The Bossier banner., 1892-07-21
machine. That hymn. .what a Friend

again, and she died soon after. Last
night dreamed was killed in battle,
and that mother and sister came down
to meet me-" After the next battle was
over some one crossing the field heard q
voice that he recognized as The voice of
Tom, the drummer boy, singing Jesus
Lover OF My Sonl.'' But at the end of
the first verse the voice became very
feeble, and at the end of the second
verse it stopped, and they went UP and
found Tom, the drummer boy, leaning
against stump, and dead.
That hymn, so For Thousand
Tongues to Sing was suggested to
Charles Wesley by Peter Boiler, who,
after conversion. said: 81 had better
keep silent about it." ''No,'' said Wes-
ley, ''if you had ten thousand tongues
you had better use them for Christ"
And then that angel of hymnology pen
ned the words:
o, for thousand tongnes to sing
| My dear Redeemer's pfasa,
The giories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grat,.
Jesus, the name that ealms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
Tis music in the sinners ears
"Tis life and health and peace
While much of the modern music is a
religious doggerel, consecrated nom
Sense, sacred imbecility, would like
to see some great musician lift the
baton and marshal Luther's Judgment
Hymn, Yarmouth" ;" Dundee, '"Ariel,''
''Brattle Street." ''Uxbridge," 'Pleyers
Hymn" "Harwell," ""Antioch," "Mount
Pisgah" and Coronation" with few
regiments of mighty TUNES made in our
own time, and storm Asia, Africa and
America for the kingdom Of God. But
the first thing to do is to drive out the
dumb devil of the text from all our
churches.
DO not, however; let us lose ourselves
in generalities. Not one Of us but has
had otir lives sometimes touched by the
evil spirit of the text-this awful dumb
devil. We had just one opportunity of
saying Christian word that might
have led man or woman into a Chris.
tian life. The opportunity was fairly
put before us. The word of invitation
or consolation or warning came to the
inside gate of the mouth, but there it
halted. Some hindering power locked
the jaws together so that they did not
open. The tongue lay fat and still in
the bottom Of the mouth as
though struck with PARALYSIS.
We We're 1fiute. Though God had
given us the physiological appa-
ratus for speech, and our lungs were
filled with air which, by the command
of our will, could have made the laryn=
geal muscles move and the vocal organs
vibrate, we were wiclzedly and fatally
silent. For all time and eternity we
missed our chance. Or it was a prayer
meeting, and the service was thrown
open for prayer and remarks, and there
was dead halt-everything silent as a
graveyard at midnight. Indeed, it was
Il graveyard and midnight. An en-
barrassins pause took place that
put wet blanket on all the meeting.
Men, bold enough on business ex-
change or in worldly circles, shut
theft eyes as though they were praying
in silence, but they were not praying at
all. They were busy hoping somebody.
else would do his duty. The women
flushed under the awful pause and
made their fans more rapidly tiutte-.
Some brother, with no cold, coughed.
by that sound trying to fill up the
time, and the meeting was slain. But
what killed it?-the dumb devil. This
is the way | account for the fact that
the stupidest places on earth are some
prayer meetings. I do not see how man
keeps any grace if he regularly attends
them. They are spiritual refrigerators
BE out and out, up and down for
righteousness. If your ship is afloat on
the Pacific ocean for Gods mercy. hang
out your colors from masthead. Show
your passport if you have one. Do not
smuggle your soul into the harbor of
Heaven. Speak out for God This morn
ing close up the chapter of lost oppor-
tunlt1es, and pitch it into the East
river, and open new chapter.
Before you get to the door on
your way out this morning shake hands
with some one, and ask him to Join
you on the road to Heaven. Do not
drive up to Heaven in two-wheeled
''sulky" with room only for one, and
that yourself, but get the biggest Cos
pei wagon you can find, and pile it full
of friends and neighbors, and shout till
they hear you all up and down the skies.
Come with us and we will do YOU
good, for the Lord hath promised
good concerning Israel" The oppor-
tunity for good, which you NAV con-
slider insignificant, may be tre-
mendous for results, as when on the
sea Capt. Haldance swore at the ships
crew with an oath that wished them all
in perdition, and Scotch sailor touched
his cap and said; Captain, God hears
| prayer, and we would be badly off il
your wish were answered" Capt. Hal.
dane was convicted by the sailors
| remark and converted, and became
the means OF the salvation of his
brother Robert, who had been an in.
| tidel, and then Robert became minis
ter of the Gospel, and under his minis
try the goddess Felix Neff became the
world-renowned missionary of the
cross, and the worldly Merle D'Aubigne
became the author of 1.-THE History of
the Reformation" and will be the
glory of the church for all ares,
I Perhaps you may do as much as the