The Bossier banner., 1892-04-28

y
tance in six or seven days. And SO
measure the distance between earth
and Heaven, and find it is only flash.
1t is one instant here and another in
slant there. It is very near to-day.
Do you not feel the breath of Heaven
on your face? Christ says in one place
it is not twenty-four hours distance,
when He says to the penitent thief:
'This day, this day, thou shalt be with
Me in Paradise" 1t is not day, it is
not an hour, it is not a minute. 1t is
not a second. Oh, how near Heaven is
to earth.
By oceanic cable you send message.
AS it is expensive to send a message
you compress a great deal of meaning
in a few words. Sometimes In Two
words you can put n vast meaning.
And it seems to me that the angels of
God who carry news from earth to
Heaven, need to take up this hour, in
regard to your soul only two words in
order to kindle with gladn ess all the
redeemed before the throne, only two
words: Father saved" mother
saved" "son saved" daughter saved"
And there is joy in Heaven among
the angels of God over one sinner that
repenteth."
1t must be of vast Importance to be-
of any moment in Heaven, your saliva
ton, in that land where gladnesses are
the everyday occurrence, in that land
where the common stones of the field
are jasper, and emerald, and chryso-
prasus, and carbuucle, and sardonyx.
And yet the news of your salvation
makes Joy before the throne of God.
You remember, years ago, a stage
driver in the White mountains became
very reckless. He had large number
of passengers on the stage, and the
stage was drawn by six horses. wild
and ungovernable, and he drove near
the precipice, and he drove of, the
stage withoits precious freight rolling
down the embankment, and many
were slain, but few were saved. / sup
pose when they wrote home they wrote
with congratulation of their rescue
The angels of God look down, and
they see men driving on the edge of
great precipices of ruin and danger,
drawn by wild, leaping, foaming and
ungovernable perils in this life, and
if any shall escape before they cap
size do you not suppose the angels
| of God rejoice, crying: ''Good! Good!
| Saved from sin, saved from death,
saved from hell, saved forever?"
The supreme court of the United
States does not adjourn for anything
| triffing. 1t must be the death of a
cabinet minister or the death of a
president. or some matter of very great
moment. When I find all Heaven ad-
journing it's other joys for this one JOY,
l make up my mind it is of very great
Importance if Heaven can afford to aG-
| journ all other festivities to celebr ate
this one triumph. DO you wonder that
so many of these Christian people
have toiled night and day in this
work of soul-saving if it is of such vast
Importance? Do you wonder that Net
tleton and Finley, and Bishop Asbury,
and John Wesley, and George White
! field, and Paul, and angels, and Christ,
and God, stripped themselves for the
work? Around that one soul circles the
mist, the fire, the darkness, the Joy, the
anthem, the walling, the hallelujah and
the woe of Gods universe. If the soNb
is saved then lips come to trumpet. and
fingers to harp, and hammer to bell,
and ''there is joy among the angels of
God over that one soul forgiven" For
such soul plead.
Having found in my own experience
that this religion is comfort and
| Joy, / stand here to commend it to you.
In the days of my infancy I was car
ried by Christian parents to the house
of God and consecrated in baptism to
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Ghost; but that did not save me. In
after time l was taught to kneel at the
Christian family altar with father and
mother and brothers and sisters-the
most of them now in glory; but that
did not save me. In after time read
Doddridge's "Rise and Progress and
| Baxter's "Call to the Unconverted," and
all the religious books around my "a
| theirs household; but that did not save
me.
But one day the voice of Christ came
into my heart saying: Repent, re-
pent; believe, believes" and accepted
the offer of mercy, and though no
doubt there was more Joy in Heaven
over the conversion of other souls, be-
cause of their far-reaching influence,
verify believe when 1 gave my heart to
God there were some spirits in Heaven
the gladder for the deed. There is
JOY in Heaven among the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth."
Turn this day to the Lord who
bought you. Let this whole audience
surrender themselves to Jesus Christ.
If for ten, twenty, fifty years, you
have not prayed, begin now to pray.
"Oh," you say, 81 can't pray" Can
you not say: "God, be merciful to me,
a sinner?" "No," you say, 81 can't
say that" Then can you not look
: to the throne of mercy? "No,"
you say, 81 can't look up" Can
you not then give some signal,
like that which was given by the lad in
the hospital2 He was sick, and suffer
ing, and dying, and wanted speedily to
go away from all suffering and pain:
and he said to his comrades in the hos.
pital: 'lt is strange to me that Jesus
: doesn't see me when He goes through