The Bossier banner., 1892-04-14

the saddest is the idiots stare. In this
world of awful sounds, the most awful
is the maniac's laugh. A vessel on the
rocks, when hundreds go down never
to rise, and other hundreds drag their
mangled and quivering bodies up the
wintry beach, is nothing compared to
the laundering of intellects full of vast
hopes and attainments and capacities.
Christ's heart went out to those VINO
were epiieptic, falling into the tire, or
maniacs cutting themselves among the
tombs We are accustomed to be more
grateful for physical health than for
the proper working of our mind. we
are apt to take it lor granted that the
intellect which has served us so well
will always be faithful. We forget
that an engine with such tre-
mendous power, when the wheels
have such vastness of circle and
such swiftness of motion and the least
impediment might put it out of gear,
could only be kept in proper balance
by Divine hand. No human power
could engineer this train of immortal fa-
| culties. How stI ange it is that our mem
| ory on whose shoulders all the successes
and misfortunes and occurrences OF a
| lifetime are placed, should not oftener
break down, and that the scales OF
| Judgment, which have been weighing
so much and so long, should not lose
their adjustment, and that fancy,
which holds dangerous wand, should
| not sometimes maliciously wave 1t,
bringing into the heart forebodings
and hallucinations the most appalling
| Is it not strange that the expectations
of this intellect should not be dashed
to pieces on it's appointments?
How many fine intellects are being
destroyed by anodynes and an@sthetics,
which were given by Providence for
occasional use in alleviation of pair Or
insomnia, but by being employed ccA-
| tinuously after awhile capture and de-
| stroy. Chloral, cocaine, bromide of
| potassium, opium and whole shelves of
| seductive ct ceteras that help turn
! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS into imbecility or
madness. Do not trife with opiates
that benumb the brain If you can no:
live without the perpetual and enslav'
ing use of them, you had better die
Better die sane man than live fool
What right have You to kill your brain,
and put in wild jangle your nervous
system? But rum is the cause of more
insanity than anything else. There is
| nothing like rum to put a man, like
| Nebuchadnezzar, down on all-fours.
| Again, learn how quickly turns the
wheel of fortune; from how high up to
how far down went Nebuchadnezzar.
Those now in places of position and
power, even though they should live,
will, in few years, be disregarded,
while some, who, this day are obscure
and poverty will ride up on
the shoulders of the people to take
their turn at admiration and the spoils
of office. Oh, how quickly the wheel
turns! Ballot boxes are the steps on
| which men come down as often as they
go up. Of those who were few years
ago successful in the accumulation OF
property, how few have not met
with reverses of fortune, while
many of those who then were straitened
in circumstances now hold the bonds
and the bank keys of the nation, and
win the most bows on the exchange.
Of all tickle people in the world Fortune
is the most tickle. Every day changes
her mind, and woe to that man who
puts any confidence in what she prom.
Uses or proposes. She cheers when you
go up, and she laughs when you come
down. Oh, trust not a moment youl
hearts affections to this changeable
world. Anchor your soul in God. From
Christ's love gather your Joy. Then
come sorrow or gladness, success or de.
feat, riches or poverty, honor or dis
grace, health or sickness, life or death
time or eternity, all are yours, and ye
are Christ's and Christ is Gods.
Again. learn from my subject thai
connected with the lnost distressing
judgments of God there are displays o.
l'ivine mercy. God might justly have
left Nebuchadnezzar in the field, bu
Infinite compassion brought him bacl
to the palace. No sooner was Eder
blasted than blessing followed on the
curse, promising the coming of one
who would destroy sin and make th,
whole world a paradise. The delugt
descends, but not until Noah had in
vited the people into the ark. The
destroying angel comes upor
Egypt for the shifting of the first
born, but left unmolested every
house whose door was sprinkled with
the blood of sacrifice. Fiery tempest.
bear down upon Sodom, but not unit
two angels have warned Lot and hi.
family to flee from the destruction
Jerusalem was utterly destroyed, but
not until jeremiah had sounded ar
alarm, bidding them turn from theil
denominations. On the darkest cloud o.
wrath there is rainbow of mercy
Zechariah in his prophetic vision be
held four chariots, symbolical of God,
government. The first chariot wa.
drawn by red horses. They indicated
the wars that were coming. The
second chariot was drawn by blacl
horses. They indicated the coming o,
a famine and pestilence. The thirC
chariot was drawn by white horses
They indicated the spotless purity O
his conquests. But mark well that the
fourth chariot was drawn by horse.
',grisled and bay" denoting that mercy