into business, and the
Lord took him. Or your daughter hat
| just graduated from the young ladies
seminary, and you thought she was go
| 1Ae W " q uoC4ul "Oluctli, buNl u lODS
life; but the Lord took her, and yol
were tempted to say: ''All the culture
of twenty years for nothing!" Or the
little child came home from school will
the hot fever that stopped not for the
agonized prayer or for the skillfu
physician, and the little child wa.
taken. Or the babe was lifted out OF
your arms by some quick epidemic, ant
you stood wondering why God ever
gave you that child at all, if so soon He
was to take it away. And yet you are
repining, you are not fretful, you are
not fighting against God What ena-
bled you to stand all the trial E? @Oh.
you say, Il took the medicine that
God gave my sick soul. In my
distress | threw myself. at tht
feet of a sympathizing God; and wher
l was too weak to pray, or tc
look up, He breathed into me a peace
that | think must be the foretaste O.
that Heaven where there is neither g
tear nor farewell nor grave" Come
all We who have been out to the grave
to weep there-come all We comfortet
souls, get up on your knees. Is there
no power in the Gospel to soothe the
heart? Is there no power in this re