The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-12-10

hand on your plow handle, or your
carpenters bench, or your "BlaclI-
stones Commentaries, or your med
zeal dictionary or your "nr. Dicks Di-
dactic Theology" saying: For this end
was born" There are children who
early develop natural affinities for GER
tain styles of work. When the father
of the astronomer Forbes was going to
London he asked his children what
present he should bring each one of
them. The boy who was to be an as
tronomer cried out: bring me tele-
telescope!" And there are children
whom you find all by themselves draw
ing on their states, or on paper, ships or
houses or birds, and you know they are
to be draughtsmen or artists of some
kind And you find others ciphering
out difficult problems with rare interest
and success, and you know they are to
be mathematicians. And others making
wheels and strange contrivances, and
you know they are going to be machin-
lists. And others are found experiment.
ing with hoe and pillow and sickle, and
you know they will be farmers. And
others are always swapping iacl1-lInives
or Rails or bats and making something
by the bargain, and they are going to
be merchants. When Able de Race
had S" adv lnccd in studying Greek that
he could translate Anacrcon at tweve
years of age, there was no doubt left
that he was intended for scholar.
Rrf in almost oyarr 1oJ +horn ooToac n
time when he does not know what he
was made for, and his parents do not
know, and it is crisis that God only
can decide. Then there are those born
for some especial work, and their fit
ness does not develop until quite late.
When Philip Doddridge, whose ser
mons and books have harvested I'M
counted souls for glory, began to study
the ministry, DIR. Calamy, one. of the
wisest and best men, advised him to
turn his thoughts to some other work.
Isaac Barrow, the eminent Clergyman
and Christian scientist-his books
standard now, though lie has been dead
over two hundred years-was the
dishcartenment of his father,
who used to say that if it
pleased God to take any of his children
away he hoped that it might be his son
Isaac. So some of those who have
been characterized for their stupidity in
boyhoOd or girlhood, have turned out
the mightiest benefactors or benefac-
tresses of the human race. These
things being so, am I not right in say
ing that in many cases God only llnow9
what is the most appropriate thing for
you to do, and He is the one to ask.
And let all parents, and all schools,
and all universities, and all colleges
recognize this, and large number of
those who spent their best years in
stumbling about among businesses and
occupations, now trying this and now
trying that, and failing in all, would be
able to go ahead with a definite, de.
cided and tremendous purpose, saying:
ITO this end was born"
But my subject now mounts into the
momentOus. Let me say that you are
made for usefulness and Heaven. l
judge this from the way you are built.
You go into a shop where there is only
one wheel turning, and that by work
man S foot on Il treadle, and you say to
yourself: Here is something good being
done, yet on small scale" but if you
go into factory covering many acres,
and you find thousands of bands pulling
on thousands of wheels, and shuttles
flying, and the whole scene bewildering
with activities, driven by water, or
steam, or electric power, you conclude
that the factory was put up to do
great work on a vast scale. Now
| look at you, and if l should find that
you had only one faculty of body, only
one muscle, only one nerve, if you could
see but could not hear, or could hear
and not see, if you had the use of only
one foot or one hand, and, as to your
higher nature, if you had only one
mental faculty, and you had memory
but no judgment, or Judgment but no
will, and if you had soul with only
one capacity, would say not much is
expected of you. But stand up, oh
man, and let me look you squarely in
the face. Eyes capable of seeing every
thing. Ears capable of hearing every
thing Hands capable of grasping every
thing. Mind with moro wheels than any
factory ever turned more power than
Corliss engine ever moved. A soul that
will outlive all the universe except
Heaven, aud would outIive all Heaven
if the life of other immortals were a
moment short of the eternal. Now,
what has the world right to expect OF
you? What has God right to demand
of you? God is the greatest of econo-
mists in the universe, ard He makes
nothing uselessly, and for what pur.
pose did He build your body, mind and
soul as they are built? There are only
two beings in9 the universe who can
answer that question. The angels dc
rot know. The schools do not know.
! Your kindred can not certainly know.
/ A factory running at an expense OF
five hundred Thousand dollars a wear,
and turning ont goods worth seventy
cents year would not be such an in.
congruity as You, oh man, with such
semi-irtinite equipment doing nothing,
or next 70 nothing, in the way of use.
fulness. "What shall / do?" you ask,
My brethren, my sisters, do not ask me
| Ask God. There's some path of Chris.