The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-05-28

bic been to you, o woman, a curse or a
blessing? Why is it thata woman when
she is troubled will go to her worst enc
my, the Bible? Why do you not go for
comfort to some great infidel books,
Spinoza's Ethics, or Hume's Natural
| History of Religion" or Paine's cage
of Reason" or Dedro's' dramas" or
any of the two hundred and sixty vol
umes of Voltaire? No. the silly, deluded
woman persists in hanging about the
Bible verses: 'FLet not you heart be
troubled" ''All things work together
for good" Weeping may endure for
night" 81 am the resurrection, :"
''Peace, be STILL
There stands Christianity. There
stands infidelity. Compare what they
have done. Compare their resources.
There is Christianity, prayer on her
lip; a benediction on her brow; both
hands full of help for all who want
help; the mother of thousands of coll
leges; the mother of thousands of asy-
lums for the oppressed, the blind, the
sick, the lame, the imbecile; the mother
of missions for the bringing back of the
| outcast; the mother of thousands of re-
formatory institutions for the saving of
the lost; the mother of innumerable
Sabbath-schools, bringing millions of
| children under drill to prepare them
for responsibility and usefulness, to say
nothing of the great future. That is
| Christianity
Here is Infdelity; no prayer on her
lips, no benediction on her brow, both
hands clenched-what for? To fight
Christianity. That is the entire bust
ness. The complete mission of Infidelity
is to fight Christianity. Where are her
schools, her colleges, her asylums OF
mercy? Let me throw you down a
whole ream of foolscap paper that you
may fill all of it with the names of her
benefcent institutions of mercy and of
learning, founded by Infdelity, and
supported alone by Infdelity pro-
nounced against God and the
Christian religion and yet in favor
of making the world better ooh"
you say, "a ream of paper is too much
for the names of those institutions :"
Well, then, I throw you a quire of
paper. Fill it all up now. | will wait
until you get all the names down.
"Oh," you say, shat is too much. /"
Well, then, 1 will just hand you sheet
of letter paper. just fill up the four
sides while we are talking of this mat
ter with the names of the merciful in
situations and the educational institu.
lions founded by infidelity and sup
ported all along by infidelity, pro.
nounced against God and the Christian
religion, yet in favor of humanity.
"Oh," you say, that is too much
room; we don't want a whole sheet of
paper to write down the Names"
Perhaps I had better tear out
one leaf from my memorandum
book, and ask you to fill up
both sides of it with the names of such
institutions. ''Oh," you say, shat
would be too much room; wouldn't
want SO much room as that" Well,
then, count them on your ten fingers.
''Oh, D you say, mot quite SO much as
that" Well, then, count them on the
fingers of one hand. ''Oh," you say,
1--WE don't want quite so much room as
that" Suppose, then, you halt and
count on one finger the name of anV
institution founded by Infdelity, pro-
nounced against God and the Christian
religion, yet toiling to make the world
better. Not one! Not one!
Infdelity scrapes no lint for the
wounded, bakes no bread for the
hungry, shakes up no pillow for the
sick, rouses no comfort for the bereft
gilds no grave for the dead. While
Christ, our Christ, our wounded Christ.
our risen Christ, the Christ of this old
fashioned Bible-blessedb be His glorious
name forever-our Christ stands this
hour pointing to the hospital, or to the
asylum, saying: 81 was sick and We
gave me a couch; was lame and We
gave me a crutch; was blind and We
physicianed my eyesight; l was or
phaned and We mothered my soul; was
lost on the mountains and We brought
me home: inasmuch as We did it to one
of the least of these, we did it to me.''
But thank God that this plague of
intidelity will be stayed. Many of those
who hear me now by the Holy Ghost
upon their hearts will cease to be scott
ers and will become disciples, and the
day will arrive when all nations will
accept the Scriptures. The book is
going to keep right on until the fires of
the last day are kindled. Some of them
will begin on one side and some on the
other side of the old book. They will
not find a bundle of loose manu-
scripts easily consumed like finder
thrown into the fire. When the fires of
the last day are kindled, some will burn
on this side, from Genesis toward Rev
citation, and others will burn on this
side, from Revelation toward Genesis.
and in al their way they will not find a
single chapter or single verse out of
place. This will be the first time we can
afford to do without the Bible What
will be the use of the book of Genesis,
descriptive of how the world was made.
when the world is destroyed? What will
be- the use of the prophecies when they
are all fulfilled? What will be the use
of the evangelistic or Pauline descrip-
ton of Jesus Christ when we see Him
face to face? What viii be the use of
His photograph when we have met Him
in glory? What will be the use of