The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1897-07-10

Is a red scroll Of flame, you may be In the
mercy and grace of Christ rewarded for
your faithfulness. 1t was that feeling
which gave such eminent qualifications
and to Judge Mclean OF Ohio, and to Ben
jamin F. Butler, attorney general Of New
York, and to George Briggs, governor OF
Massachu setts, and to Theodore Freling-
huysen, senator Of tho United States, and
to William Wilberforce, member Of the
British parliament You may make the
rewards of eternity tho emoluments of
your Office. What care you for adverse po-
litical criticism II you have God on your
sidcP The one or the two, or the three
years Of your public trust will pass away,
and all the years of your earthly service,
and then the tribunal will be lifted before
which you and must appear. May God
make you 20 faithful now that the last
scene shall be to you exhilaration and rap
ture! wish now to exhort all good peo-
pie, whether they are the governors or the
governed, to make one grand effort for the
salvation, the publication, the redemption
Of our American cities. DO you not know
that there are multitudes going down TO
ruin, temporal and eternal. dropping
quicker than words drop from my lipsa
Grogshops swallow them up. Gambling
bells devour them. Houses Of shame are
damning them. Oh, let us toll and pray
and preach and vote until all these wrongs
arc righted! What We do we must do
quickly. With our rulers, and on the same
platform, we must ut last come before the
throne Of God to answer for what we have
done for the lettering of our great towns.
Alas, II on that day 1t be found that your
hand has been Idle and my pulpit has been
silent! O yc who nre pure and honest
and Christian, go to work and help to
make the cities pure and honest and Chris
tan!
Lest 1t may have been thought that am
addressing only what are called the better
classes, my final word Is to some dissolute
soul to whom these words may come
Though you may be covered with all
crimes, though you may be smitten with
all leprosics, though you may have gone
through the whole catalogue of iniquity
and may not have been In church for 90
Years, you may have Jour nature entirely
reconstructed. and upon your brow, hot
with infamous practices and besweated
with exhausting indulgences, God will
place the flashing coronet Of a Saviour's
forgiveness. "Oh, mol" you say. eff You
knew who am and where came from,
you wouldn' shy that to me- / don't be-
lieve the gospel you arc preaching speaks
of my CASE" Yes, 1t does, my brother.
And then, when you tell me that, I tn ~
Of what St. Teresa said when reduced -
utter restitution. Having only two pieces
of money left, she jingled the two pieces
OF money IN ncf mana ana 6dlC, SG. xef0S3
and two pieces of money are nothing, but
ST. Teresa and two pieces Of money and
God are all things" And tell rou now
that while sin and sinner are nothing,
q SIN and sinner nnd an all forgiving and
oil compassionate God are everything.
Who Is that that I sec cominef know
his step. know his raGa Who 10 ~ 4
prodigal. Come. people Of God; let US go
out and meet him. Get the best robe you
can find in all the wardrobe. Let the an
gels Of God I'LL their chalices and drink to
bis eternal rescue. Come people Of God;
let us 60 out to meet him. The prodigal
Is coming home. The dead Is alive again,
and tho lost Is found.
Pleased with the news, the saints below
In songs their tongues employ;
Beyond the skies the tidings go,
And heaven Is filed with Joy.
Nor angels can their Joy contain,
But kindle with new fire;
''The sinner lost is found" they sing,
strike sounding lyre