The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1894-03-01


and peace upon the soul Oh, my
friend l wish we could feel it more and
more, that if any good is done it is by
the power of Gods omnipotent spirit.
do not know what hymn may bring
you to Jesus. l do not know what
words of the Scripture lesson Tread may
save your soul. Perhaps the spirit OF
God may hurl the very text into your
heart: Come, for all things are now
ready"
Again, the angels of God are ready
A great may Christians think that the
talk about angels is fanciful. You say
it is a very good subject for theological
students who have just begun to SER
monte; but for older men it is improp-
er. There is no more proof in Bible that
there is a God than there are angels.
Why, do not they swarm about ia
cob's latter? Are we not told that
they conducted Lazarus upward? that
they stand before the throne, their
faces covered up with their wing, while
they cry: "Holy, holy, is the Lord
God Almighty!' Did not David see
thousands and thousands? Did not
one angel slay one hundred and eighty
five thousand men in Senacherib's
army? And shall they not be the chief
harvesters at the Judgment?
There is a line of loving, holy,
mighty angels reaching to Heaven. l
suppose they reach from here to the
very gate, and when an audience is as
sembled for the Christian worship the
air is full of them. If each one of you
have a guardian angel, how many ce-
lestials there are here. They crowd
the place, they hover, they fit about,
they rejoice. Look, that spirit is just
come from the throne. A moment
ago it stood before Christ and heard
the doxology of the glorifed. Look!
Bright immortal, what news from the
golden city! Speak, spirit blest! The
response comes melting on the air:
Come for all things are now ready"
Angels ready to bear the tidings,
angels ready to drop the benediction,
angels ready to kindle they joy.
They have stood in glory-they
know all about it. They have felt
the joy that IS felt where there are no
tears and no graves; immortal health,
but no invalidism; songs, but no
groans; wedding bells, but no funeral
torches-eyes that never weep-hands
that never blister-heads that never
faint-hearts that never break
friendships that are never weakened.
Ready, all of them! Ready thrones,
principalities and powers; ready
seraphim and cherubim! Ready,
Michael, the archangel!
If have shown you that ':all things
are ready" that Christ is ready, shat
the Holy Spirit is ready, that the
church is ready, that the angels in
glory are ready. that your glorified
kindred are ready, then with all the
concentrated emphasis of my soul,
1 ask you if you are ready? You
see my subject throws the whole
responsibility upon yourself. If
you do not get into the Kings banquet
it is because you do not accept the in
vitation. You have the most inpor-
tunate invitation. Two arms stretched
down from the cross soaked in blood
from elbow to finger-tip: two lips quiz
ering in mortal anguish; two eyes
beaming with infinite love, saying:
"Come, come, for all things are now
ready"
told you that when the queen came
to Kenilworth castle, they stopped all
the clocks, that the finger of time
might be pointed to that happy mo-
ment of her arrival. Oh! if the King
would come to the castle of your soul,
you might well afford to stop all
the clocks, that the hands 1uight
forever point to this moment as
the one most bright, most blessed,
most tremendous. Now, 1 wish l
could go around from circle to circle
and invite every one of you, according
to the invitation of my text, saying:
Gomez 1 would like to take every
one OF you by the hand, and say:
''Come'" Old man, who hath
been wandering seventy or eighty
years, thy sun almost gone
down, through the dust OF
the evening stretch out your withered
hand to Christ. He will not cast thee
off, old man. Oh, that one tear of re-
pentance might trickle down thv
wrinkled cheek. After Christ has fed
thee all thy life long, do you think
you can afford to speak one word in
His praise?
Come, those of you who are the
farthest away from God. Drunkard!
Christ can put out the fire of thy
thirst. He can break that shackle.
He can restore thy blasted home.
Go to Jesus. Libertine! Christ
saw thee where thou vert
last night He knows of thy sin.
Yet, if thou will bring thy pol
luted soul to Him this moment, He
will throw over it the mantle of His
pardon and love. Mercy for thee, O!
the chief of sinner. Harlot! thy feet
foul with hell and thy laughter the
horror of the stretch, Mary Mag
dalen-lool1 to Jesus, Mercy for
thee, poor lost waif of the
street! Self-righteous man, thou
must be born again, or thou canst see
the kingdom of God. Do you think
you can get into the feast with those
rags? Why, the Kings servant would