The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-08-13

| IecllOn uncnangeaDle. But you see tnat lilo
is ebbing and the grave will soon hide her
from your sight. You sit quiet. You feel
heavy hearted. The light is fading from the
sky. The air Is chill. 1t is toward evening.
! You had considerable estate and felt In
| dependent. In five minutes on one fair bal
| ance sheet you could see just how you stood
in the world. But there came complications
| Something that you imagined impossible
| happened. The best friend you had proved
traitor to your interest. A sudden crash OF
National misfortunes Frustrated your credit.
! You may to-day be going on in business, but
| YOU feel anxious about where you are stand
ing and fear that the next turning of the
wheel will bring you PROSTATE. You foresee
what you consider certain defalcation. You
think Of the anguish oftelling your friends
you are not worth a dollar. You know not
how you will ever bring your children home
from school. You wonder how you will
stand the selling of your library or the NOV
ing into a palmer house. The misfortunes
Of life have accumulated. You wonder what
makes the sky so dark. 1t is toward even
| ing.
Listen to Paul's battle shout with misfor-
tune. Hark to mounting Latimer's fire song.
Look at the glory that has reft the dungeon
and filled the earth and heavens with the
crash Of the falling manacles of despotism.
And then look at those who have tried to
cure themselves by human prescriptions, at
| tempting to heal gangrene with patch OF
court plaster and to stop the plague of dying
empires with the quackery Of earthly wis
dom. Nothing can speak peace to the soul
nothing can unstrap our crushing burdens,
nothing can overcome our spiritual foes,
nothing can open our eyes to see the sur
rounding horses and charlOtS Of salvation
that fill all the mountains, but the voice and
command of Him who stopped one night at
| Emmaus.
The words of the text are pertinent to us
all, from the fact that we are nearing the
evening of death. l have heard it said that
we ought 20 live as though each moment
were to be our last. I do not believe that
theory. Az far as preparation Is concerned,
we ought always to be ready; but we cannot
always be thinking Of death, for we have
duties In life that demand our attention.
When man is selling goods j. is his bust
ness to think OF the bargain he IS making.
When man is pleading in the courts, 1t is
his duty to think of the interests OF his
clients When a clerk is adding up his ac-
counts. 1t is his duty to keep his mind upon
the column of figures. He who fllIs up his
LIE with thoughts OF death is far from being
the highest style Of Christian. | knew a
nan who used to often say at night II wish
might die before morning. He became an
inidel
But there are times when we can an1 ought
to give ourselves to the contemplation OF
that solemn moment when to the soul time
ends and eternity begins. We must go
through that one pass. There is no round
about way, no bypath, no circuitous route.
Die we must; and it will be to US shameful
occurrence or time of admirable behavior.
Our friends may stretch out their hands to
keep us back, but no importation on their
part can hinder US. They might offer large
; retainers, but death would not take the fee.
The breath will fail. and the eyes will close.
, and the heart will stop. You may hang the
couch with gorgeous tapestry. but what does
, death care for beautiful curtains? You may
) hang the room with the finest works Of art,
but what does death care for pictures! You
may flll the house with the wailngs OF
widowhocd and orphanage; does death mind
weeping?
This ought not to be q depressing theme.
=. Who wants to live here forever? The world
has always treated me WE'LL and every day
> feel less and less like scoIding AMI complain
. ing. But yet would not want to make this
my eternal residence / love to watch tho
clouds and bathe my soul in the blue sea OF
heaven, but 1 expect when the armament is
= rolled away as a scroll to see new heaven
:, grander, higher and more glorious. You
u ought to be willing to exchange your body
L that has headaches and sideaches and weak.
. ness innumerable, that limps with the stone
y bruise or testers with the thorn or flames
. ON the funeral pyre of fevers for an incor-
q ruptible body and an eye that binks not be-
y fore the jasper gates and the great white
q throne. But between that and this there is al
~ hour about which no man should be rockies:
or foolhardy. I doubt not your courage, but
. l tell you that you will want something bet
- ter than a strong arm, a good aim and {
- trusty sword when you come to your las
u battle. You will need q better robe than an,
II you have in your wardrobe to keep yOr
< warm in that place.
,. Circumstances do not make so much diff
II ference 1t may be bright day when yo'
:, push off the planet, or it may be dar
!. night and while The owl is ho0ting from tn
=. forest. 1t may be spring, and your soul ma
a go out among the blossoms, apple orchard
~ swinging their censers in the way. 1t ina
~ be winter and the earth in a snow shrOud
=. 1t may be autumn and the forests set on fir
:, by the retreating vear-dead nature laid GU
J., in state. 1t may be with your wife's hand /
~ your hand. or you may be in a strange hott
- with servant faithful to the last. 1t may b
u, in the rail train, shot off the switch an
~ tumbling in long reverberation dow
~ the embankment-crash, crash! I kno1
u not the time, I know not the mode, bl
II the days Of our life ara being subtracte
=. away and we shall come down to II
~ time when We have but ten days lei
a. u; then nine days, then eight days. the
-. seven days, six days, five days, four Cay
w. three days, two days, one day. Then houI
~ three hours, two hours, one hour. The
10 only minutes left-five minutes, four mi
af utes three minutes, two minutes, one minut
". Then only seconds left-four seconds. thre
Ln seconds. two seconds, one second. Con
no no The chapter of life ended. The book close
h te The pulses at rest. The feet through wi
~. no the journey. The hands closed from {
- WORK. No word on the lips. No breath
~, the nostrils. Hair combed back to lie Il
~, NJ disheveled by any human hands. The mu
ILL cles still. The nerves still The lungs sti
u The tongue still. All still. You might .
~ the stethoscope to the breast and hear ]
H. sound. You might put II speaking trump
30 TO the ear, but you could not wake the dea
AZ, da ness. No motion, no throb, no life. Sti
NO still!
sn So death comes to the disciple! What
y. the sun of life is about to set? Jesus is t
aiss day spring from on high. the perpetual mol
81. ga ing of every ransomed spirit. What if t
.ot darkness comes? Jesus is the light Of I
l l,I world and of heaven. What though Il
, W. earthly house does crumble? Jesus has p
w, W. pared house of many mansions. Jesus
' ~ thu anchor that always holds. Jesus is
~ light that is never ec!ipsed. Jesus is
&c. fountain that is never exhausted. Jesus
~, ~ the evening star, hung up amid the gloom