The Bossier banner., 1894-04-19

1No WORLDS armed on one side; an un-
armed man on the other. The regi-
ment of the Roman army at that time
stationed at Jerusalem began the at
tack. They knew how to fight, for
they belonged to the most thoroughly
drilled army of all the world.
With spears glittering in the
sun they charge up the hill. The
horses prance and rear amidst
the excitement of the populace-the
heels of the riders plunged in the
t1anks, urging them on. The weapons
begin to tell on Christ. See how faint
He looks. There the blood starts, and
there, and there, and there. If He is
to have reinforcements let Him call
them up now. No; He must do this
work alone-alone. He is dying. Feel
for yourself of the wrist; the pulse is
feebler. Feel under the arm; the
warmth is less He is dying. Ay,
they pronounce Him dead. And Just
at that moment that they pronounced
Him dead He rallied, and from His
wounds He unsheathed a weapon
which staggered the Roman legions
down the hill and hurled the satanic
battalions into the pit. 1t was weapon
of love-infnite love, all-conquering
love. Mightier than javelin or spear.
1t triumphed over all. Put back, We
armies of earth and hell! The tide of
| battle turns. Jesus hath overcome.
Let the people stand apart and make
line, that He may pass down from Cal
vary to Jerusalem, and thence on and
out all around the world. The battle
is fought. The victory is achieved.
The triumphal march is begun. Hark
to the hoofs of the warriors steed,
| and the tramping of great multitude!
for He has many friends now. The
Hero Of earth and Heaven advances
| Cheer! cheer! "Who is this that COM
eth from Edom, with dyed garments
from Bozrah, travelling in the great
ness of His strength?"
We behold here new revelation of
blessed and startling fact. People
talk of Christ as though He were go
ing to do something grand for us after
awhile. He has done it. People talk
as though, ten or twenty years from
now, in the closing hours of our life,
or in some terrible pass of life, Jesus
will help us. He has done the work
already. He did it eighteen hundred
and sixty-one years ago. You might
as well talk of Washington as though
he were going to achieve our national
independence in 1850, as to speak
of Christ as though He was going to
achieve our salvation in the future. He
nd IN ha ~ r,.l ofr
cen hundred and sixty-one years ago,
on the field of Bozrah, the captain of
Our salvation fighting unto death for
your and my emancipation. All we
have to do is to accept that fact in our
heart of hearts, and we are free for
this world and we are free for the
world to come. But, lest we might
not accept, Christ comes through here
to-day, travelling in the greatness of
His strength" not to tell you that He
is going to fight for you some battle
in the future, but to tell you that the
battle is already fought, and the vic
tory already won.
You have noticed that, when soldiers
| come home from the wars, they carry
on their flags the names of the battle
fields where they were distinguished.
The Englishman coming back has on
his banner Inkermann and Balaklava;
the Frenchman, Jena and Eylhu; the
German, Versailles and Sedan. And
Christ has on the banner He carries as
conquerer the names of ten thousand
battlefelds IIe..won for you and for me.
He rides past all our homes of be-
reavement-by the door bell swathed
in sorrow, by the wardrobe black with
woe, by the dismantled fortress of our
strength. Come out and greet Him to-
day, o, ye people! See the names of
all the battle-passes on His flag.
Ye who are poor read on this
ensign the story of Christ's hard
crusts and pillowless head. Ye
who are prosecuted read here of the
ruffians who chased Him from His first
breath to His last. Mighty to soothe
your troubles, mighty to balk your
foes, travelling in the greatness of His
strength" Though the horse be
brown with the dust of His master, ,and
the fetlocks be wet with the carnage.
and the bit be red with the blood of
your spiritual fees, He comes up now,
not exhausted from the battle, but
fresh as when He went into it-coming
up from Bozrah, travelling in the
greatness of His strength"
You know that when Augustus, and
Constantine, and Trajan, and Titus
came back from the wars what time
there was. You know they came on
horseback or in chariots, and there
were trophies before and there were
captives behind, and there were peo-
pie shouting from all sides, and
there were garlands flung from
the windows, and over the high
way triumphal arch was sprung.
The solid masonry to-day at Beneven-
tum, Rimini and Rome still tell
their admiration of their heroes.
| And shall we let our Conqueror go
without lifting any acclaim? Have
we not flowers red enough to depict
the carnage, white enough to celebrate
the victory, fragrant enough to
breathe the joy? Those men of whom
/ just spoke dragged their victims at
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