The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-07-20

sorrow. That is the whole Gospel. Get !
that into your soul, and you are fitted |
for the here and the hereafter. There |
are differences, we admit, and some de- |
we like better than others. |
But suppose three or four of us make
solemn agreement to meet each on inn
portant business, and one goes by the
New York Central railroad, another by
the Erie railroad, another by the Penn
sylvania railroad, another by the Bal
timore & Ohio railroad. One goes this
way because the mountains are grand
er, another takes this because the cars
are more luxurious, another that be-
cause the speed is greater, another
takes the other because he has long
been accustomed to that route and all
the employees are familiar. So far as
our engagement to meet is concerned,
it makes no difference if we only get
there. Now, any one of the innumera-
BILE evangelical denominations, if you
practice its teaching, although some of
their trains run on broad gauge and
some on narrow gauge. will bring you
out at the city of New Jerusalem.
1t being evident that you will be safe
in any of the evangelical denomina-
tions, proceed to remark, first, if one
of the married couple be Christian
and the other not, the one Christian
is bound to 60 anywhere to a church
where the unconverted companion is
willing to go, if he or she will go to
No c+bor Vo,, of 4ba oopp,,b;oI ~, W.
nership are Christian. You are safe
for the skies. Then it is your first
duty to secure the eternal safety of
your lifetime associate. Is not the ever
lasting welfare of your wife impenitent
or your husband impenitent of more
importance than your church relation
ship? Is not the condition of your
companion for the next quadrillion of
years migbtier consideration to you
than the qualification of your ecclesi-
astical taste for 40 or so years? A man
or woman who would stop half a min
ute to weigh preferences as to whether
he or she had better go with the uncon-
or denomination has no religion at all,
and never has had, and fear never will
have. You are loaded up with what
you suppose to be religion, but you are
like Capt. Frobisher, who brought back
from his voyage of discovery ship
load of what he supposed valuable min
erals, yet, instead of being silver and
gold, were nothing but common stones
of the field, to be hurled out as finally
useless.
Mighty God, in all Thy realm is there
one man or woman processing religion,
yet SO stolid, so untitled, so far gone
unto death that there would be any
hesitancy in surrendering all prefer
ences before such an opportunity of
salvation and heavenly reunion? If
you, a Christian wife, are an attend
ant upon any church and your uncon-
verted husband does not go there be-
cause he does not like its preacher, or
its music, or its architecture, or it's un-
comfortable crowding, and goes not to
any house of worship, but would go if
you would accompany him somewhere
else, change your church relations.
Take your hymn book home with you
to-day. Say good-by to your friends in
the neighboring pews and go with him
| to any one of a hundred churches till
| his soul is saved and he joins you in the
| march to Heaven. More important
than that ring on the third finger OF
your left hand it is that your Heaven
| " Father command the angel of mercy
concerning your husband at his con-
version, as in the parable of old: "Pnt
a ring on his hand.'
| No letter of more Importance ever
came to the great city of Corinth, stu
ated on what was called the Bridge Of
the Sea- and glistening with sculpture
and gated with style of brass the mag
! nificence of which the following ages
have not been able to successfully imi
tate, and overshadowed by the Aero
Corinthus, fortress of rock 1000 fee'
highnI say no letter ever came to tha'
great city of more Importance than tha
letter in which Paul puts the twt
i startling questions: "What knowes
thou, O wife, whether thou shalt saw
thy husband? Or how knowest thou
i @ man, whether thou shalt save thy
wife?' The dearest sacrifice on tn
part Of the one is cheap if it rescue tn,
other. Better 60 to the smallest, weak
| est, most Insignificant church on eartl
| and be copartners in eternal bliss thai
pass your earthly membership in mos
rorgeously attractive church Will
your companion stays outside of evan
relical privilege. Better have tn
drowning saved by scow or sloo
than let him or her go down while yo
sail by in the gilded cabins of Majesti
Tor Campania.
II Second remark: II both of the maj
ried couple be Christians, but one is S
. naturally constructed that it is impos
| sible to enjoy the services of a particr
: lar denomination and the other is nc
so sectarian or punctilious, let the on
I less particular go with the other, VIII
5 is very particular. AS for myself, fe,
: as much at home in one denominatio
| of evangelical Christians as anothe
) and think / muet have been born yer