The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-01-13
NO. 46.

u
says: "Well, here l have lantern;
you can take it. and it will guide you
on the way home;" and suppose that
traveller should say, II don't like that
lantern; | don't like the handle of it;
there are 10 or Is things about it
don't like; if you can't give me better
lantern than that won't have any"
Now, God says this Bible is to be
lamp to our feet and lantern to our
path, to guide us through the midnight
OF this world to the gates of the celes-
tial city. We stop and say we do not
like this about it, and we do not like
that, and we do not like the other
thing. Oh, how much wiser we would
be if by its holy light we found
our way to our everlasting home!
Then, we do not read the Bible as
we read other books. We read it
perhaps for four or five minutes just
before we retire at night. We are
weary and sleepy-so somnolent we
hardly know which end of the book is
up. We drop our eye perhaps on the
story of Samson aud the foxes, or
upon some genealogical table, impor-
tant in its place, but stirring no
more religious emotion than the an
nouncement that somebody begat
somebody else, and he begat somebody
else, instead of opening the book and
saying: Now must read for my i'm
mortal life; my eternity is involved in
this book"
How little we use common sense in
prayer! We say, "Oh. Lord, give me
that" and "Oh, Lord, give me some
thing else," and we do not expect to
get 1t, or, getting it, we do not
know we have it. We have no
anxiety about it. We do not
watch and wait for its coming As
merchant you telegraph or you write
to some other city for bill
of goods. You say, "Send me
by such express, or by such
a steamer, or by such rail train"
The day arrives. You send your
wagon to the depot or to the wharf.
The goods do not come. You immedi-
ately telegraph: "What Is the matter
with those goods? We haven't re-
ceived them. Send them right away.
We want them now, or we don't want
them at ALL" And you keep writing.
and you keep telegraphing, and keep
sending your wagon to the depot,
or to the express Office, or to
the wharf, until you get the goods. In
matters of religion we are not SO wise
as that. We ask certain things to be
sent from Heaven. We do not know
whether they come or not. We have
not any special anxiety as to whether
they come or not. We may get them,
and may not get them. Instead of at
Z o'clock in the morning saying, Have
l got that blessing?" at 1s o'clock
monday. asking, "IIave l got that
blessing?" at o'clock in the evening
saying: "Have l received that bless
ing? and not getting it. pleading,
pleading-begging, begging-asking,
asking until you get it. Now, my
brethren, is not that common sense?
If we ask thing from God, who has
sworn by His eternal throne that lie
will do that which we ask, is it not
common sense that we should watch
and wait until we get it?
Suppose in Venice there is q Raphael,
u faded picture, great in its time, bear
ing some marks of it's greatness. His
tory describes that picture. 1t is nearly
faded away. You say, "Oh. what
pity that SO wonderful a picture by
Raphael should be nearly defaced"
After awhile a man comes up, very un-
sllillful in art, and he proposes to re-
touch it. You say: ''Stand off! L
would rather have it just as it is; you
| will only make it worse"
After awhile there comes an artist
| who was the equal of Raphael. He
says: Il will retouch that picture and
bring out all its original power" You
| have full confidence in his ability. He
touches it here and there. Feature af-
| ter feature comes forth, and when he
is done with the picture it is complete
| in all its original power.
Now, God impresses His images on
our race, but that image has been de-
faced for hundreds and for thousands
OF years, getting fainter and fainter.
Here comes up divine Raphael-I
shall call him divine Raphael. He
says: Il can restore that picture"
He has all power in Heaven and ON
earth. lie is the equal of the one
who made the picture, the equal of
the one who drew the image
Of God in our soul. He touches
this sin and it is gone, that transgres-
sion and it is gone, and ali the deface-
ment disappears, and "where sin
abounded grace doth much more
abound" viii you have the deface-
ment, or will you have the restoration?
am we'll persuaded that if could by
touch of heavenly pathos in two
minutes put before you what has been
done to save your soul, there would be
an emotional tide overwhelming.
Mamma" said little child to her
mother when she was being put to bed
at night, mamma, what makes your
hand so SCARED and twisted and unlike
other peoples hands?' well" said the
mother, my child, when you were
younger than you are now. years ago,
one night after l had put you to bed,
heard a cry, a shrek upstairs. I came
i