The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1895-03-28

81 stopped going to church ten or
twenty years ago." My brother, is it
not strange that you should be the
first man I should talk to to-day? l
know all your case; I know it very
well. You have not been accustomed
to come into religious assemblage, but
have surprising announcement to
make to you; you are going to become
one of the Lords sheep. 'Ah," you
say, sit is impossible. You don't
know how far am from anything of
that kind" l know all about it. l
have wandered up and down the world
and understand your case. have a
still more startling announcement to
make in regard to you: you are not
only going to become one of the Lords
sheep, but you will become one to-day.
You will stay after the service to be
talked with about your soul. People
of God, pray for that man! That is
the only use for you here. shall not
break off SO much as a crumb for you,
Christians, in this sermon, for I am
going to give it all to the outsiders.
"Other sheep have I which are not of
this fold"
Iremark again, the Heavenly Shep-
herd is going to find great many of
his sheep among those who are posi-
tive rejecters of Christianity. do not
know how you came to reject Chris
tianity. It may have been through
hearing Theodore Parker preach, or
through reading Remains Life Of
Jesus" or through the infidel talk Of
some young man in your store. It may
have been through the trickery of
some professed Christian man who dis
gusted you with religion. do not
ask you how you became so; but you
frankly tell me that you do reject it.
You do not believe that Christ is a
Divine being, although you admit that
He was very good man. You do not
believe that the Bible was inspired of
God, although you think there are
some very fine things in it. You be-
lieve that the Scriptural description of
Eden was only an allegory. There
are fifty things that believe that you
do not believe. And yet you are an
accommodating man. Everyb body that
knows you says that of you. If
should ask you to do kindness
for me, or if anyone else should ask
of you a kindness, you would
do it. Now, have a kindness to ask
Of you to-day. It is something that
will cost you nothing and will give me
great delight. Iwant you by expert
,,oap4 ~ f.xy tho roxyor of rI,r;e%,c -
ligion. If should come to you. and
you were very sick, and doctors had
given you up, and I should take out
bottle. and say: "Here is med
icine that will cure you; it has
cured fifty people, and it will
cure you." You would say:
II have no confidence in it." would
say: Won't you take it to oblige
me?" s'Well," you would say, ''if it's
any accommodation to you, I'll take
it, My friend, will you be just as ac-
commodating in matters of religion?
There are some of you who have found
out that this world cannot satisfy
your soul. You are like the man who
told me one Sabbath after the service
was over: ''I have tried this world
and found it an insufficient portion.
Tell me of something better" You
have come to that. You are sick for
the need of divine medicament. Now /
come and tell you of a physician who
will cure you, who has cured hundreds
and hundreds who were sick as You
are. ''Oh," you say, II have no conf
dence in him." But will you not try
him? Accommodate me in this matter;
oblige me in this matter; just try him.
l am very certain he will cure you.
You reply: II have no especial conf
dence in him, but if you ask me as a
matter Of accommodation, introduce
him." So do introduce Him-Christ,
the Physician, who has cured more
blind eyes, and healed more ghastly
wounds, and bound up more broken
hearts than all the doctors since the
time of Esculapius. That Divine Ply.
sician is here. Are you not ready to try
Him? viii you not, as pure matter
Of experiment, try Him, and state
your case before Him this hour? Hold
nothing back from Him. If you car
Aot pray, II you Wv uot hho" INV "
pray any other way, say: 20, Lord
Jesus Christ, this is strange thing fol
me to do. I know nothing about the
formulas of religion. These christian
people have been talking SO long about
| what Thou canst do for me. am ready
to do whatever Thou commandest me
to do. am ready to take whatever
Thou commandest me to take. Il
there be any power in religion. as these
| people say, let me have the advantage
of it,
Will you try that experiment now.
do not at this point of my discourse
say that there is anything in religion
but / simply say, try it-try it. Do mo-
| take my counsel or the counsel of any
clergyman. if you despise clergymen
Perhaps we may be talking profession
ally; perhaps we may be hypocritica
in our utterances; perhaps our advice il
not worth taking. Then take the coun
sci of some very respectable laymen, a
John Milton. the poet; as William vii
berforce, the statesman; as Isaac New
ton, the astronomer; as Robert Boyle