The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-05-31

from the death of sin to the life of
the Gospel. but you need to get your
hand loose. and your feet loose, and
your tongue loose, and your soul
loose. There is no sin that the Bible
so arraigns and punctures and Aagel-
lates as the sin Of unbelief, and that
is what is the matter with you. "Oh.'
you say, IF you knew what once was
and how many times have grievous-
ly strayed you would understand why
1 do not come out brighter!" Then l
think you would call yourself the
chief of sinners.
A man who was once called Saul,
but afterward Paul, declared: This
is a faithful saying and worthy Of III
accepts+ion that Christ Jesis came
into the world to save sinners, Of
whom I am chief" Mark that-'sof
whom I am chief" "Put down your
overcoats and hats, and will take
care of them while you kill Stephen"
So Saul said to the stoners Of the
first martyr. II do not care to ak
ert myself much, but win guard
your surplus apparel while you do
the murder" The New Testament &c
count says: "The witnesses laid down
their clothes at young mans feet.
whose name was SAUL" No wonder
he said: Sinners, of whom am the
chief"
Christ is used to climbing. He
climbed to the top of the temple. He
climbed to the top of Mount Oliyet.
He climbed to the top OF the clins
about Nazareth. He climbed to the
top Of Golgotha. And to the top of
the hills and the mountains Of your
transgression He is ready to climb
with pardon for every one Of you.
The groan of Calvary is mightier than
the thunder Of Sinai. Full receipt u
offered for all your indebtedness. II
one throws stone at midnight into
bush where the hedge bird r0osts
it Immediately begins to sing, and
into the midnight hedges Of your
dependency these words hurl, hop
ing to awaken you to anthem. Drop
the tunes in the minor key and take
the major. Do you think it pleases
the Lord for you to be carrying
around with you the debris and car
casses of old transsressions? You
make me think Of some ship that has
had tempestuous time at sen and
now that it proposes another voyage
keeps ON its davits the damaged life
boats and the splinters of shiv.
cred mast and the broken glass Of =
smashed skylight. My advice II:
Clear the decks, overheard with all
the damaged rigging, brighten up the
salted smokestacks, open new log
book. haul in the planl<s, lay out
new course and set sail for Heaven
You have had the spiritual dumps
long enough. You will please the
Lord more by being happy than by
being miserable.
Heaven IL 95 per cent. better than
this world, thousand per cent. bet
ter, a million per cent. better. Taks
the gladdest, brightest, most jubilant
days you ever had ON earth and conn
press them all into one hour, and that
hour would be . requiem, fast day,
gloom, horror, az compared with
the poorest hour they have had In
Heaven since its first tower was built
or it's first gate swung or its first song
caroled. "Oh." you say, "that may
be true, but / am 20 afraid Of cross-
ing over from this world to the next,
and I fear the swapping OF the cord
between soul and body" Well, all tho
surgeons and physicians and scientists
declare that there is no pang ct the
parting of the body and soul, and al
the restlessness at the closing hour Of
life is involuntary, and no distress at
all. And I agree with the doctors, for
what they say Is confirmed BY the
fact that persons who were drowned
or were submerged until all consci0us-
ness departed and were afterward re-
suscitated declare that the sensation
of passing into Inconsistencies was
pleasurable rather than distressful.
The cage of the body has . door on
easy hinges, and when tnat door Of
the physical cage opens the soul
simply puts out its wings and scars.
"But," you say, Il fear to 90 be-.
cause the future is so full of mystery.S
Well, will tell you how to treat the
mysteries. The mysteries have ceased
bothering me, for do as the Judges cf
your courts often do. They hear AL
the arguments in the case and they
say: 81 will take these papers and
give you my decision next week. So
I have heard all the arguments In 70
gard to the next world, and some
| things are uncertain and full Of mys-
terry. and so fold up the papers ana
reserve until the next world my da-
cision about them. can there study
all the mysteries to better advantage,
for the light will be better and my
faculties stronger, and I will ask the
Christian philosophers, who have hsd
| all the advantages Of Heaven for cenr
turies, to help me, and may be per-
mitted myself humbly to ask the Lord.
and l think there will be only one
| mystery left; that win be how one @
unworthy as myself got into such a
enraptured place. Come up out Of the
i n Z