The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-02-15

to duty. Your sleeplessness is as much
a wound as you can find on any battle
field and is an honorable wound. We
all look with reverence and admiration
upon one who has lost an eye or an arm
in the service of his country, and we
ought to look with admiration upon
those who, through extreme fidelity to
their life work, have lost their capacity
for slumber. Remember glorious AL
bert Barnes going along the streets Of
Philadelphia at four o'clock in the
morning for many years to his church
study, writing all his commentaries be-
fore breakfast, and keeping on until
he was stone blind. Will not the Lord
reward such sacrifices? And if through
your fidelity you have lost capacity to
sleep, God, who never slumbers or
sleeps, will look after you. When you
hear the clock strike twelve and one and
two and three and four without your
going to your slumber, let 1t remind
you that you have not been sluggard
or do-nothing. You are suffering In
good cause. Paul got sore eyes in the
Lords service. and had many a scar,
but, so far from complaining about it,
he exults in those scars, saying-in the
only inspired letter we know that he
wrote with his own hand, for the other
letters were dictated to amanuenses
in that letter to the Galatians: 4 bear
in my body .he marks Of the Lord
Jesus"
All the victims of insomnia ought
to be consoled with the fact that they
will have good long sleep after awhile.
Sacred and profane literature again
and again speak of that last sleep. God
knew that the human race would be
disposed to make great ado about
exit from this world, and so he inspires
Job and David and Daniel and John and
Paul to call that condition sssleep.
When at Bethany the brother who was
the support of his sisters after their
father and mother were gone had him-
self expired, Christ cried out In regard
to him! ''He is not dead, but sleep
eth" Cheering thought to all poor
sleepers, for that will be pleasant
sleep, induced by no narcotic, disturbed
by no frightful dream, interrupted by
no harsh sound. Better than any sleep
you ever took, O child of God, will Be,
the last sleep. In your other slumb4rai
your home may be invaded by burglArs
| and your treasures carried Of, but
while here and there, in one case out
of millions, the resurrectionist may dis
turb the pillow of dust, the last sleep
is almost sure to be kept from inya-
sion. There will be no burglary Of
the tomb. And it will be q refreshing
sleep. You have sometimes risen in the
morning more weary than when You
laid down at night, but waking from tho
sleep of which speak, the last fatigue.
the last ache, the last worriment, will
be forever gone. Oh, what refreshing
sleep!
Most people are tired. The nights
do not repair the day. Scientists, by
minute calculation, say shat every
right comes little short Of restoring
the body to where it was the day be-
fore, and so every seventh day was
put in for entire rest, to make up in
Preparation for what the nights could
not do. But so restful will be the last
l
out one sore nerve, without one tired
limb-rested, forever rested, as only
God can rest you. o ye tired folks
all up and down the world, tired with
work, or tired with prosecutions, or
tired with ailments, or tired with be-
reavements, or tired in the struggle
against temptation, clap your hands
L ofr o1 oil IN tn&S -
that sleep from which you will wake
Irp SO rested that you will never need
} another sleep or even another night.
''There shall be no night there" be,
cause there will be no need Of ita
quieting influences. No lengthening
of the shadows of tower and wall and
gate. No evening mist rising from
the river. No sundown. ''Thy sun
shall no more go down, neither shall
: thy moon WITHDRAW itself, for the
: Lord shall be thine everlasting light
and the days of thy mourning shall b.
ended"
So, my hearer, my reader, "Good
night" May God give you such sleeF
: tonight as is best for you. and If you
wake too soon may He fill your soul
with "reminiscences and expectations
that will be better than slumber. Good
night! Having in prayer, kneeling q
the bedside, committed yourself and
! all yours to the keeping Of the slum
!. berless God, fear nothing. The pesti
lence that walketh in darkness vii
not cross your doorsill, and you neef
: not be afraid of evil tidings. G0of
night! May you have no such ex
! perience as Job had when he said;
: "Thou scarest me with dreams ani
|. terrifest me through visions" I
q you dream at all, may it be . vision d
q reunions and congratulations, and
!, waking, may you find some Of then
I true. Good night! And when 70,
I come to the best sleep, the bliasfu
8 sleep, the last sleep, may you be abl
to turn and say to all the cares an.
fatigues and bereavements and pang
OF lifetime: .sGood night!r an,
J your kindred, standing around you
n