The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-01-19

friends and told them that if you die
not meet them again in this world you
hoped to meet them in dominions
seraphic, with quiet word of advice
from you to the man who carried the
message about the Importance of his
not neglecting his own soul, but
through Christ seeking something bet
ter than this world could give him
why, all the business men in the count
ing room say: Good! Now, that is re-
ligion." And the clerks get hold of the
story and talk it over, so that the
weigher and cooper and hackmar.
standing on the doorstep, say: "That
is splendid! Now. that is what l call
religion"
II is good thing to preach on Sun
day morning. the people assembled in
most respectable attire and seated on
soft cushions. the preacher standing in
neatly upholstered pulpit surrounded
by personal friends. and after an in
spring hymn has been sung. and that
sermon. If preached in faith, will do
good; but the most effective sermon is
preached by one seated in dressing
gown in an armchair into which the
invalid has with much care been lifted
The surrounding shelves filled with
medicine bottles, some to produce
sleep. some for the relief of sudden
paroNysm. some for stimulant, some
for tonic. some for anodyne and some
Cor febrifuge, the pale preacher quot
ing promises of the Gospel, telling Of
the glories Of sympathetic Christ, as
surihg the one or two or three persons
WHO hear it of the mighty reinforce
ments of religion. You say that to
such a sermon there are only one or
two or three hearers. Aye, but the
visitor calling at that room. then clos
ing the door softly and going away.
tells the story. and the whole neighbor-
hood hears It, and it will take all eterni-
~ to realize the grand and uplifting
influence of that sermon about God and
the soul, though preached to an audi
ence of only one man or one woman.
The Lord has ordained all such in
athletics and men of 200 healthy av-
oirdupois cannot affect. 1t was not an
enemy that fastened you in that one
room or sent you on crutches, the long
est journey you have made for many
weeks being from bed to sofa and from
sofa to looking glass. where you are
shocked at the pallor of your own
cheek and the pirchedness of your fea-
lures; then back again from mirror to
sofa and sofa to bed. with a long sigh
saying: "How good it feels to get back
again to my old place on the pillow!"
Remember who it is that appointed the
day when for the first time in many
years you could not go to business and
who has kept u record of all the weary
days and all the sleepless nights of
your exile from the world. 0 weary
man! o feeble woman, it was the Lord
who shut you in! Do you remember
that some of the noblest and best of
men have been prisoners? Ezekiel a
prisoner, Jeremiah a prisoner, Paul a
prisoner, ST. John prisoner, John
Eunyan a prisoner. Though human
hate seemed to have all to do with them,
really the Lord shut them in.
No doubt, while on that voyage Noah
and his three sons and all the four la
dies of the antediluvian world often
thought of the bright hillsides and the
green fields where they had walked
and of the homes where they had lived.
They had had many years of expert
eices. Noah was 600 years old at the
time of this convulsion OF nature. He
had seen 600 springtimes, 600 sum-
,ncrs, 600 autumns, 600 winters. We
are not told how old his wife was at
this wreck of earth and sky. The Bible
tells the age of great 1nany men, but
cnly once gives a woman's age. At
one time it gives Adams age as 100
years. and Jared's age at 1862 years, and
Enoch's age as 365 yeats, and all up
and down the Bible it gives the age OF
men. but does not give the age of wom-
en-. Why? Because, suppose, wom-
ans age is none of our business. But
all the men and women that tossed in
that oriental craft had lived long
enough to remember great many of
the mercies and kindnesses of God, and
ttVJ Souil uOt OioC Out, anu tuiun
they had no disposition to blot out the
memory of those brightnessses, though
now they were shut in. Neither should
the shut in of our time forget the bless
ings of the past. Have you been blind
for ten years? Thank God for the time
when you saw as clearly as any of us
can see, and let the pageant of all the
radiant landscapes and illumined skies
which you ever looked upon kindle
your rapturous gratitude. do not see
Raphaels Madonna di San Sisto'' in
the picture gallery Of Dresden, nor
Rubens' Descent from the Cross" at
Antwerp, nor Michael Angeles Last
Judgment" on the ceiling of the vati-
can. nor Saint Sophia at Constantine
pie, nor the Parthenon on the Acrop-
oils, nor the Tai Mahal of India. But
shall not thank God that have seen
them? Is it possible that such mid
night darkness shall ever blast my vi
sion that / cannot call them up again?
Perhaps you are SO deaf that you can
not hear the chirp of bird or solo of