The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-09-12


Come, all We wounded of the flock,
pursued of the wolves, come to the
fountain where the Lords sick and
bereft ones have come. "Ah," says
some one, you are not old enough to
understand my sorrows. You have
not been in the world as long as I
have, and you can't talk to me about
my misfortunes in the time of old
age" Well, 1 may not have lived as
long as you, but have been a great
deal among old people, and I know
how they feel about their failing
health and about their departed
friends and about the loneliness that
sometimes strikes through their
souls.
You get little worried for fear that
some time you will come to want, do
you? Your children and grandchil-
dren some times speak a little sharp to
you because of your ailments. The
Lord will not speak sharp. Do you
think you will come to want? What
do you think the Lord is? Are His
granaries empty? Will He feed the
raven and the rabbit and the lion in
the desert, and forget you? Why, nat
uralists tell us that the porpoire will
not forsake It's wounded and sick mate.
And do you suppose the Lord of Heaven
and earth has not as much sympathy
as the fish of the sea? But you say:
II am so near worn out, and l am OF
no use to God any more" think the
Lord knows whether you are of any
more use or not. If you were of no
more use, He would have taken you
before this. Do you think God has for
gotten you because He has taken care
of you 70 or 80 years? He thinks more
Of you to-day than He ever did, be-
cause you think more of him. May
the God of Abraham and Isaac and Ja-
cob and Paul the aged be your God for
ever! But gather all the promises to-
day in a group, and ask the shepherds
to drive their focks of lambs and sheep
up to the sparkling supply. Behold,
happy is the man whom God correct-
eth" Though He cause grief, yet will
He have compassion" MANY are the
Affections of the righteous, but the
Lord delivereth him out Of them all"
"Weeping may endure for night, but
Ijoy cometh in the morning" am
determined that no one shall go out Of
this house uncontrolled. Yonder Is
timid and shrinking soul who seems
to hide away from the consultations I
am uttering as a child with a sore
hand hides away from the physician
lest he touch the wound too roughly,
and the mother has to go and compel
the little patient to come out and see
the physician. So l come to your
timid and shrinking soul to-day and
compel you to come out in the pres
ence of the Divine Physician. He will
not hurt you. He has been healing
wounds for many years, and He will
give you gentle and omnipotent medi-
cament.
But people, when they have trouble,
go anywhere rather than to God. De
Quincy took opium to get rid of his
troubles. Charles Lamb took to
punch. Theodore Hook took to some
thing stronger. Edwin Forrest took
to theatrical dissipati ton. And men
have run all around the earth, hoping
in the quick transit to get away from
their misfortunes. 1t has been dead
failure. There is only one well that
can slake the thirst of an afflicted
spirit, and that is the deep and mex
haustible well of the Gospel.
But some one in the audience says:
notwithstanding all you have said
this morning, 1 find no alleviation for
my troubles" Well, ! am not through
yet. 1 have left the most potent con-
sideration for the last. I am going
to soothe you with the thought Of
Heaven. However talkative we may
be, there will come time when the
stoutest and most empha tic interroga-
tion will evoke from us no answer. As
soon as we have closed our lips for
the final silence no power on earth
can break that taciturnity. But where,
o Christian, will be your spirit? In
scene of infinite gladness. The
spring morning of Heaven waving its
blossoms in the bright air. Victors
fresh from battle showing their scars.
The rain of earthly sorrow struck
through with the rainbow of eternal
joy. In one group Goa and angels and
the redeemed, Paul and Silas, Latimer
and Ripley, Isaiah and Jeremiah, Pay
son and John Milton, Gabriel and Mi
chael the archangel. Long line OF
choristers reaching across the hills.
Seas of JOY dashing to the white beach.
Conquerors marching from gate to
gate. You among them. Oh, what
great flock God will gather around
the celestial well. No stone on the
: wells mouth while the Shepherd wa
ters the sheep. There Jacob will rec
ognize Rachel the shepherdess. And
standing on one side of the well OF
( eternal rapture your children, aad
) standing on the other side of eternal
rapture your Christian ancestry. Yo,
: will be bounded on all sides by JOY
: so keen and grand that no other world
r has ever been permitted to expe
= rience it. Out of that one deep vel
? of Heaven the Shepherd will dip re
' union for the bereaved, wealth for tn,
t poor, health for the sick, rest for til,
| weary And then all the flock of tn,