The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-06-10

changed by the grace of God, and have |
found out that .'gddliiiess is profitable
for the life that Is as well as for the
life which is to come"
Peter. with nature tempestuous as the
sea, that he once tried to walk. at one
look of Christ went out and wept bit
terly. Rich harvests OF grace may
grow Oh the tip-top OF the jagged steep,
and focks OF Christian graces may find
pa sturage in fields of bramble and
rock. Though your disposition may be
all Artistic with fretfnlness though
YOU have tefaper Agleam with quick
lightnings, though your avarice be like
that of the horse-leech, crying: ''Give!"
though damnable impurities have
wrapped you in all-eonsuming fire.
b cd can drive that devil out Of your
soul, and over the chaos and the dark
ness He can say: LET there be light.
Converting grace has lifted the drunk
ard from the ditch. and snatched the
knife from the hand of the assassin,
and the false KEY from the burglar, and
in the pestiferous lanes Of the city met
the daughter of sin under the dim lamp
light scattered her sorrow and her
guilt with the words: 'Thy sins are
forgived-g6, and sin no inore." For
scarlet sin scarlet atonement
Other persons apologize for not en-
tering the Christian life because of the
inconsistencies of those who profess
religion. There mrs thousands of poor
farmers They do not know the nature
of soil nor the proper rotation of crops.
Their corn is shorter in the stalk and
smaller in the ear. They have ten less
bushels to the acre than their reighs
bCrs. But who declines being farm
err because there are SO many poor
farmers?
There are thousands Of incompetent
merchants They buy at the wrong
time. They get cheated in the sale OF
their goods Every bale of goods is to
them a bale of disaster. They fail after
awhile and 10 out of business But who
declines to be merchant because there
are so many incompetent merchants?
There are thousands Of poor lawyers.
They can hot draw declaration that
will stand the test. They can not re-
cover just damages They can not help
a defendant escape from the injustice
of his prosecutors. They are the worst
evidence against any case in which they
are retained. But who declines to be n
| lawyer because there are so many ins
competent lawyers? Yet there are tens
Of thousands of people who decline
being religious because there are so
many unworthy Christians. Now, Isay
it is ,llcgicsl Poor lawyers afc Hoth'
ing against Jurisprudence. poor physi-
clans are nothing against medicine,
poor farmers are nothing against agri-
culture. and mean. contemplate pro-
fcssors of religion are nothing against
our glorious Christianity:
Sometimes you have been riding
along on summer night by swamp
and you have seen lights that kindled
over decayed vegetation--lights which
are called jack-o-lantern or will-e-the-
wisp. These lights are merely poison.
GUS miasmata. My friends, on your
way to Heaven you will want a better
light than the will-o'-the-wisps which
dance on the rotten character of dead
Christians. Exudations from poiscnou:
trees Ia our neighbors' garden will
make a very poor balm for our wounds
| Sickness will come and we will III
| pushed out toward the Red sea which
divides this world from the next, ant
not the inconsistency OF Christians
bnt the rod of faith will wave back the
waters as commander wheels his
host. The Judgment will come. witt
its thundershod solemnities, attended
by bursting mountains and the deel
laugh Of earthquakes and suns will q.
before the feet of God like sparks from
the anvil, and ten thousand burning
worlds shall blaze like banners in thu
track of God omnipotent. Obi then w
will not stop and say: There was
mean Christians; there was o cowardll
Christian; there was q lying Christian
, there was an impure Christian" II
that day as now; III thou be wise
| thou shalt be wise for myself; but
thou soonest, thou alone shall bea
it." Why, my brother, the incon
, sistency of Christians. SO far fror
being an argument to keep yo
away from God, ought to be a
! argument to drive you to Him. TIL
| best place for . slxillful doctor is in
E neighborhood where they are all poe
doctors; the best place for an ente'
r prising merchant to open his store Is !
l a place where the bargain makers d
: not understand their business; and tn
t best place for you who want to becom