The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-05-16

prove it in two ways, and you may
have your choice. l can prove 1t
either by the statements of men or by
the statement of God. Which shall it
be? You say: LET us have the state
ment of God" Well, He says in one
place: 1.-THE heart is deceitful above all
things and desperately wicked. y
He says in another place: eWhat is
man that he should be clean?
and he which is born of woman,
that he should be righteous?" BE
says in another place. There is none
that doeth good-no not one" lie
says in another place, 'as by one man
sin entered into the world, and death
by sin, and SO death passed upon all
men, for that all had sinned.n "Well, "
you say, II am willing to acknowledge
that, but why should take the partic-
ular rescue that you propose?' This
is the reason. Except man be born
again he can not see the kingdom of
God" This is the reason: There is
one name given under Heaven among
men whereby they may be saved. !" Then
there are thousand voices here ready
to say: ''Well, l am ready to accept
this help of the Gospel. / would like
to have this Divine cure; how shall
go to work" Let me say that mere
within, an underlined longing amounts
to nothing You must have stout, a
tremendous resolution like this young
man in the text when he said: Il will
arise and go to my father" sob, -
says some man, 'how do
know my father wants me? how
do / know if 1 go back, i would
be received?" "Oh,.' says some man,
you don't know, where have been;
you don't know how far have wan
dercd, you wouldn't talk that way to
me if you knew all the iniquities l
have committed" What is that fut-
ter among the angels of God? What is
that horseman running with quick dis
patch. 1t is news! 1t is news! Christ
has found the lost.
Nor angels can their joy contain,
But kndle with new FIRE,
The sinner lost is found, they sing.
And strike the sounding Tyre.
When Napoleon talked of going into
Italy. they said: "You can't get there.
If you knew what the Alps were you
wouldn't talk about it or think about
it. You can't get your ammunition
wagons over the Alps" Then Napoleon
rose in his stirrups, and, waving his
hand toward the mountains, he said:
There shall be no Alpsl" That Won
derful pass was laid out which has
been the wonder of all the years since
the wonderment of all engineers.
And you tell me there are such noun
tains of sin, between your soul and
God, there is no mercy. Then l see
Christ waving His hand toward the
mountains. l hear Him say: Il will
come over the mountains of thy sin
and the hills of thine iniquity." There
shall be no Pyrenees; there shall be nc
Alps.
Again: I notice that this. resolution
of the young man of my text was
founded in sorrow at his misbehavior
1t was not mere physical plight. 1t
was grief that he had so maltreated
his father. 1t is a sad thing after ia.
Their has done everything for child to
have that child ungrateful.
How sharper than serpent's tooth it is,
To have a thankless child.
That is Shakespeare. "a foolish son
is the heaviness of his mother" That
is the Bible. Well, my friends, have
not some of us been cruel prodigals?
Have we not maltreatcd our Fa.
Their? And such Father!
Three times day has He fed thee. He
has poured sunlight into thy day and
at night kindled up all thestreet lights
of Heaven. With what varieties OF
apparel He hath clothed thee for the
season. Whose eye watches theei
Whose hand defends thee? Whose
heart sympathizes with thee? Who
gave You your children? Who is guard
ing your loved ones departed? Such
Father! So loving, SO kind. If He
had been stranger; if lie had for
saken us; if he had Negotiated us, if
He had pounded us and turned us out
of doors on the commons, it would mol
have been SO wonderful-our treat
ment of Him; but He is Father, sc
loving, so kind. and yet how many OF
us for our wandering have never
apologized! If we say anything
that hurts our friends feel
ings, if we do anything that
hurts the feelings of those in whom we
are interested how quickly we
apologize! We can scarcely wait until
we get pen and paper to write letter
of apology. How easy it is for anyone
who is intelligent, right-heartcd, te
write an apology, or make an apology.
We apologize for wrongs done to on,
fellows, but some of us perhaps have
committed ten thousand times ter
thousand wrongs against God and
never apologized
The year 1896 has come. January
February. March, April-a fourth Of
the year gone. Where is your broken
vow? 'Oh," says some man, "I1l at
tend to that when get my character
fixed up, when / get over my evil
habits; l am now given to strong
drink" or, says the man: 81
am given to uncleanness;'' or
says the man: IT am given to dis
honesty. When / get over my present
habits, then I'll be thorough Chris
tian." My brother, you will get worse
and wei se, until Christ takes you IN
hand. Not the righteous-sinner!
Jesus came to call" Oh, but you say
Il agree with you in all that, but