The Bossier banner., 1894-09-13
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the Christian religion l can not say
such things. By what process of
temptation, or trial, or betrayal you
have come to your present state, I
know not. There are two gates to
your nature; the gate of the head, and
the gate of the heart. The gate of
your head is locked with bolts and bars
that an archangel could not break,
but the gate of your heart swings easily
on its hinges. If l assaulted your
body with weapons, you would meet
me with weapons, and it would be
sword-stroke for sword-stroke, and
wound for wound, and blood for blood;
but if | come and knock at the door of
your house you open it, and give me
the best seat in your parlor. If l
should come at you to-day with an
argument, you would answer me with
an argument; if with sarcasm, you
would answer me with sarcasm; blow
for blow, stroke for stroke; but when |
heart. you open it and say: Come in,
my brother, and tell me all you know
about Christ and Heaven"
Listen to two or three questions:
Are you as happy as you used to be
when you believed in the truth of the
Christian religion? Would you like to
have your children travel on in the
road in which you are now travelling?
You had relative who professed to be
Christian, and was thoroughly con-
sistent, living and dying in the faith of
the gospel. Would you not like to
live the same quiet life, and die the
same peaceful death? received let
ter, sent me by one who has rejected
the Christian religion. Itsays: II am
old enough to know that the joys
and pleasures of life are evanescent,
and to realize the fact that it must
be comfortable in old age to believe
in something relative to the future,
and to have faith in some system that
proposes to save. am free to confess
that / would be happier if | could exer-
else the simple and beautiful faith that
is possessed by many whom know. l
am not willingly out of the church or
out of the faith My state of uncer-
tainty is one of unrest. Sometimes l
doubt my Immortality, and look upon
the deathbed as the closing scene, after
which there is nothing. What shall l
do that l have not done?' All, skeptic-
ism is a dark and doleful land.
Let me say that this Bible is either
true or false. If it is false, we are as
well off as you; if it is true, then which
of US is safer?
Do you not feel that the Bible. take
it all in all, is about the best book that
the world has ever seen? Do you know
any book that has as much in it? Do
you not think upon the whole, that
its influence has been benefcent? l
come to you with both hands extend
ed toward you. In one hand I have
the Bible, and in the other l have moth
ing. This Bible in one hand l will sur
render forever just as soon as in my
other hand you can put a book that is
better.
To-day invite you back into the
good old-fashioned religion of your
fathers-to the God whom they wor-
SHIPPED, to the Bible they read, to the
promises on which they leaned, to the
cross on which they hung their eter-
nal expectations. You have not been
happy day since you swung off; you
viii not be ha ppy a minute until you
swing back.
Again: There may be some of you
who in the attempt after Christian
life, will have to run against powerful
passions and appetites. Perhaps it is
disposition to anger that you have 20
contend against: and perhaps while in
very serious mood, you hear of some-
thing that makes you feel that you
must swear or die. | know of Chris
tian man who was once 50 exasperated
that he said toa mean customer: Il can
not swear at you myself, for l am a
member of the church; but, if you
will go down stairs my partner in
business will swear at YOU"
All your good resolutions hereto
fore have been torn to tatters by
explosions of temper. Now, there is
no harm in getting mad if you only
get mad at sin. You ueed to bride
and saddle these ot-breathed passions,
and with them ride down injustice and
wrong. There are a thousand things
in the world that we ought to be mad
at. There is no harm in getting red
hot if you only bring to the forge that
which needs hammering. A man who
has no power of righteous indignation
is an imbecile. But be sure it is
righteous Indignation, and not petu-
lancy that blurs, and unravels, and de-
pletes the soul.
There is large class of persons in
mid-life who have still in them appe-
tites that were aroused in early man.
hood, at a time when they prided them
selves on being little fast" high
livers, = free and easy" hail fellows
well met" They are now paying in
compound iqtcrest for troubles they
collected twenty years ago. Some of
you are trying TO escape, a4nd you will
yet very narrowly, ''as with the skin
of your teeth" God and your own
soul only know what the struggle is.
Onnipotent grace has pulled out many
a soul that was deeper in the 1uire
than you are. They line the beach Of
Heaven-the multitude whom God has
resoIled from tho thraH of S1icidal