The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-11-16

eeAeu tie HlIHlStIy, looked very pale
for years, and every year, for four or
i've years, many times a year I was
asked if | had not consumption, and,
passing through the room, I would
sometimes hear people sigh and say:
"A-ah, not long for this world!" I re-
solved in those times that I never in
any conversation would say anything
depressing, and by the help of God l
have kept the resolution. These peo-
pie OF whom l speak reap and bind in
the great harvest field of discourage
ment. Some day you greet them with
hilarious "Good morning." and they
come buzzing at you with some depress-
ing information. "The Lord sent the
hornet"
II is not the panics that kill the mer-
chants. Panics come only once in ten
or 20 years. 1t is the constant din of
these everyday annoyances which is
sending so many of our best merchants
into nervous dyspepsia and paralysis
| and the grave. When our national
commerce fell fat on its face, these men
stood up and felt almost defiant, but
their life is going away now under the
swarm of these pestiferous annoyances.
'The Lord sent the hornet
I have noticed in the history of some
| of my congregation that their annoy
ances are multiplying and that they
have hundred where they used to have
| ten. The naturalist tells us that wasp
sometimes has family of 10000 wasps,
and it does seem as if every annoyance
of your life brooded million. BY the
help of God, to-day want to show you
| the other side. The hornet is of no use ?
Oh, yes! The naturalist tells us they
are very important in the worlds econ
omy. They kill spiders, and they clear
the atmosphere. And / really believe
God sends the anroyances of our life
upon us to kill the spiders of the soul
and to clear the atmosphere of our
skies.
! These annoyances are sent on us, l
think, to wake us from our lethargy.
There is nothing that makes a man so
lively as nest of ''yellow jackets" and
l think that these annoyances are in
this is not a world for us to stop in. If
we had bed of everything that was at
tractive and soft and easy, what would
we want of Heaven? We think that the
| hollow tree sends the hornet, or we may
think that the devil sends the hornet. l
want to correct your opinion. "The
Lord sent the hornet
Then l think these annoyances come
on us to cultivate our patience. In the
gymnasium you find upright parallel
bars with holes over each other for pegs
to be put in. Then the gymnast takes
a peg in each hand, and he begins to
climb, one inch at a time or two inches,
and, getting his strength cultivated,
reaches after awhile the ceiling. And
I it seems to me that these annoyances
in life are moral gymnasium, each
worriment peg with which we are to
climb higher and higher in Christian
attainment. We all love to see pa
fair weather. Patience is child of the
storm. If you had everything desira-
BILE and there was nothing more to get,
what would you want with patience?
The only time to cultivate it is when
you are lied about and sick and half
dead.
'Oh,' you say, ''if only had the cir
cumstances of some well to do man !
would lie patient, too" You might as
well say: ''If it were not for this water,
I would swim," or, II could shoot this
gun if it were not for the cartridge
When you stand chin deep in annoyances
is the time for you to swim out toward
the great headlands of Christian attain
ment, so as to ''know Christ and the
power of His resurrection and to have
fellowship with his sufferings."
Nothing but the furnace will ever
burn out of us the clinker and the Stag
l have formed this theory in regard to
small annoyances and vexations. II
takes Just so much trouble to fit us for
usefulness and for Heaven. The only
question is whether we shall take it in
the bulk or pulverized and granulated
Here is one man who takes it in the
bulk. His back is broken or his eye.
Slgnl put Oul, Va SOAlN othCA
calamity befalls him, while the vast ma
jority of people take the thing piece
meal. Which way would you rather
have it? OF course, in piecemeal. Bet
ter have five aching teeth than one
broken jaw; better ten fly blisters thar
an amputation; better 20 squalls thar
one cyclone. There may be difference
of opinion as to allopathy and homeo
pathy, but in this matter of trouble
like homeopathic doses. small pellets
of annoyance rather than some knock
down dose of calamity. Instead of the
lthunderbolt give us the hornet. If yo,
have bank, you would great dea
rather that so men would come in with
checks less than 500 than to have two
depositors come in the same day, eacf
wanting his $4,000. In this latter cas-,
YOU cough and look down to the fiool
and you look up to the ceiling befor,
YOU look into the safe. Now, my friends
would you not rather have these small
drafts of ANNOYANCE sOn yOur bank a