The Bossier banner., 1892-08-25

over. want to see what they 90 Ghere,
andI want to see how they do it. Go
not want to be looking through the
gates aiar forever. | want them to
swing wide open. There are ten thousand
things l want explained-about you,
about myself, about the government OF
this world, about God, about every
thing. We start in plain path of what
we know, and in minute come up
against a high wall of what we do not
know. I wonder how it looks
over there. Somebody tells me
it is like paved city-paved
with gold; and another man tells
me it is like fountain, and it is like
tree, and it is like a triumphal process
sion; and the next man / meet tells me
it is all figurative. l really want to
know, after the body is resurrected.
what they wear and what they eat; and
l ha We an immeasurable curiosity to
know what it is, and where it is Co.
lumbus risked his life to find this conti-
nent, and shall we shudder to get out
on voyage of discovery which shall
reveal a vaster and more brilliant coun-
try? John Franklin risked his life to
find a passage between icebergs, and
shall we dread to find passage to eter-
nal summer? Men in Switzerland
travel up the heights of the Mat
terhorn with alpenstoclx, and guides,
and rockets, and ropes, and, get
ting half way up, stumble and
fall down in horrible massacre. They
just wanted to say they had been on the
tops of those high peaks. And shall we
fear to go out for the ascent of the
eternal hills which start a thousand
miles beyond where stop the highest
peaks of the Alps, when in that ascent
there is no peril? man doomed to die
stepped on the scaffold and said in Joy;
''Now, in ten minutes l will know the
great secret" One minute after tho
vital functions ceased the little child
that died last night knew more than
Jonathan Edwards, or ST. Paul himself,
before he died. Friends, the exit from
this world, or death, if you please to call
it, to the Christian is glorious explana-
ton. 1t. is demonstration. 1t is illu-
1uination. 1t is sun-burst. 1t is the
opening of all the windows 1t is
shutting up the catechism of doubt,
and the unrolling of all the scrolls of
positive and accurate information. In
stead of standing at the foot of the lad
der and looking up, it is standing at the
top of the ladder and looking down. 1t
is the last mystery taken out of botany,
and geology, and astronomy, and the
| ology. Oh, will it not be grand to have
| all questions answered? The, perpetu-
ally recurring interrogation point
| changed for the mark of exclamation.
All riddles solved. Who will fear to go
out on that discovery, when all the
questions are to be decided which we
| have been discussing all our lives?
Who shall not clap his hands in the an
| ticipation of that blessed country, if it
be no better than through holy curl
| osity crying: "The time of my depart
ure is at hand?"
The Bible intimates that we will talk
with Jesus in Heaven just as a brother
| talks with a brother. Now, what will
| you ask Him first? I do not know I
can think what would ask Paul first
| if / saw him in Heaven. I think
storm that came upon the ship when
there were two hundred and seventy
| five souls on the vessel, Paul being the
| only man on board cool enough to de-
| scribe the storm. There is fascination
about ship and the sea that I never
shall get over, and / think | would
| like to hear him talk about that first
But when meet my Lord Jesus
! Christ, Of what shall first delight to
hear Him speak? Now think what it
is. shall first want to hear the tragedy
of His last hour; and then Lukes ac-
count of the cructfNon, and Marks ac-
| count of the crucifixion, and Johns ac-
| count of the crucifxion will be nothing,
while from the living lips of
| Christ the story shall be told
| of the gloom that fell, and the
devils that arose, and the fact that upon
His endurance depended the rescue
of race; and there was darkness in
| the sky, and there was darkness in the
| SOUL and the pain became more sharp,
| and the burdens became more heavy,
| until the mob began to swim away from
the dying vision of Christ, and the
cursing of the mob came to His earmore
family. and His hands were fastened
to the horizontal piece of the
cross, and His feet were fastened
to the perpendicular piece of the
| cross, and His head fell forward
| in swoon as He uttered the last
moan and cried: sit is finished" All
Heaven will stop to listen until the
| story is done, and every harp will be
put down, and every lip closed, and all
eyes fixed upon the Divine narrator
until the story is done; and then, at the
| tap of the baton, the eternal orchestra
| will rouse up, finger on string of harp
and tips to the mouth of trumpet, there
shall roll forth the oratorio of the Mes
siah: Worthy is the Lamb that was
| slain to receive blessing, and riches, and
honor, and glory, and power, world
| without end!'
| What He endured, oh who can tell;
To save our souls from death and hell
When there was between Paul and
that magnificent parsonage only the
thinness of the sharp edge of the sword
| of The executioner, do you wonder that
| he wanted Il, UnO q my ord Tac,,r Lot