The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-10-27

AA'"IiS' Liz 'lCto1S ) IS W lhOSc WIZ
put God first. But as we want bat
tie cry suited to all sects OF religion.
lists, and to all lands, l nominate as
the battle cry of Christendom in the
Armageddon the words of
my text, sounded before the ark as II
was carried to Mount Zion: Let God
arise, let His enemies be scattered"
AS far as our finite mini can Judge,
it seems about time for God to rise
Does it not seem to you that the abom-
initions of this earth have gone far
enough? Was there ever o time when
sin was so defiant? Were there ever
before so many fists lifted toward God
telling Him to come on if He dare?
Look ut the blasphemy abroad! What
towering profanity! Would it be pos
sible for anyone to calculate the num-
bers of times that the names of the
Almighty God and of Jesus Christ are
every day irreverently on the lips?
Profane swearing is as much forbid
den by the law as theft, or arson, or
murder, yet who executes it? Profan-
ity is worse than theft, CT arson, or
murder, for these crimes are an attack
on humanity-that is an attack on
God.
This country is pre-eminent for bias
phemN. A man travelling in Russia
was supposed to be 4 cIereymn. "NVhy
do YOU take me to be a tlergyman?"
said the man. oh" said the Rus
sian, '.all other Americans swear" The
crime is multiplying in intensity. God
very often shows what He thinks of it,
but for the most part the fatality is
hushed up. Among the Adirondacks |
met the funeral procession of man
who two days before had fallen under
a flash of lightning, while boasting. at
ter Sunday of work in the fields, that
he had cheated God out of one day
anyhow, and the man who worked
with him on the same Sabbath is still
living, but a helpless invalid, under
the same flash.
Years ago, in a Pittsburgh prison,
two men were talking about the Bible
and Christianity. and one of them,
Thompson by name, applied to Jesus
Christ very low and vilIainous cpl
thet, and, as he was uttering it, he fell.
A physician was called, but no help
could be given. After Il days lying
with dHtended pupils and palsied
tongue, he passed out Of this world.
In a cemetery in Sullivan county, in
New York state, are eight headstones
in a line and all alike, and these are
the facts: In 1861 diphtheria ragged in
the village, and physician was re-
markably successful in curing his
patients. SO confident did he become
that he boasted that no case of diph.
liberia could stand before him, and
finally defied Almighty God to produce
a case of diphtheria that he could not
cure. His youngest son soon after
took the disease and died, and one
child after another, until all the eight
had died of diphtheria. The blasphem-
er challenged Almighty God, and God
accepted the challenge. Do not think
that because God has been silent in
your case, 0 profane swearer! that He
is dead. Is there nothing now in the
peculiar feeling of your tongue, or
nothing in the numbness of your brain
that indicates that God may come to
avenge your blasphemies, or is already
| avenging them? But these cases
| have noticed. | believe, are only few
| cases where there are hundreds. Fam
lies keep them quiet to avoid the hor'
ribe conspicuity. Physicians suppress
them through professional confidence
1t is very, very, very long roll thai
! contains the names of those who dieG
with blasphemies on their lips.
| Then look for moment at the evi
of drunkenness. Whether you live ir
| Washington. or New York, or Chicago
or Cincinnati, of Savannah, or Boston
or in any of the cities of this land
| count up the saloons on that street a:
| compared with the saloons five year:
| ago. and see they are growing far on
of proportion of the increase of popu
lation. You people who are so precis'
| and particular lest there should b'
some imprudence and rashress in at
| tackine the rum traffic will have you
son some night pitched into your from
door dead drunk, or your daughte
will come with her children becaus'
her husband has, by strong drink
been turned into a demoniac. Th
drink fiend has despoiled whole street
of good homes in our cities. Fathers
brothers. sons on the funeral pyre o
strong drink. Fasten tighter the vic
Tins! Stir up the flames! Pile on tn
corpses! More men. women and chi
dren for the sacrifice. Let MS hav
whole generations on fire of evil habit
and at the sound of the rornet, flute
harp, sackbut, psaltery. and dulc'me
let all the people fall down and VOL
ship King Alcohol, or you shall be cas-
into the fiery furnace under some ~
litical platform.
Then look at the impurities OF thes
great cities. Ever and anon there al
in the newspapers explosions of socl'
life that make the story of Sodom qui1
respect BILE; ''for such things. Chri
saws. ~werc more tolerab'e for Sodo
. and lomorrah' than for the Cbor
! zins and Bethsaidas of greater llgf1