The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-02-23
BENTON. LOUISIANA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY %, 1s99

this grace of hospitality when shown in
the house of God. I am thankful that
l have always been pastor of churches
where strangers are welcome. But
have entered churches where there was
no hospitality. A stranger would stand
in the vestibule for awhile and then
make pilgrimage up the long aisle.
No door opened to him until, flushed
and excited and embarrassed, he start
ed back again, and coming to some half
filled with apologetic air entered
it, while the occupant glared on him
with look which seemed to saw:
"Well. if must, | must" Away with
such accursed indecency from the
house of God! Let every church that
would maintain large Christian infiu-
ence in community culture Sabbath by
Sabbath this beautiful grace of Chris
tian hospitality.
A good man travelling in the far west
in the wilderness was overtaken by
night and storm, and he put in at q
cabin. He saw firearms along the beams
of the cabin, and he felt alarmed. He
did not know but that he had fallen
into a den of thieves. He sat there
greatly perturbed. After awhile the
man of the house came home with gun
on his shoulder and set it down in a
corner. The stranger was still more
alarmed. After awhile the man of the
house whispered with his wife, and the
stranger thought his destruction was
being planned. Then the man of the
house came forward and said to the
stranger: stranger, we are rough
and rude people out here, and we work
hard for living. We make our living
by hunting, and when we come to the
nightfall we are tired and we are apt to
go to bed early, and before retiring we
are always in the habit of reading
chapter from the Word of God and
making prayer. Hyou don't like such
things. if you will just step outside the
door until we get through, I'll be great
ly obliged to YOU" Of course the stran-
ger tarried in the room, and the old
hunter took hold of the horns of the
altar and brought down the blessing of
God upon his household and upon the
stranger within their gates. Rude but
glorious Christian hospitality!
Again, this woman OF my text was
great in her kindness toward Co.'s
messenger. Elisha may have been a
stranger in that household, but as che
found out he had come on Divine mis-
sion he was cordially welcomed. We
have great many books in our day
about the hardships of ministers and
the trials of Christian ministers.
wish somebody would write book
about the joys of the Christian minis
ter, about the sympathies all around
him, about the kindness, about the
genial considerations of him. Does sor-
row come to our home, and is there a
shadow on the cradle, there are hun
dreds of hands to help, and many who
weary not through the night watching,
and hundreds of prayers going up that
God would restore the sick. Is there a
burning. brimming cup of calamity
placed on the pastors table? Are there
not many to help him drink of that cup,
and who will not be comforted because
he is stricken? Oh. for somebody to
write book about the rewards of the
Christian ministry-about his sur
roundings of Christian sympathy!
This woman of the text was only a
type of thousands of men and women
who come down from mansion and
from cot to do kindness to the Lord g
servants. ! could tell you of some
thing that you might think romance.
young man graduated from New
Brunswick theological seminary was
called to village church. He had not
the means to furnish the parsonage.
After three or four weeks of preaching
a committee of the officers of the
church waited on him and told him he
looked tired and thought he had better
take vacation of few days. The
young pastor took it as an intimation
that his work was done or not accept
able. He took the vacation, and at the
end of few days came back, when an
old elder said: There is the key of the
parsonage. We have been cleaning it
up. You had better go up and look at
it," So the young pastor took the key,
went up to the parsonage, opened the
door, and 10! it was carpeted, and there
was a hatrack all ready for the canes
and umbrellas and the overcoats, and
on the left hand Of the hall was the par
lor,. sofaed, chaired, pictured. He
passed ON to the other side of the hall
and there was the study table in the
center of the floor with stationery up
on it, bookshelves built, long ranges OF
new volumes, far beyond the reach OF
the means of the young pastor many OF
'hese volumes. The young pastor went
upstairs and found all the sleeping
apartments furnished, came downstairs
and entered the pantry, and there were
the spices and the ccffees and the
sugars, and the groceries for six
months. He went down into the cellar
and there was the coal for the coming
winter. He went into the dining hall
and there was the table already set
the glass and the silver ware. He wen,
;p n tho li<Chor md fharo ,rar.o a II h q