The Bossier banner., 1894-11-08
will have to let God know some things
that you don't"

Gudb you IOn u.
We tear our hands on the spines of
the cactus instead of fastening our
eyes on its tropical blood. A great
company of people now sit swinging
themselves on the sycamore tree of
their pride, and cry to you. Sac
cheus, come down." Come down out of
your pride, out of your inquisitiveness,
out of your speculation. You can not
ride into the gate of Heaven with
coach and four, position ahead and
lacl1ey behind. Except ye become as
little children, ye can not enter the
Kingdom of God God has chosen the
weak things of the world to confound
the mighty. Zaccheus, come down!
come down."
I notice that this tax-gatherer &C
cOmpanied his surrender to Christ with
the restoration of property that did
not belong to him. He says: IF 1
have taken anything by false accusa-
ton, l restore four-fold." That is, if 1
have taxed any man for ten thousand
dollars when he had only five thou
sand dollars worth of property, and
put in my own pocket the tax for the
last five thousand dollars, | will re-
store to him fourfold. If took from
him ten dollars, will give him forty
dollars. If took from him forty dol
lars, will give him. one hundred dol
lars. ..
Hundreds of thousands of dollars
have been sent to Washington during
the past few years as conscience
money" l suppose that money was
sent by men who wanted to be Chris
tians, but found they could not until
they made restitution. There is no
need of our trying to come to Christ as
long as we keep fraudulently dollar
or farthing in our possession that
belongs to another. Suppose you have
not money enough to pay your debts,
and, for the sake of defrauding your
creditors, you put your property in
your wife's name. You might cry until
the day of judgment for pardon, but
you void not get it without first MAX
ing restitution. In times of pros
perity it is right, against a rainy day,
to assign property to your wife; but if,
in time of perplexity, and for the sake
of defraudirg your creditors, you make
such assig you become a culprit
before God, and you may as well stop
praying until you have made restitu-
ton. Or suppose one man loans an
other money on bond or mortgage,
with the understanding that the mort
gage can lie quiet for several years,
but as soon as the mortgage is given,
commences foreclosure-the sheriff
mounts the auctionablock and the prop
erty is struck down at half price, and
the mortgagee buys it in. The mort
gagee started to get the property
at half price, and is thief and rob-
ber Until he makes restitution there
is no mercy for him. Suppose you sell
goods by sample, and afterward send
to your customer an inferior quality of
goods. You have committed a fraud,
and there is no mercy for you until you
have made restitution. Suppose you
sell man handkerchief for silk, tell
ing him it is all silk, and it is part cot
ton. No mercy for you until you have
made restitution. Suppose you sell a
horse, saying he is sound, and he after
ward turns out to be spawned and
balSy. No mercy for you until you
have made restitution.
You say: Il can not make restit,l-
tion. The parties whom l swindled
are gone Then l say: ''Take the
money up to the American Bible SO.
ciety and consecrate it to God" Fac
cheus was wise when he disgorged his
unrighteous gains, and it was his first
step in the right direction.
The way being clear, Christ walked
into the house of Zaccheus. He be-
comes different man; his wife a diff
ferent woman; the children are differ
ent. Oh! it makes a great change in
any house when Christ comes into it.
How many beautiful homes are repre-
sented among you! There are pictures
on the walls; there is music in the
drawingroom, and luxuries in the
wardrobe, and a full supply in the
pantry. Even if you were half asleep,
there is one word with which could
wake you and thrill you through and
through, and that word is ''home!'
There are also houses of suffering rep
resented, in which there are neither
pictures nor wardrobe, nor adornment
only one room, and a plain cot, or a
bunk in a corner; yet it is the place
where your loved ones dwell, and you1
| whole nature tingles with satisfaction
when you think of it and call it home
Though the world may scoff at us and
pursue US, and all the day we be
| tossed about, at eventide we sail into
| the harbor of home. Though there
be no rest for us in the busy world
and we go trudging about, bear
| ing burdens that well nigh crush
us, there is a refuge, and it hath ar
easy chair in which we may sit, and {
lounge where we may lie, and a Sc
renity of peace in which we may re
pose. and that refuge is home. The
English soldiers, sitting on the wall!
around Sebastopol, one night heard {
company of musicians playing Home
Sweet Home" and it is said that tn,
whole army broke out in sobs and wall
ing, so great was their homesickness
God pity thepoor miserab BILE wretch VIII,
/ has no nome! J saGI Ia
= Now, suppose Christ should com
| into voI1r houSa First the wife am