The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-02-09

apostle, who said i'll his last hour: Il
am now ready to be offered up, and the
time of my departure is at hand. I
have fought the good fight, have kept
the faith. Henceforth there is laid up
for me a crown of Righteousness which
the Lord. the righteous Judge. will give
me-" Or compare it with the Christian
deathbed that you witnessed in your
own household. Oh, my friends, this
world is false god! 1t will consume
you with the blaze in which it accepts
your sacrifice. while the righteous
shall be held ip everlasting remem-
brance, and when the thrones have
fallen and the monuments have crum-
bled and the w.rld has perished they
shall banquet with the conquerors OF
earth and the hierarchs of Heaven.
This is good day in which to begin
new style Of measurement. How Old
art thou? You see the Christian way
of measuring life and the worldly way
of measuring it. leave it to you to
The wheel of time has turned very
swiftly, and it has hurled us on. The
old year has gone. The new year has
come. For what you and l have been
launched upon it God only knows. Now
let me ask you all, have you made any
preparation for the future? You have
made preparation for time. my dear
brother; have you made any prepara-
ton for eternity? Do you wonder that
when that man on the Hudson river, in
Indignation tore up the tract which
was handed to him and just one word
landed on his coat sleeve-the rest of
the tract beng pitched into the river
that one word aroused his soul? It was
that one word, so long, so broad, so
high, so deep--"eternity!" A dying
woman in her last moments said: Cali
it back" They said: what do yon
want?" "Tine," she said; ''call it
back!" Oh, it cannot be called back!
We might lose cur fortunes and cali
them back, we might lose our health
and perhaps recover it, we might lose
oursgood name and get that back, bni
time gone is gone forever.
Some of you during the past year
made preparation for eternity, and it
makes no difference to you really, as
10 the matter Of safety whether you
go now or go some other year-whe ther
this year or the next year. Both your
feet on the rock. the waves may dash
around you. You can say: God is cur
refuge and strength-a very present
help" You are on the rock, and you
may defy all earth ard hell to over
throw you. congratulate You. give
you great joy. 1t is happy new year
to you.
I can see no sorrow at all in the fact
that our years are going. You hear
some people say: II wish l could go
back again to boyhood." l would not
want to go back again to boyhood. [
am afraid might make a worse life
out of it than have made. You could
rot afford to go back to boykood if it
were possible. You might do great
deal worse than you have done. The
past is gone! Look out fer the future!
To all Christians it is time of glad
ness. l am glad the years are going.
You are coming on nearer home. Let
your counteDance light up with the
thought. Nearer home!
Now, when one can sooner get to the
center of things, is he not to be congra.-
uiated? Who wants to be always in the
freshman class? We study God in this
world by the Biblical photograph Of
Him; but we all know we can in five
minutes of interview with friend get
a more accurate idea of Him than we
can by studying Him so years through
pictures or words. The littVs child tha,
died at six months of age kl,ows more
of God than all Andover and all FRINGE :
ten and all New Brunswick.
Does not our common sense teach us
that it is better to be at the center than
to be clear out on the rim of the wheel,
holding nervously fast to the tire les.
we be suddenly hurled ino light and
eternal felicity? Through all kinds of
optical instruments trying to peer in
through the cracks and the keyholes Of
Heaven-afraid that both doors of th.
celestial mansion will be swung wide
open before our entranced vision rush
ing about among the apothecary shops
of this world, wondering if this is good
for rheumatism, and that is good for
neuralgia, and something else is good
for bad cough, lest we be suddenly
ushered into land of everlasting
health where the inhabitant never says:
~ am sick"
In 1885 the French resolved that at
Client they would have q kind of mu-
steal demonstration that had never
been heard of. 1t would be made up of
the chimes of bells and the discharge of
cannon. The experiment was perfect
success. What with the ringing Of the
bells and the report of the ordnance, tn,
city trembled, and the hills shook with
the triumphal march that was as
strange as it was overwhelming. With
most glorious accompaniment viii.
Gods dear children go into their high
residence when the trumpets shal;
sound and the last day has come. tthe
c.unaI pivcn the he lis 0f the fOxverS aui