The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-06-08

make all through the world of the lost
and, if that one drop of alcoholic bev-
erage should drop from the wing OF the
fiend upon the tongue of the inebriate,
how he would spring up and cry:
That's it, That's it! Rum! Rum!
That's it," And all the caverns of the
lost would echo with the cry: "Give il
to me! Rum! RUM" All, my friends,
the inebriate's sorrow in the next world
will not be the absence of God or holi-
ness or light; it will be the absence of
rum. Look not upon the wine when
it is red, when it moveth itself Alright
in the cup, for at the last it biteth like
a serpent and it stingeth like an adj
der"
When l see this plague in the land,
and when see this destroying angel
sweeping across our great cities, am
sometimes indignanta and sometimes hui
inflated. When man asks me: What
are you in favor of for the subjugation
of this evilo" l answer: Il am ready
for anything that is reasonable" You
ask me: "Are you in favor of Sons of
Temperament Yes. ''Are you in favor
of Good Samaritans?' Yes. ''Are you in
favor of Good Templars?' Yes. Are
you in favor of prohibitory law?" Yes.
care you in favor of the pledge?" Yes.
Combine all the influences, o Christian
reformers and philanthropists! Com
bine them all for the extirpation of this
evil
Thirty women in one of the western
states banded together and with an
especial ordination from God they went
forth to the work and shut up all the
grogshops of a large village. Thirty
women, with their song and with their
prayer, and if 1000 or 1000 Christian
men and women with an especial ordi-
nation from God should go forth feeling
the responsibility of their work and
discharging their mission, they could
in any city shut up all the grogshops.
But must not dwell on generalities;
( must come to specifics. Are you
astray? If there is any sermon dis
like, it is a sermon on generalities. I
want personalities. Are you astray?
Have you gone so far you think you cam
not get back? Did say few moments
ago that a man might go to a point
in inebriation where he could not stop?
Yes, said it, and l reiterate it. But I
want you also to understand that while
the man himself, of his own strength,
cannot stop, God can stop any man.
You have only to lay hold of the strong
arm of the Lord God Almighty. He can
stop you. Many summers ago I went
over to New York one Sabbath even
ing-our church not yet being open for
the autumnal services. / went into a
room in the Fourth ward, New York,
where religious service was being
heard revelation that night that had
never heard before-15 or 20 men stand
ing up and giving testimony such as
had never heard given. They not only
testified that their hearts had been
changed by the grace of God, but that
the grace of God had extinguished
their thirst. They went on to say that
they had reformed at different times
before, but Immediately fallen. because
they were doing the whole work in
their own strength. "But as soon as
we gave our hearts to Cod" they said,
land the love of the Lord Jesus Christ
has come into our soul the thirst has all
gone. We have no more disposition for
strong drink
1t was new revelation to me, and
have proclaimed it again and again in
the hearing of those who have far gone
astray, and stand here to-day to tell
you that the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ cannot only save your soul. but
save your body. l look off to-day upon
the desolation. Some of you are SO far
on in this habit, although there may
be no outward indications of it-you
never have staggered along the street
the vast majority of people do not
know that you stimulate; but God
knows, and you know, and by human
calculation there is not one chance out
of five thousand that you will ever be
stopped. Beware! There are some of
you who are my warm personal friends
to whom must say that unless you quit
tlllS CIVIL uuUil tCA .yCstIS. DIS 10
your body, you will lie down in a
| drunkard's grave; santl, as to your inn
mortal soul, you will lie down in q
drunkard's hell! 1t is hard thing to
say, but it is true, and ] utter the warn
ing lest have your blood upon my soul.
| Beware! As to-day you open the door
of your wine closet, let the decanter
flash that word upon your soul: Be
| ware!" AS you pour out the beverage,
! let the foam at the top spell out the
word, "Beware!" In the great day of
Gods Judgment, when a hundred mill
| lion drunkards shall come up to get
their doom. want you to testify that
this day, in love of your soul and in
fear of God, gave you warning in re-
gard to that influence which has already
been felt in your home, blowing out
some of its lights premonition of the
blackness of darkness forever.
oh, if you could only hear intemper-
ance with drunkards' bones drumming
on the top of the wine cask the dead