The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-02-01
BENTON. LOUISIANA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY l. 1900.

from the immorals of the Herodic
throne l Judge Of the immorals Of ma
tion. There was malaria of sin in :ka
air when the infant Christ first breathed
it. Thickest shawl could not keep the
babe warm when in that wintry month,
with his mother, he became a fugitive.
1t was while the peasant and his wife
were on visit for purposes of enroll
ment that Jesus was born. The Bible
translators got the wrong word when
they said that Joseph and Mary had
gone to Bethlehem to be taxed Peo-
pie went no farther then to get taxed
than they do now. The effort of most
people always has been to escape taxa
ton. Besides that, these two humble
folk had nothing to tax. The mans
turban that protected his head from the
sun was not worth taxing; the woman's
sandals which kept her feet from being
cut by the limestone rock, of which
Bethlehem is mostly made,up, were not
worth taxing. No;~ the fact is that a
proclamation had been made by the
emperor that all the people between
Great Britain and Parthia and of those
lands included should go to some ap-
pointed place and give their names in,
be registered and announce their loyal
ty to the Roman emperor. They stood
up before the officer of the government
and answered the questions: "What is
your name? Where were you born
Where do you live now? Lift your hand
and swear that you will support the
empire of Caesar Augustus" During
that patriotic and loyal visit the first
cry of the Divine Boy was heard.
They had walked so miles over a
rough road to give in their names and
fake the oath of allegiance. Would we
walk so miles to announce our alle-
glance to our King, one Jesus? Caesar
Augustus wanted to know by the rec
ord on which that man and that woman
wrote their names, or had them writ
ten, just how many people in his EN-
|pire he could depend on in case of exig-
ency. How many men would unsheath
sword for the Roman eagle, and how
many women could be depended on to
take care of the wounded on battle
fields? The trouble is that in the king
dom of Christ we do not know how
many can be depended on. There are
SO many men and women who never
give in their names. They serve the
Lord on the sly.
In all our churches there are SO
many half and half disciples, so many
one-third espousers. They rather think
the Bible is true, at any rate parts OF
it, and they hope that somehow Chris
tianity will disentnrall the nations.
They stay away from church on conn
munion days and hope when they have
lived as long as they can in this world
they can somehow sneak into Heaven.
Oh, give in your names! Be registered
on the church record down here and
in the Lambs Book of Life up there
Let all the world know where you
stand. If you have to 60 as far as Joseph
and Mary walked, if you have to go
SO miles before you find just the right
form of worship and just the right
creed, start in this modern December,
as those villagers started in an ancient
December, and amid the congratula-
tions of church militant and church tri-
umphant give in your names.
Christ's oratory was unlike anything
that went before or came after. Even
Ethe criticism of the world said: "Nevel
man spake like this man." Dramatic?
why, He took up a child out of the au
4 dience and set him on table, and by
the embarrassed look of the child
taught humility. He sent the prosecn
tors of poor, sinful woman. blush.
ing and confounded, out of the room by
one sentence of sarcasm. Notice Hi
power of emphasis, and enunciatior
when He revealed Himself after Hi
Resurrection, by the peculiar way HI
pronounced the one word MARY" Hi
power of look shown by the way Peter
the great apostle, wilted under 1t. TIT
book says: ''The Lord turned ant
looked upon Peter" It was an om
nipotent facial expression. He l0oket
upon Peter. Power of distinct utter
ance, so that every one could hear. III
Iopened His mouth, saying" No mum
bling and indistinct utterance. III
opened his mouth. His voice, which ha.
been developed by open-air speaking
was resonant and sonorous voice, Q
He would not have taken the top o
| the rocks of the. Mount of Beatitude
| for pulpit, for that pulpit is SO high
as declare from observation. that n
speaker that have ever known coul'
have from that point made any au
dience hear one word of a sermon.
i His power Of hyperbole: A came
trying to crowd its hump through tn
eye of sewing woman's needle an
Iall that learned talk about q gat
called the needles eye" only belii
tling the hyperbole. Power Of sal
! casm: The hypocrite styled by Hi
1.-the whole who need not physician.
His power of peroration: The crasI
!. ing Of the timbers Of the poorly bui
house on the beach of the Medite
/ ranean. Power to take advantage I
, circumstances: When an audite
) asked Him whether they ought to pa
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