The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-09-13

as crystal. Glory be to God for the
religion that drops from above, not
coming up from beneathl "And the
Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest
thou? And said. A plumb line"
want you to notice this fact, that
when = man gives up the straight up
and down religion Of the Bible for
any new tangled religion, it is gener-
ally to suit his sins. You first hear
Of his change of religion, and then you
hear of some swindle he has practiced
in special mining stock, telling some
one if he will put in $4,000 he can
take out 100000; or he has sacrificed
his integrity or plunged into irreme-
diable worldliness. His SINS are 30
broad he has to broaden his religion.
and he becomes as broad AZ tempta-
ton, as broad as the souls darkness,
as broad as hell. They want q reli.
gion that will allow them to keep
their sins and then at death say to
them: SWELL done, good and faithful
servant" and that tells them: "All
is well, for there is no hell" What .
glorious Heaven they hold before usl
Come, let us go in and see it. There
are Herod and all the babes he mas
sacred. There are Charles Guiteau
and Robespierre, the feeder Of tho
French guillotine, and all the liars,
thieves, house burners, garroters,
pickpockets and libertines Of all the
centuries. They have all got crowns
and thrones and harps and sscepters,
and when they chant they sing:
Thanksgiving and honor and glory
and power to the broad religion that
let's us all into Heaven without re-
pentance and without faith in those
humiliating dogmas of ecclesiastical
old fogyism."
My text gives me grand opportun-
ity Of saying useful word to all young
men who are now forming habits for
lifetime. OF what use to stonema-
son or a bricklayer is plumb line7
Why not build the wall by the unaided
eye and hand? Because they are In
sufficient, because If there be . de-
fection in the wall it cannot further
on be corrected. Because by the law
of gravitation a wall must be straight
in order to be symmetrical and SAFE
A young man is in danger Of getting
defect in his wall OF character that
may never be corrected.
One of the best friends I ever had
died of delirium tremens at 60 years
of age, though he had not since 21
years of age, before which he had
been dissipated, touched Intoxicating
liquor until that particular carousal
that took him of. Not teeling well in
the street on hot summer day he
stepped into drug store, just as you
and would have done, and asked for
a dose of something to make him feel
1 better. And there was alcohol in the
dose, and that one drop aroused the
old appetite, and he entered the first
liquor store and staid there until
thoroughly under the power Of rum.
He entered his home raving maniac,
his wife and daughters fleeing from
his presence, and at first he was taken
to the city hospital to die.
Remember that the wall may be 100
feet high, and yet a detection one foot
from the foundation affects the entire
structure. And if you live 100 Year,
and do right the last so years you may
nevertheless do something at 20 years
OF age that will damage all your earth
" existence. All you who have built
houses for yourselves or for others
am not right in saying to these young
men, you cannot build wall 90 high
as to be independent Of the character
OF its foundation? A man before 81
years of age may commit enough cir
to last him lifetime. Now, John OF
George or Henry, or whatever be youI
! Christian name or surname, say herl
and now: mo wild oats for me, nj
cigars or cigarettes for me, no wins
, or beer for me, no nasty stories for me
no Sunday sprees for me. ! amkoinl
! to start right and keep on right. Cox
help me, for am very weak. From th'
! throne of eternal Righteousness le
down to me the principles by which
! can be guided in building everything
, from foundation to capstone. Lorl
! God, by the wounded hand OF Chris
/. throw me plumb line"
Duls JOo soy ~ sAOs uS ySsSAsa
! folks out from all fun" Oh, mol Ilik
fun. l believe in fun. have had lot
; Of it in my time. But have not ha
t to go into paths of sin to find it. N
d credit.to me, but because Of an extraol
= idnary parental example and influenc
' was kept from outward transgrei
e sions, though my heart was bad enoug
n and desperately wicked. i have ha
/ fun illimitable, though ! never swol
z one oath and never gambled for 1
e much as the value Of a pin and neve
d saw the inside of haunt of sin say
r as when many years ago, with . con
n missioner of police and detective an
n two elders Of my church, explore
y New York and Brooklyn by midnigh
= not out of curiosity, but that migl
1t in pulpit discourse set before the pc
IN pie the poverty and the horrors Of u
K. derground city life. Yet. though ] vi
y never intoxicated for an instant ii
1t never committed one act Of dissolut
n ness-restrained only By the grace
b. God, without which restraint I won