The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-01-18

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knocked the man down." But have
come TO believe that nothing is impos-
sible if God help.
Aye, you will not postpone till sun
down forgiveness of enemies if you can
realize that their behavior toward you
may be put in the catalogue of the "all
things" that "work together for good
to those that love Cod" have had
multitudes of friends, but I have found
IN my own experience that God has so
arranged it that the greatest oppor-
tunaties of usefulness that have been
opened before me were opened by enc
mics. So you may harness your antag-
oniEts to your best interests and COM
pei them to draw you on to better work
and higher character. Suppose, in
stead of waiting until SO minutes after
four this evening, when the sun will
set, you transact this glorious work of
forgiveness at meridian.
Again, we ought not to let the sun go
down on our wrath, because we will
sleep better if we are at peace with
everybody. Insomnia is getting to be
one of the most prevalent of disorders.
How few people retire at ten o'clock at
night and sleep clear through to six in
the morning! To relieve this disorder
all narcotics and sedatives and NOR
phine and choral and bromide of potas-
SUM and cocaine and intoxicants are
! used, BUT nothing is more important
than quiet spirit if we would win
somnolence. How is man going to
sleep when he is in mind pursuing an
enemy? With what nervous twitch he
will start out of dream! That new
plan of cornering his foe will keep him
| wide awake while the clock strikes II,
II, 1. 2. I give You an unfailing
! prescription for wakefulness: Spend
the evening hours rehearsing your
wrongs and the best way of avenging
them. Hold a convention Of friends on
this subject in your parlor or Office at
eight or nine o'clock. Close the evening
by writing bitter letter expressing
your sentiments. Take from the desk
or pigeonhole the papers in the case to
refresh your mind with your enemy's
meanness. Then lie down and wait for
the coming of the day, and it will come
before sleep comes, or your sleep will be
| worried quiescence and, If you take the
precaution to lie fiat on your back, a
frightful nightmare. r. -
Why not put q bound to your animos-
ity? Why let your foes come into the
sanctities of your dormitory? Why let
those slanderers who have already torn
| your reputation to pieces or injured
your business bend over your midnight
pillow and drive from you one of the
| greatest blessings that God can offer
sweet, refreshing, all invigorating
sleep? Why not fence out your ene-
mics by the golden bars of the sunset?
! Why not stand behind the barricade of
evening cloud and say to them: s.Thus
far and no farther" Many man and
many woman is having the health OF
body as well as the health of soul eaten
away by the malevolent spirit. have
in time of religious awakening had per-
sons night after night come into the
inquiry room and get no peace of soul.
After awhile have bluntly asked them:
''Is there not some one against whom
you have hatred you are not willing
to give up?" After a little confusion,
they have slightly whispered: ''Yes.'
Then have said;' "You will never find
peace with God as long as you reta1
that virulence." "a
Again, we ought not to allow the sun
to set before forgiveness takes place
because we might not live to see an
other day. And what if we should be
ushered into the presence of our Maker
with grudge upon our soul? The ma
! jority of people depart this life in the
night. Between II o'clock p m. and
three o'clock a. m. there is something
in the atmosphere which relaxes the
grip which the body has on the soul
and most people enter the next world
through the shadows of this world
Perhaps God may have arranged it that
way so as to make the contrast the more
glorious. / have seen sunshiny days
in this world that must have been al
most like the radiance of Heaven. But
as most people leave the earth between
sundown and sunrise they quit thii
world at its darkest, and Heaven, al
ways bright, will be the brighter fol
that contrast. Out of darkness into ir
radiation. ~
Hardly anything affects me SO much
in the uncoyering Of Pompeii as the ac
count of the soldier who, after the city
had for many centuries been covered
with. the ashes and .scoriae of Vesuvius
4 was found standing in his place OF
guard, hand on spear and. helmet OF
dhead. Others fed at the awful sub
A mergement, but the explorer, ], 20,
years after, found the body Of tha-
brave fellow in right position. And j
will be grand thing if, when our las
Z moment comes, we. are found in righ
position toward God, on guard and nn
affrighted by the descending ashes
from the mountains of death. do no
fsuppose that / ann any more of COW
ard than most people, but declare Il
you that / would not dare to sleep to
night il there were any being in all TIL