The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1895-06-15

come and steal your sword and helmc
and shield. leaving you to the jacka
and the crow.
But the world and Satan do not d,
all their work with the ortcast ant
abandoned. A respectable impeniten
man comes to die. lie is fiat on hi
back He could not get up il the hous,
was on fire. Adroitest medical skill
and gentlest nursing have been a fail
ure. lie has come to his last hour
what does Satan do for such man.
] Why, he fetches up all the inapt, disa
grecable and narrowing things in hi.
life. He says: DO you remcmbe,
those chances you had for Heaven, and
missed them? Do you remember all
those lapses in conduct? Do you re.
member all those opprobrious words
and thoughts and actions? Don't re.
member them, eh? I'll make you re.
member them" And then he takes all
the past and empties it on that death.
bed, as the mail bags are emptied on
the post-ofice floor. The man is sick.
He can not get away from them.
Then the man says to Satan, "You
have deceived me. You told me that
all would be well. You said there
would be no trouble at the last. You
told me if i did so and so, you would
do SO and so. Now you corner me, and
hedge me up, and submerge me in
everything evil" ala! hal" says
Satan. II was only fooling you. 1t is
mirth for me to see You suffer. ! have
been for thirty years plotting to get
you just where you are. 1t is hard for
you now, it will be worse for you after
awhile. 1t pleases me. Lie still, sir.
Don't finch or shudder. Come, now.
l will tear off from you the last rag of
expectation. l will rend away from
your soul the last hope. / will leave
you bare for the beating of the storm.
1t is my business to strip the slain.
He jumps at the fall of teaspoon in
a saucer. He shivcrs at the idea of GO
ing away. He says: "Wife, / don't
think my infdelity is going to take
me through. For Gods sake, don't
bring up the children to do as have
done. If you feel like it, l wish you
would read a verse or two out of Fan
MES Sabbatl-school hymn-book, or
New Testament" But Satan breaks in
and says: you have always thought
religion trash and lie; don't give up
at the last. Besides that, you can not,
in the hour you have to live. get off on
that track. Die as you lived. With
my great black wings I shut out that
light. Die in darkness. rend away
from you that last vestige of hope. 1t
is my business to strip the slain"
man who had rejected Christianity
and thought it all trash, came to die.
lie was in the sweat of a great agony,
and his wife said: "We had better
have some prayer" "Mary, not a
breath of that" he said. 1.-The lightest
word of prayer would roll back on me
ike rocks on drowning man. / have
come to the hour of test. had a |
chance, but forfeited it. / believed
n. liar, and he has left me in the
urch. Mary, bring me Tom Paine.
hat book that swore by and lived by,
md pitch it into the fire, and let it
,urn and burn as / myself shall soon
'urn." And then, with thefoam on his
fps and his hands tossing wildly in
he air, he cried out: "BIackness of
arkness! Oh, my God. too late!" And
he spirits of darkness whistled up from
he depth, and wheeled around and
round him, stripping the slain.
Sin is luxury now; it is exhilaration
ow; it is victory now. But after
while it is collision; it is defeat; it is
it is jackalism; it is
obbing the dead; it is stripping the
lain. Give it up to-day-give it up!
h, how you have been cheated on, my
rother, from one thing to another!
II these years you have been under
n evil mastery that you understood
OF. What have your companions ,
one for your health? Nearly ruined
by carousal. What have they done
,r your fortune? Almost scattered it ,
Y spendthrift behavior. What have !
hey done for your reputation? Al +,
lost ruined it with good men. What
ave they done for your immortal soul? ,
lmost insured its overthrow. I
While men are in robust health, and ,
leir digestion is good, and their ]
srves are strong, they think their '
aysical strength will get them safely
trough tho last exigency. They say s
is only cowardly women who are
raid At the last, and cry out for God.
Wait till / como to die. will show
~. You won't hear me pray. nor call Z
r . minister, nor want chapter read :