The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1892-09-29

the waves of Gennesaret solid as granite
pavement. Oh, how many wonderful
things prayer has accomplished! Have
you ever tried it? In the days when
the Scotch Covenanters were prosecuted
and the enemies were after them, one
of the head men among the Covenant
crs prayed: "Oh, Lord, we be as dead
men unless Thou shalt help us. Oh, Lord!
throw the lap of Thy cloak over these
poor things" And instantly Scotch
mist enveloped and hid the prosecuted
from their persecutors-the promise
literally fulfilled: while they are yet
speaking | will hear"
Oh, impeniteut soul, have you ever
tried the power of prayer? God says:
HE is loving and faithful and pa
tient." Do you believe that? You are
told that Christ came to save sinners.
Do you believe that? You are told that
the Gospel is to ask for it. Do you be-
lieve that? Then come to Him and
say: "Oh, Lord! | know thou canst not
lie. Thou hast told me to come for par
don, and could get it. l come, Lord.
Keep Thy promise and liberate my
captive SOUL
Oh, that you might have an altar in
the parlor, in the kitchen, in the store,
in the barn, for Christ will be willing
to come again to the manager to hear
prayer. He would come in your place
of business as He confronted Matthew
the tax commissioner. If a measure
should come before congress that you
thought would ruin the nation, how
you would send in petitions and re-
monstrances. And yet there has been
enough sin in your heart to ruin it for
ever, and you have never demonstrated
or petitioned against it. If your phys
ical health failed, and you had the
means, you would go and spend the
summer in Germany, and the winter in
Italy, and you would think it a very
cheap outlay if you had to go all
around the earth to get back your phys
zeal health. Have you made any eff
fort, any expenditure, any exertion for
your immor tai and spiritual health? No,
you have not taken one step.
Oh that you might now begin to seek
after God with earnest prayer. Some
of you have been working for years for
the support of your families. Have you
given one half day to the working OF
your salvation with fear and trem-
bling? You came here this morning
| with an earnest purpose, l take it, as
have come hither with an earnest pur-
pose, and we meet face to face, and |
tell you, first of all, if you want to find
the Lord, you must pray, and pray and
| pray.
remark, again, you must seek the
Lord through Bible study. The Bible
! is the newest book in the world. ''Oh, >
you say, sit was made hundreds OF
| years ago, and the learned men of King
James translated it hundreds of years
ago" l confute that idea by telling
| you it is not five minutes old, when
God, by His blessed spirit retranslates
it into the heart. If you will, in the
seeking of the way of life through
Scripture study, implore Gods light to
fall upon the page, you will find that
these promises are not one second old,
and that they drop straight from the
throne of God into your heart.
There are many people to whom the
Blble does not amount to much. Ii
they merely look at the outside beauty
why it will no more lead them to Christ
than Washington's farewell address OF
| the Koran of Mahomet or the Shastel
of the Hindoos. 1t is the inward light
of Gods word you must get or die.
went up to the Church of the
Madeleine in Paris, and looked at the
doors, which We're the most wonder.
fully constructed l ever saw, and ]
could have stayed there for whole
week; but had only little time, so,
having glanced at the wonderful cary.
ing on the doors, passed in and looked
at the radiant affairs, and the sculptured
dome. Alas, that SO many stop at the
outside door of Gods holy word, look
| ing at the rhetorical beauties, instead
of going in and looking at the affairs OF
sacrifice and the dome of Gods mercy
and salvation that hovers over every
penitent and believing SOUL
Omy friends, if you merely want tc
study the laws of language do not &C
to the Bible. 1t was not made for
that. Take "Howe's Elements of Criti-
cism." 1t would be better than the
Bible for that. If you want to study
metaphysics, better than the Bible will
be the writings of VIM. Hamilton But
if you want to know how to have sin
pardoned, and at last to gain the
blessedness of Heaven, search the
| Scriptures, for in them we have
| eternal life,
When people are anxious about their
| souls-and there are some such here to-
| day-there are those who recommend
/ good books. That is all right. But
want to tell you that the Bible is the
best book under such circumstances.
Baxter wrote "A Call to the Uncon-
| VERIFIED" but the Bible is the best call to
the unconverted. Philip Doddridge
wrote 1.-The Rise and Progress of Reli-
| gion in the Soul" but the Bible is the
best rise and progress. John Angel
James wrote advice to the Anxious
Inquirer but the Bible is the best ad-
vice to the anxious inquirer.
o, the Bible is the very book you
need, anxious and inquiring soul! A
! dying soldier said to his mate: Com
rade, give me a DROP The comrade