The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-06-02
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be to get away from this world. The
more friends here, the more bitter
good-bys; the more friends there
the more glorious welcomes. Some
of you have so many broth.
ers, sisters, children, friends in
Heaven, that l do not know hardly
how you are going to crowd through.
When the vessel came from foreign
lands, and brought prince to our
harbor, the ships were covered with
bunting, and you remember how the
men-of-war til lndered broadsides; but
there was no joy there compared with
the joy which shall be, demonstrated
when you sail up the broad bay of
heavenly salutatio.. The more friends
you have there, Il! 70 easier your own
transit. What is death to a mother
whose children arc in Heaven? Why
there is no more grief in it than there
is in her going into a nursery amid the
romp the and laughter of her house
hold. Though all around may be dark,
see you not the bright light in the
clouds-that light the irridated faces
of your glorified kindred?
So also, my friends, l would have
you make the best of your sicknesses.
When you see one move off with elas-
tic step and in full physical vigor,
sometimes you become impatient with
your lame foot. When man describes
an object a mile off, and you can not
see it at all, you become impatient of
your dim eye. When you hear of
well man making a great achieve
ment you become impatient with
your depressed nervous system or your
dilapidated health. l will tell you
how you can make the worst of it.
Brood over it; brood over all these ILL
nesses, and your nerves will become
twitchy, and your dyspepsia more ag-
gravated, and your weakness moro ap-
palling. But that is the devils work,
to tell You how to make the worst OF
it; it is my work to show you q brighter
light in the clouds.
One week of the year is called bio s.
som week-called SO all through the
land because they are more blossoms
in that week than in any other week
of the year. Blossom week! And that
the Christian is invited-blossom week
forever. 1t is as far ahead of this world
as Paradise is ahead of Dry Tortugas,
and yet here we stand shivering and
fearing to 60 out, and we want to stay
on the dry sand, and amid the stormy
petrels, when we are invited to arbors
of jessamine and birds of paradise.
am amazed at myself and at your
self for this infatuation, under which
we all rest. Men you would suppose
would get frightened at having to stay
in this world instead of getting fright
ened at having to go toward Heaven. l
congratulate anybody who has right
to die. BY that mean through sick
ness you can not avert, Or through ac-
cident you can not avoid-your work
consummated. Where did they bury
Lily?' said one little child to another.
''Oh,' she replied, they buried here in
the ground?' ''Oi, no, no; not in the
cold ground, but in the warm grou nd,
where ugly seeds become beautiful
flowers"
But" says one, sit pains me SO
much to think that must lose the
body with which my soul has SO long
companioned." You do not loss it.
You no more lose your body by death
than you lose your watch when you
send it to have it repaired, or your
jewel when you send it to have it re-
set, or the faded picture when you
send it to have it touched up or the
photograph of friend when
you have it put in new
locket. You do not lose your body.
Paul will go to Rom. to get his, Pay
son will go to Portland to get his,
President Edwards will go to Princeton
to get his, George Goodman will go to
the bottom of the Atlantic to get his,
and we will 60 to the village church.
yards and the city cemeteries to get
ours; and when we have our perfect
spirit rcjoined to our perfect body.
then we will be the kind of men and
will make possible.
So you see you have not made out
any doleful story yet. What have You
proved about death? What is the case
you have made out? You have made
out just this-that death allows US to
have perfect body, free of all aches,
united forever with perfect soul
free from all sin. Correct your
theology. What does it all meanY
Why, it means that moving day is CON-
ing, and that you are going to quit
cramped apartments and be mansioned
forever. The horse that stands at the
gate will not be the one lathered
and bespattered, carrying bad news,
but it will be the horse that st.
John saw in Apocalyptic vision-the
white horse on which the King come,
to the banquet. The grouai around
the palace will quake with tires and
hoofs of celestial equipage, and those
Christians who in this world lost their
| friends, and lost their property,
and lost their health, and lost their
life, will f1 ! ont that Gol WAS aiwly,
kind, and tia. all things worked to-
gether for their god, and that thoss
were the wis,s5 people on earth who
made the oest of everything. See you
not now the bright light in the clou Is?
l