The Bossier banner., 1894-11-29
NUMBER 40.

wish I could put before my unpar-
doned readers their own helplessness.
NO human arm was ever strong enough
to unlock the door of Heaven. No foot
was ever mighty enough to break the
shackle of sin. No oarsman swarthy
enough to row himself into Gods har-
Dor. The wind is against you. The
tide is against you. The law is
against you. Ten thousand cor
rupting influences are against you.
Helpless and undone. Not so helpless
sailor on plank, midatlantic. Not
so helpless traveller girded by twenty
miles prairie on fire. Prove it, you
say. l will prove it. John vi, Al:
mo man can come to me, except the
Father which had sent me draw him.
But while l have shown your help
lessness, want to put by the side of it
the power and willingness of Christ to
save you. think it was in 1856 ves-
sci was bound for Portugal, but it was
driven to pieces on an unfriendly
coast The captain had his son with
| him, and with the crew they wandered
up the beach, and started on the long
| journey to find relief. After awhile,
the son tainted by reason of
hunger and the length of the
way. The captain said to the
crew: Garry my boy for me on your
shoulders" They carried him on, but
| the journey was so long, that after
awhile the crew tainted from hunger
and from WEAKNESS, and could carry
| him no longer. Then the father raj
| lied his almost wasted energy and took
up his own boy, and put him on his
| shoulder, and carried him on mile af-
ter mile, mile after mile, until, over
come himself by hunger and weari-
ness, he too tainted by the way. The
boy lay down and died, and the father,
just at the time rescue came to
him, also perished, living only
| long enough to tell the story-and
story, indeed! But glory be to God
that Jesus Christ is able to take us up
out of our shipwrecked and dying con-
dition, and put us on the shoulder of
His strength, and by the omnipotence
of His Gospel bear us on through all
the journey of this life, and at last
through the opening gates of Heaven!
He is mighty to save. Though your
sin be long and black, and inexcusable,
and outrageous, the very moment you
believe will proclaim pardon-quick,
full, grand, unconditional, un-
compromising, illimita bic, infinite Oh,
the grace of Godf am overwhelmed
when I come to think of it. Give
me thousand ladders, lashed fast to
| ~ hnA L 10 f11es toi inrI1%
| Let the line run out with the anchor
until all the cables of earth are ex-
hausted, that we may touch the depth.
Let the archange1 fly in circuit of eter-
nal ages in trying to sweep around
this theme. Oh, the grace of God! It
is so high. 1t is so broad. 1t is SO
deep. Glory be to God, that where
mans oar gives out, Gods arm begins!
1 Why will ye carry your sins and your
sorrows any longer when Christ offers
to take them? Why will you vrestle
down your fears when this moment you
might give up and be saved? Do you
not know that everything is ready?
Plenty of room at the feast Jesus
has the ring of His love all ready to
put upon your hand. Come now and
sit down, ye hungry ones, at the BAN
quet. Ye who are in rags of sin, take
the robe of Christ. Ye who are
swamped by the breakers around you,
cry to Christ to pilot You into smooth,
still waters. On account of the
peculiar phase of the subject, /
have drawn my present illus
trations, you see, chiefly from the
water. remember that vessel went
to pieces on the Bermudas great many
years ago. 1t had a vast treasure on
board. But the vessel being sunk, no
effort was made to raise it. After many
years had passed company of adven-
turers went out from England. and,
after a long voyage, they reached the
place where the vessel was said to have
sunk. They got into a small boat
and hovered over the place. Then
the divers went down, and they broke
through what looked like limestone
covering, and the treasures rolled out
what was found afterwards to be. in
American money, worth one million
five hundred thousand dollars, and the
foundation of great business house.
At that time the whole world rejoiced
over what was called the luck of these
adventures. Oh, we who have been
rowing toward the shore, and have
not been able to reach it, want to
tell you tonight that your boat hovers
over infinite treasure! All the riches oi
God are at your feet. Treasures that
never fail, and crowns that never grow
dim. Who will go down now and seek
them? Who will dive for the pearl ol
great price? Who will be prepared for
life, for death, for Judgment, for the
long eternity? See two hands of blood
stretched out toward thy soul, as Jesus
says: ''Come unto me, ALL that labol
and are heavy laden, and / will give
you rest"
: Character.
{ Fine character is positive. We arr
t never at a loss to know where the on,