The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-07-02

| confusion in factory!' Oh. no! all these
different bands are only different parts of the
| machinery. So go into your life and see
strange things Here is one providence pull
| ing you one way and another in another
way. But these are different parts OF one
machinery by which He will advance your
everlasting and present we'll being.
| Now you know that second mortgage,
| ana third and fourth mortgage are often
worth nothing. It is the first mortgage that
is good investment. l have to tell you
that every Christian man has first mort
gage on every trial, and on every disaster.
and 1t must make payment of eternal ad
vantage to his soul. How many worriments
it would take out Of your heart If you be-
lieved that fully. You buy goods and hope
the price will go up, but you are in a fret
and frown for tear the price will go dew
You do not buy the goods using your best
discretion in the matter, and then say: "Oh,
Lord, have done the best I could. I com
nit this whole transaction into Thy hands,"
That is what religion is good tor or it is
good for nothing.
There are two things, says an old proverb.
you ought not to fret about-frst, things
that you can help, and second, things which
you cannot help. II you can help them.
why do you not apply the remedy? If you
der first as last My dear brethren. do not
sit any longer moping about your ledger.
DO not sit looking so despondingly upon
your stock of unstable goods. Do you
think that God is going to allow you. Il
Christian man, to do business alone? God
is the controlling partner in every firm. and
although your debtors may abscond, al
though your securities may fail, although
your store may burn, God will, out of an
infinity of results, choose for you the very
| best results
Do not have any idea that you can over
step the limit that God has laid down for
your prosperity. You will never get one
inch beyond it. God has decided how much
prosperity you can stand honoraby and en-
ploy usefully and control righteously; and
at the end of the year you will have just so
many dollars and cents. just so much ward
robe. just SO much furniture, just so many
bonds and mortgages, and nothing more. I
will give you 300 for every penny you get
beyond that. God has looked over your life.
He knows what is best for you, and he is 60
ing to bless you in time, and bless you for
Your little child says: "Papa, I wish you
would let me have that knife NO.
you say, sit is a sharp knife and you
| will cut yourself" He says, II must have
il" ''But you cannot have it, you reply.
He gets angry and red in the face, and says
he will have it; but you say he shall not have
it. Are you not kind in keeping il from him?
Heavenly Father to get that" God says, mo,
my child" say Il must have it, God says,
You cannot have it." get angry and say,
II will have it." God says. "You shall not
have it," and do notget it. Is He not kind
and loving and the best of Fathers? Do you
tell me there is no rule and regulation in
these things? Tell that to the men who be-
lieve in no God and no Bible. Tell it not to
mel
man OF large business concludes to go
our of his store. leaving much of his invest
ments in the business. and he says to his
sons: "Now, am going to leave this bust
ness in your hands. Perhaps l may come
back in a little while. and perhaps not
While am gone you will please to look after
affairs" After awhile the father comes back
and finds everything at loose ends, and the
whole business seems to be going wrong. He
says: 81 am going to take possession of this
businesS-you know l never fully surren-
dered it-and henceforth consider yourselves
subordinates." Is he not right in doing it?
He saves the business. The Lord seems to
| let US go on in life. guided by our own skill
and we make miserable work of it. God
comes down to our shop, or our store, and
says: 'Things are going wrong. l come to
take charge. I am Master and l know what
is best, and proclaim my authority We
are merely subordinates. 1t is like boy at
school with long sum that be cannot do.
| III
figures here and rubbing out figures there,
aud it is all mixed up, and the teacher, look
ing over the boys shoulder, knows that he
cannot get out of it, and cleaning the slate
says, ''Begin again" Just so God does to
US. Our affairs get into an inextricable eu-
Engagement, and He rubs everything out and
says. "Begin againn' Is He not wise and
loving in so doing?
!: think the trouble is that there is so large
q difference between the divine and the hui
man estimate as to what is enough. l have
heard of people striving for that which is
enough, but | never heard of any one who
had enough. What God calls enough for
, man man call too little. What man calls
, enough God says is too much. The differ
ence between poor man and rich man is
only the difference in banks. The rich man
puts his money in the Washington bank. OF
the Central bank, or the Metropolitan bank,
or some other bank of that character. while
the poor man comes up and makes his in
vestments in the bank of Him who runs all
the quarries, all the mines, all the gold. al
the earth, all heaven. Do you think a man
can fail when he is backed up like that?
You may have seen a map on which is
l described, with red ink, the travels of the
children of Israel through the desert to the
promised land. You see how they took this
and that direction, crossed that river and
3 went through the sea. Do you know Goo
, has made map OF your life with paths lead
ing up to this river and across that sea-
But, blessed be God, the path always come:
out at the promised land. Mark that! MARI
that!
i There is a man who says, THAT doctrine
. cannot be true. because things do go SC very
> wrong" reply it is no Inconsistency Oh
r the part of God, but a lack Of understanding
b. on our part. I hear that men are making
: very fine shawls in some factory. go il
Il on the first floor and see only the raw ma
0 terials, and I ask, "Are these the shawls
s have heard about!'' ''No," says the manu-
Il facturer. $50 up to the next fioor," and
! go up, and there 1 begin to see the design
It But the man says: "Do not stop here. G,
9 up to the top floor of the factory and you
Q will see the ideAully carried out" do 50
it and having come to tho top, see the com
s plete pattern of an exquisite shawl. So Il
our life. standing down on low level O
: Christian experience we do not understan,
n Gods dealings He tells US to go up highe
II and higher until we begin to understan,
If the divine meaning with respect to us, an
n we advance until we stand at the very gat
o OF heaven, and there see Gods i1ea a
70 wrought out-a perfect idea of mercy, c
l. love, of kindness. And we say, "Just an,
y true are all my ways" 1t is all right at tn
+ top. Remember there is no inconsistent
If on the part Of God, but it is only our menta