The Bossier banner., 1894-05-17
NUMBER II.


more joy in one drop of Christian salts
faction than in the whole rivers of sim
full delight. Other wings may be
drenched of the storm and splashed of
the temptest, but the dove that comes
in through the window of this heaven
ly ark has wings like the dove covered
with silver, and her feathers with yell
low gold.
Again remark, religion is an adorn-
ment in the style of usefulness into
which it inducts man. Here are two
young men. The one has fine culture,
exquisite wardrobe, plenty of friends,
great worldly success, but he lives for
himself His chief care is for his own
comfort. He lives uselessly. He dies
unregretted. Here is another young
man. His apparel may not be
so good, his education may
not be so thorough. He lives for
others. His happiness is to make 9TH
ers happy. He is as self-denying as
that dying soldier, falling in the ranks,
when he said: Colonel, there is no
need of those boys tiring themselves
by carrying me to the hospital; let me
die just where l am" So this young
man of whom l speak, loves God, wants
all the world to love him, is not
ashamed to carry bundle of clothes
up that dark alley to the poor. Which
of those young men do you admire the
better? The one a sham, the other
prince imperial.
Oh, do you know anything, my
hearer, that is more beautiful to see
than young man start out for Christ?
Here is some one falling; he lifts him
up. Here is vagabond boy; he intro
duces him to mission school Here is
family freezing to death; he carries
them a scuttle of coal. There are
eight hundred millions perishing in
midnight heather darkness; by all
possible means he tries to send them
the Gospel. He may be laughed at,
and he may be sneered at, and he may
be caricatured, but he is not ashamed
to go everywhere, saying: 81
am not ashamed of the Gospel
of Christ. 1t is the power of God
and the wisdom of God unto
salvation" Such young man can go
through everything. There is no
force on earth or in hell that can re-
sist him. 1 show you three spectacles.
Spectacle the first: Napoleon passes
by with the host that went down with
him to Egypt, and up with him
through Russia, and crossed the conti-
nent on the bleeding heart of which
he set his iron heel, and across the
quivering flesh of which he went
grinding the wheels of his gun-c car
riages-in his dying moment asking
his attendants to put on his military
boots for him.
Spectacle the second: Voltaire, bright
and learned and witty and eloquent,
with tongue and voice and stratagem
internal, warning against God and
poisoning whole kingdoms with his
infdelity, yet applauded by the clap
ping hands of thrones and empires and
continents-hi last words, in delirium
supposing Christ standing by the bed
side-his last words: Crush that
wretchr'
Spectacle the third: Paul-Paul, in
significant in person, thrust out from
all refined association, scourged, spat
on, bounded like wild beast from city
to city, yet trying to make the world
good and Heaven full; announcing
resurrection to those who mourned at
the barred gates of the dead, speaking
consultations which light up the eyes
of widowhood and orphanage and
want with glow of certain and eternal
release; undaunted before those who
could take his life, cheek flushed with
transport and his eye on Heaven;
with one hand shaking defiance at
all the foes of earth and all principali-
ties of hell, and with the other hand
reckoning messenger angels to come
and bear him away, as he says: lam
now ready to be offered. and the time
of my departure is at hand; / have
fought the good fight, have finished
my course, / have kept the faith;
henceforth there is laid up for me
crown of righteousness which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give
me-"
"Oh,' you say, religion am going
to have; it is only question of time"
MY L din dAIdlh thdb you
lose Heaven the way Louis Philippe
lost his empire. The Partisan mob
came around the tullerieA The national
guard stood in defense Of the palace,
and the commander said to Louis
Philippe: "Shall l fro now? Shall /
order the troops to fire? With one vol
ley we can clear the place" No
said Louis Philippe, mot yet" A few
minutes passed on. and then Louis
Philippe, seeing the case was hopeless,
said to the general: Now is the
time to fire." ''No," said the general,
'it is too late now; don't you see that
the soldiers are exchanging arms with
the citizens? It's too late" Down
went the throne of Louis Philippe.
Away from the earth went the
house of Orleans, and all because
the king said: Not yet! not yetr'
May God forbid that any of you should
adjourn this great subject of religion,
and should postpone assailing your
spiritual foes until it is too late, too
late-you losing throne in Heaven
the way that Louis Philippe lost a
throne on earth.