The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-03-25
NO.. A..

they must have been overwhelmed
when the truth that God never
forsakes the righteous when they saw
he had become the prime minister Of
Egypt. Pharaoh oppresses the Israel
ties with the most diabolic tyranny.
yet stand still and see the salvation Of
God. The plaques descend, the To-
Gust, and the hail, and the destroy ing
angel, showing that there is a God
who will defend the cause of His peo-
pie, and finally, after the Israelites
have passed through the parted sea,
behold, in the wreck of the drowned
army, that Gods enemies are chaf in
whlrlwind! In some financial panic
the righteous suffered with the
wicked. Houses and stores and sh ops
in night foundered on the rock of
Bankruptcy, and healthy credit with
out warning dropped dead in the street,
and money ran up the long ladder of
70 per cent. to laugh down upon those
who could not climb after il. Dealers
with pockets full of securities stood
shouting in the deaf ears of banks.
Men rushed down the streets with
protested notes after them. Those,
who before found it hard to spend
their money, were left without
money to spend, to see hunger in
their chair at the table and upon the
hearth. Winter blew his breath of
frost through fingers of icicles, and
sherltfs with attachments dug among
the cinders of fallen storehouses, and
whole cities joined in the long funeral
procession, marching to the grave of
dead fortunes and fallen commerce.
Verify, the righteous suffered with the
wicked, but generally the wicked had
the worst of it. Splendid estates that
had come together through schemes of
wlckedness were dashed to pieces like
a potter's vessel, and God wrote with
letters of fire, amid the ruin and de-
struction of regulations and estates
that were thought impregnable, the
old fashioned truth, which centuries
ago He wrote in His Bible: "The wav
OF the wicked He turns upside down"
AS the stars of Heaven are reflected
from the waters of the earth, even so
Gods great and magnificent purposes
are reflected back from the boiling
sea of human passion and turmoil.
AS the voice of sweet song
uttered among the mountains may
be uttered back from the cavernous
home Of wild beast and rocks split and
thunder-scarred, so the great harmo-
MES of Gods providence are rung back
from the darkest caverns of this sim
struck earth. Sennacherib, and Abb.
melech, and Herod, and Judas, and
Nero, and Nebuchadnezzar, though
they struggled like beasts un broken to
the load, were put into a yoke, where
they were compelled to help draw
ahead Gods great projects of mercy.
Again, let us learn the lesson that
men can be guilty of polluting the
sacred vessels of the temple and carry
ing them away to Baylon. The sacred
vessels in the temple at Jerusalem
were the cups and plates of gold and
silver with which the rites and cere.
monies were celebrated. The laying of
heathen hands upon them and the car
rying them off as spoils was an un-
bounded offense to the Lord of the tenn
pie. Yet Nebuchadnezzar committed
this very sacrilege. Though that
gurated walk up and down the earth,
cursing it from century to century.
The sin of desecrating sacred things is
committed by those who on sacrament
tai day take the communion cup, while
their conversation and deeds all show
that they live down in Babylon. How
solemn is the sacrament! 1t is a time
for vows, time for repe ntance, time
for faith. Sinai stands near, with its
fire-spit clouds, and Calvary, with it's
victim. The holy spirit broods over
the scene, and the glory of Heaven
seems to gather in the sanctuary. Vile
indeed must that man be who will
come in from his idols and unrepented
follies to take hold Of the sacred yes
sells of the temple. o, thou Nebuchad-
nezzar. Back with you to Ba abylon!
He who breaks the Sabbath not more
certainly robs God than robs himself
Inevitably, continuous desecratiou of
the sacred day ends either in bank
ruptcy or destroyed health. A mer-
chant said Had it not been for the
Sabbath have no dou BIT | should have
been a maniac long ago" This re-
mark was made in company of mer-
chants, and one of them said: That
corresponds with the experience of my
friend, great importer. He often
said: The Sabbath is the best day of
the week to plan successful voyages
He has for years been in an insane
hospital, and will probably die there"
Just in proportion as men are wrong
will they be boistereus in their religi-
GUS contentious. The lamb of religion
is always gentle, where there is no
lion SO fierce as the roaring lion that
goes about seeking whom he may de.
YOUR. Let Gibraltars belch their war
flame on the sea, and TIA Dardanelles
darken the Hellespont with +lle smoke
of their batteries, but forever and ever
let there be good will among those who
profess to be subjects of the Gospel of
gentleness." Glory to God in the High
est. and on earth peace, good will to
men,"
What an embarrassing thing to meet
in Heaven if we have not settled our
controversies on earth. SO give out
g.. II u