The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-12-22


any implcration Of Divine guidance.
So we have now in pulpits men max
ing sermons who ought to be in black
smith shops making plowshares, and
we have in the law those who instead
OF running the cases of their clients
ought to be pounding shoe lasts, and
doctors who are the worst hindrances
to their patients convalescence, and
artists trying to paint landscapes who
ought to be whitewashing board fences,
while there are others making bricks
who ought to be remodeling constitu-
tions or showing planes who ought to
be transforming literatures. Ask God
about what worldly business you shall
undertake until you are so positive you
can in earnestness smite your hand on
your plow handle or your carpenters
bench. or your Blackstone's Com
mentaries,' or your medical diction-
ary, or your DR.. Dicks "Didactic The
ology." saying: For this end was
born" There are children who early
develop natural affinities for certain
styles of work. When the father of the
Astronomer Forbes was going to Lon
don he asked his children what present
he should bring each one of them. The
boy who was to be an astronomer cried
out: Bring me telescope!"
And there are children whom You
find all by themselves drawing on their
states or on paper ships or houses Or
birds and yn,, know fba,- ora To 1,n
draughtsmen or architects of some
kind. And you find others ciphering
out difficult problems with rare inter-
est and success, and you know they
are to be mathematicians. And others
making wheels and strange contriv-
ances, and you know they are going
to be machinists. And others are
found experimenting with hoe and
plow and sickle, and you know they
will be farmers. And others are al
ways swapping jaekknives or balls or
bats and making something by the
bargain, and they are going to be mer-
chants. When Able de Rance had so
advanced in studying Greek that he
could translate Anacreon at 12 years
of age. there was no doubt left that
he was intended for scholar. But
in almost every lad there comes a time
| when he does not know what he was
made for, and his parents do not know.
and 1t is crisis that God only can
decide. Then there are those born for
some especial work and their fitness
| does not develop until quite late.
When Philip Doddridge. whose sermons
and books have harvested uncountcd
souls for glory, began to study for the
| and best men, advised him to turn his
| thoughts to some other work. Isaac
Barrow. the eminent clergyman and
Christian scientist-his books are
standard now, though he has been dead
over 200 years-was the dishearten-
ment of his father, who used to say
that if it pleased God to take any of
his children away he hoped it might
be his son Isaac. So some of those who
have been characterized for their stu.
pidity in boyhood or girlhood have
turned out the mightiest benefactors
or benefactresses of the human race
These things being so, am not right
in saying that in many cases God only
knows what is the most appropriate
thing for you to do. and HIS is the one
to ask? And let all parents and all
schools and all universities and all col
leges recognize this and large num-
ber of those who spent their best years
in stumbling about among businesses
and occupations, now trying this and
now trying that and failing in all
would be able to go ahead with def
mite, decided and tremendous purpose
saying: ''To this end was l born"
But my subject now mounts into th'
momentous. Let me say that you are
made for usefulness and Heaven.
Judge this from the way you are built
| You 20 into shop where there i:
only one wheel turning and that by ;
wcrkman's foot on Il treadle, and yo,
say to yourself: Here is something
good being done. yet on small scale,
Lut if you go into factory covering
many acres and you find thousands o
lands pulling on thousands OF wheel
and shuttles flying and the whole
scene bewildering with activities
driven by water or steam or electr!
power, you conclude that the factor,
was put up to do great work and on
vast scale Now, look at you, and
] should find that you had only on
faculty of body, only one muscle, onl.
one nerve, if you could see but no
hear, or could hear and not see, if yo1
had the use of only one foot or on
hand, and, as to your higher nature. i
YOU had only one mental faculty ant
YOU had memory but no judgment, o
Judgment but no will, and if you ha
Z. soul with only one capacity, l SHOULD
say not much is expected of you. Blu
stand up, oh, man, and let me look 70
s1uarely in the face. Eyes capable O
seeing everything. Ears capable o
bearing everything. Hands capable o
grasping everything. Minds with NOR
wheels than any factory ever turned
more power than any Corlss engin
ever moved. 4 soul that will outliv
all the universe except heaven, an
would outlivc all heaven if the life @