The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-08-20
Subject: reformation of Habits.'

~ yCt eiSoiA.
With an insight into human nature such
as no other man ever reached, Solomon, in
my text, sketches the mental operations of
one who, having stepped aside from the
path Of rectitude, desires to return. With
wish for something better he says: "When
shall l awake? When shall l come out of
this horrid nightmare OF iniquity!" But
seized upon by uneradicated habit, and
forced down hill by his passions, he cries
out: II will seek it yet again. will try it
once more"
Our libraries are adorned with an elegant
literature pointing ont all the dangers and
perils OF life-complete maps Of the voyage.
showing all the rocks, the qucksands, the
shoals. But suppose man has already made
sh1pwreck; suppose he is already off the
track; suppose he has already gone astray,
how is he to get back? That is a field com
paratively untouched. propose to address
myself this evening to such. There are those
In this audience who, with every passion of
their agonized soul, are ready to hear this
discussion. They compare themselves with
what they were ten years ago, and cry out
from the bondage in which they are incar-
cerated.
Habit is task master. As long as we
obey 1t it does not chastise US; but let us re-
sist, and we find we are 70 be dashed with
scorpion whips and bound with ship cable,
au' lhiOWh lLlio tllt; lEdck o. DOne-DfeaElny
Juggernauts. During the war of 1912 there
was ship set on fire just above Niagara
Fails, and then. cut loose from its moorings
1t came on down through the night auh
tossed over the falls. it was said to have
been a scene brilliant beyond all deserip-
ton. Well. there are thousands of men on
fire Of evil habit, coming down through the
rapids. and through the awful night OF
temptation; toward the eternal plunge. On,
how hard it G n CCA
| arrest them.
Suppose man, after five, or ten, or twenty
years of evil doing resolves to do right
| Why. all the forces of darkness are allied
against him. He cannot sleep nights. He
gets down on his knees in the midnight, and
cries, 'God help me' He bites his lip: he
| grinds his teeth; he clenches his fist in q
determination to keep his purpose. He dare
not look at the bottles in the windows of a.
wine store. 1t is one long. bitter, exhaus-
tive. hand-to-han1 fight with an infiamel
tantal zing and merciless habit When he
thinks he is entirely free the old inclinations
pounce upon him Ikea pack of hounds, with
their muzzles tearing away at the TANKS of
one poor reindeer. In Paris there is a sculp-
tured representation of Baccbus, the god Of
| ravery. He is riding on panther at full
leap. Oh, how suggestive! Let every one
who is speeding on bai ways understand he
IS not riding docile and well broken steed,
out ne Is riding monster. wild and blood
thirsty, going at death leap.
How many there are who resolve on bet
ter life, and say. when shall 1 awake?" but,
seized on by their old habits, cry, II will
try it once more. will seek it vet again"
Years ago there were some Princeton STU
dents who were skating, and the ice was
very thin, and some one warned the COM
pany back from the air hole, and finally
warned them entirely to leave tho place.
But one young man, with bravado, after all
the rest had stopped, cried out. Zone round
more! He swept around and went down,
and was brought out a corpse. NV friends,
there are thousands and tens of thousands
OF men losing their souls in that way. It is
the ''one round more"
Ii man wants to return from evil prac-
t1ces, society repulses him. Desiring to re.
form he says, "Now will shake off nv old
associates and 1 will find Christian com.
partnership And he appears at the church
door some Sabbath day and the usher grees
him with look as much as to say, "Why
you here! You are the last man | ever ex-
pected to see at church! Come, take this
seat right down by the door," instead of say
ing, Good morning! I am glad you are
here Come, will give you f1rst-rate seat
right up by the pulpit" Well, the prodical
not yet discouraged, enters prayer meeting
and some Christian man, with more yea thar
common sense, says, "Glad to see you; the
dying thief was saved and suppose there Is
mercy for you" The young man. disguised
chilled. throws himself on his dignity. re-
solved he will never enter the house OF Coo
again.
Perhaps not quite fully discouraged abou
reformation, he sides up by some highly re
spectacle man he used to know, going dow1
the street, and Immediately the respectabl,
man has an Grand down some other street
| Well the nrO6ipq1 TO
some member of q Christ an association b,
the hand. or tries to. The Christian youn:
man looks at him, looks at the faded appare
and the marks of dissipation; instead of Civ
Ing him warm grip of the hand, he offer
him the tip ends Of the long fingers of tn
left hand. which is equal to striking a ma,
: In the face. Oh! how few Christian peopl
J understand how much force and gosp
there is in good honest Misunderstanding
sometimes. when you have felt the need o
encouragement, and some Christian man Ia
; taken you heartily by the hand, have yo,
not felt thrilling through every fibre of you
BODY, mind and soul an announcement tina
was Just what you needed2 You do not know
anything at all about this unless you know
. when man tries to return from evil course
he runs against repuEsions innumerable.
We say OF some man. he lives a block 0
two from the church, or half a mile from tn
church. There are people in our crowde
cities who live thousand miles from church
Vast deserts of Indifference between theL
and the house Of God. The fact is, we mus
| keep our responsibility, though thousand
; and tens OF thousands perish. Christ 81
with pnblicans and sinners. But If ther
comes to the house of GOD man with mark
OF dissipation upon him, the people almos
throw up their hands In horror, as much 9
to say. "lsn't 1t shocking.." How thes
dainty, fastidious Christians in all GU
churches are going to get into heaven I don
know, unless they have an especial train {
cars, cushioned and upholstered, each one
car to himself. They cannot 60 with publ
cans and sinners.
Oh! We who curl your lip of scorn at tn
y fallen, tell your plainly. If you had bee
surrounded by the same influences, instea
OF sitting to-day amid the cultured and III
refined and the Christian, you would ha,
been crouching wretch, covered with fl,
and abomination. IT is not because YOU q,
any better. but because the mercy of God h.
protected you. Who are you that. brourl
up in Christian circles and watched by Chrj
tlan parentage, you should be so hard on ii
fallen?
First of all, my brother, throw yourself c
God. Go to Him frankly and earnestly an
tell Htmthese habits you have, and ask Hi
II there is any help in all the resources
omnipotent love to give it to YOU Do n,
60 with long rigmarole people call praye