The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-07-21
NO. 21.

profundity. What we want in our SER
mons and Christian exho: tations il
more sympathy. When Father Taylor
preached in the Sailors Bethel at Bos
ton, the jack tars felt they had help fos
duties among the ratlines and fore.
castles. When Richard Weaver preached
to the operatives in Oldham, England,
all the workmen felt they had more
grace for the spindles. When DIR. South
preached to kings and princes and
princesses, all the mighty men and
women who heard him felt prepara-
tion for their high station.
People will not go to church merely
as matter of duty. There will not
next Sabbath be a hundred people in
this city who will get up IA the morn
ing and SAY: The Bible says l must
go to church; it is my duty to go to
church, therefore will go to church,
The vast multitude Of people who go
to church, go to church because they
like it, and the multitude of people
who stay away from church, stay away
because they do not like it. am not
ought to be; am speaking about the
way the world is. Taking things as
they are, we must make the
centripctal force of the church
mightier than the centrifugal.
We must make our churches mag
nets to draw the people thereurto, so
that man will feel uneasy if he does
not go to church, saying: IL wish l
had gone this morning. | wonder if l
can't dress yet and get there in time.
1t is IL o'clock; now they are Sing ing.
1t is l:3o; now they are preaching. l
wonder when the folks will be home
to tell us what was said, what has been
going on" When the impression Is con-
| firmed that our churches, by architec
ture, by music, by sociality, and by SER
mon, shall be made the most attractive
| places ON earth, then we will want
twice rs many churches as we have
now, twice as large, and then they will
not half ace ommodate the people.
| l say to the young men who are en-
tering the ministry, we must put on
more force, more energy, and into our
religious services more vivacity, il we
| "dHI Vic people W COiAC. Aou kOOA
into a church court of any denomina-
tion of Christians. First, you will find
the men of large common sense and
earnest looks. The education of their
minds, the piety of their hearts, the
holiness Of their lives qualify them for
their work. Then you will find in every
church court of every denomination Il
group of men who utterly amaze you
with the fact that such semi-imbecility
can get any pulpits to preachin! Those
are the men who give forlorn statistics
about church decadence. Frogs never
croak in running water; always
in stagnant. But say to all Christian
workers, to all Sunday-school teachers,
to all evangelists, to all ministers Of
the Gospel, if we want our Sunday
schools, and our prayer meetings, and
our churches to gather the people. we
must freshen up. The simple fact is,
the people are tired of the hundrum Of
religionists. Religious humdrum is the
worst Of all humdrum. You say over
and over again: Come to Jesus" until
the phrase means absolutely nothing.
Why do you not tell them story
which will make them come to Jesus
in five minutes? You say that all
Sunday-school teachers, and all
evangelists, and all ministers, must
bring their illustrations from the
Bible Christ did not when He
preached. The most of the Bible was
written before Christs time, but
where did lie get His illustrations? He
drew them from the lilies. from the
ravens, from salt. from a candle, from
a bushel, from long faced hypocrtcs
1 from gnats, from moths, from large
gates and small gates, from Il camel,
, from the needles eye, from yeast in til.
dough of dough brand, from a mustart
seed, from tishin met, from debtors
s and creditors. That is the reason mul
$ titudes followed Christ HIS illustra
tions were so easy and SO understands
n BILE. Therefore. my brother Christian
y worker, if you and find two illustra
u tions for religious subject, and the ont
e is Bible illustration and the other i!
K outside the Bible, He will take the lat
t ter because want to be like my Master
v Looking across to hill, Christ saw tn
l. City of Jerusalem. Talking to the peopl
h about the .conspicuity of Christian es
It ample, He said: The world in look
d sng at you; be careful. A city that
t set on a ill can not be hid WhileH
It was speaking of the divine care q
i Gods children bird flew past. H
II said: Behold the ravens. Then
s. looking down into the valley, all Gov
l. cred at that season with flowers
/ he said: Consider the lilies Oh, IN
l. brother Christian workers, what IS TIN
l. use of our going away off in some OF
scure part of history, or on the othe
l. side the earth, to get an illustration
It when the earth, and the heavens ar
l. full of illustrations. Whv should "
lie go away off to get an illustration q
al the vicarious suffering OF Jesus Chris
when as near us as Bloomfield,
be j., two little children were wall
IN ing on the rail track, and
n, train was coming; but they WEI
e. on a bridge of trestlework, and Il
IS little girl took her brother and let hi
n; down through the trestlework as gent
OF as she coald toward the water, We