The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-09-02
NO. 27.

Va Soo Nho CNCi give cuouSH 70 40 you
any good, and whe1 some cause of
missionary society
or Bible society or church orgauiza-
tion comes along and gets anything
from you, what do you say? You
say: 81 have been bled," and there
never was more magnificent figure of
speech than that used in common par
lance. Yes, you have been bled, and
you are spiritually emaciated, when
if you had been courageous enough to
go through your property and say:
That belongs to God, and this be.
longs to God;" and no more dared to
appropriate it to your own use than
that belonged to your neigh
Dor, instead of being bled to death by
charities you would have been rein
vigorated and recuperated and built
up for time and eternity. God will
keep many of you cramped in money
matters until the day of your death
unless you swing into larger gener-
osity.
Prescription the third, for the cure
OF all our individual and national finan-
cial distresses: A great spiritual awak-
ening. 1t is no mere theory. The mer-
chants of this country were positively
demented with the monetary excite
ment in 1877. There never before nor
since has been such state of finan -..al
depression as there was at that time.
A revival came, and 500, lJo people were
born into the kingdom of God. What
came after the revival? The grandest
financial tr h,r I,
in this country. The finest fortunes,
the largest fortunes in the United
States, have been made since 1857.
well" you say, what has spiritual
improvement and revival to do with
monetary improvement and revival?'
Much to do. The religion of Jesus
Christ has direct tendency to make
men honest and sober and truth-tell-
ing, and are not honesty and sobriety
and truth-telling auxiliaries of ma-
terial prosperity. If we could have
an awakening in this country as in the
days of Jonathan Edwards, of North
amptou, as in the days of Dr. Finley of
Baslling ridge, rs in the days of DIR.
Griffin, of Boston, the whole land
would rouse to a higher moral tone,
and with that moral tone the honest
business enterprise of the country
would come up You say great awak-
ening has an influence upon the fu-
ture world. l tell you it has a di-
rect influence upon the financial well
fare of this world. The religion of
Christ is no foe to successful
business, it is its best friend,
And if there should come a great
awakening in this country, and all the
banks and insurance companies and
stores and shops should close up for
two weeks and do nothing but attend
to the public worship of Almighty God
after such spiritual vacation the
land would wake up to such financial
prosperity as we have never dreamed
of. Godliness is profitable for the life
that now is, as we'll as that for which
is to come.
But my friends, do not put SO much
emph asis on worldly success as to let
your etern al affairs 60 at loose ends. .
l have nothing to say against money.
The more money you get the better, if
it comes honestly and goes usefully.
For the lack of it, sickness dies with
out medicine, and hunger finds its cof-
fin in al empty bread tray, and naked
ness shivers for clothes and fire. All
this canting TRADE against money as
though it had no practical use,
when l hear a man indulge in
it, makes me think the best Heav-
en- for him would be an everlasting
poor house! No, there is practical
use in money; but while we admit
that, we must also admit that it can
not satisfy the soul, thatit can not pay
for our ferriage across the Jordan of
death, that 1t can not unlock the gate
of Heaven for our immortal soul. Yet
there are men who act as though packs
of bonds and mortgages could be traded
off for mansion in Heaven, and as
though gold were legal tender in
that land where it is SO common that
they make pavements out of it. Sal
vation by Christ is the only salvation.
| Treasures in Heaven are the only
| incorruptible treasures. Have you ever
ciphered out that sum in loss and gain,
What shall it profit man if he gain
| the whole world and lose his soul?"
You may wear fine apparel now, but
the winds of death will futter it like
rags. Homespun and threadbare
coat have sometimes been the shadow
of robes white in the blood of the Lamb.
So, there are men who 60 on in life
a fine voyage they are making out of it.
All is we'll, till some euroolydon of
business disaster, comes upon them, and
they 60 down. The bottom OF this
commercial sea is strewn with the shat
tered hulks. But, because your prop
ertyugoes, shall your soul go? o, no!
there is coming more stupendous ship
wreck after awhile. This world-God
launched it 5000 years ago, and it is
sailing on; but one day it will stagger
at the cry of dre." and the timbers OF
! the rocks will burn, and the mountain.
fame like masts, and the clouds like
sails in the judgment hurricane. God
will take good many off the deck,
and others out of the berths, where
they are now sleeping in Jesus
How many shall 20 down? No on'
will know until it is announced in