The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-05-16

Gospel in their soul, and that kept
them alive.
l know there is a great deal of talk
about the self-denials of the CHRIS
tian. I have to tell you that where
the Christian has one self-denial the
man of the world has a thousand
selfdenials. The Christian is not
commanded to surrender anything
that is worth keeping. But what
does man deny himself who de-
nies himself the religion of Christ?
He denies himself pardon for sin,
he denies himself peace of conscience,
he denies himself the joy of the Holy
Ghost, he denies himself a comfort
able death pillow, he denies himself
the glory of Heaven. Do not talk
to me about the self-denial of the
Christian life. Where there is one
in the Christian life there is a thou
sand in the life of the world. Her
ways are ways of pleasantness."
Again, l find great deal of re-
ligious sunshine in Christia and di-
vine explanation. To a great many
people life is an inexplicable tangle.
Things turn out differently from
what was supposed. There is use
less woman in perfect health. There
is an Industrious and consecrated
woman a complete invalid. Explain
that. There is bad man with $780,
600 of income. There is good man
with $500 of income. Why is that?
There is a foe of society who lives on,
doing all the damage he can, to Is
years of age, and here is a Christian
father, faithful in every department
of life, at 35 years of age taken away
by death, his family left helpless.
Explain that. Oh, there is no SEN
tence that oftener drops from your
lips than this: 81 cannot understand
it. / cannot understand it,"
Well, now religion comes in just at
that point with it's illumination and
it's explanation. There is business
man who has lost his entire fortune.
The week before he lost his fortune
there were 20 carriages that stopped
at the door of his mansion. The
week after he lost his fortune all
the carriages you could count on one
finger. The week before financial
trouble began people all took off
their hats to him as he passed down
the street. The week his financial
prospects were under discussion peo-
pie just touched their hats without
anywise bending the rim. The week
that he was pronounced insolvent
people just jolted their heads as
they passed, not tipping their hats
at all, and the week the sheriff sold
him out all his friends were looking
in the store windows as they went
down past him.
Now, while the world goes away
from a man while he is in financial
distress, the religion of Christ comes
to him and says: ''You are sick, and
your sickness is to be moral purifi-
cation; you are bereaved. God
wanted in some way to take your
family to Heaven, and He must begin
somewhere, and so He took the one
that was most beautiful and was
most ready to CO." 1 do not say
| that religion explains everything in
this life, but I do say it lays down
certain principles which are grandly
consolatory. You know business men
often telegraph in cipher. The mer'
chant in San Francisco telegraphs to
the merchant in New York certain
information in cipher which no other
man in that line of business can un.
dcrstand, but the merchant in Sar
Francisco has the key to the cipher
and the merchant in New York has
the key to the cipher, and on that
information transmitted there are
enterprises involving hundreds Of
thousands of dollars. Now, the provi
dences of life sometimes seem to bt
a senseless rigmarole, a mysterious
cipher; but God has key to tina
cipher and the Christian a key tt
that cipher, and, though he ma.
hardly be able to spell out the mean
ing, he gets enough of the meaning
to understand that it is for the best
Now, is there not sunshine in that
Is there not pleasure in that? Fa
beyond laughter, it is nearer tn,
fountain of tears than boisterou
demonstration Have you never crie'
for Joy? There are tears which ar
eternal rapture in distillation.
There are hundreds of people VIII
are walking day by day in the sub
lime satisfaction that all is for tn
best, all things working together 70
good for their soul. How man ca
get along through this life withou
the explanation is to me mystery
What! Is that child gone forever
Are you never to get it back? l
your property gone forever? Hav
you no explanation, no Christian e>
planation, and yet not a maniac
But when you have the religion G
Jesus Christ in your soul it explain
everything so far as it is best fo
YOU to understand. You look off
, life, and your soul is full of thank:
giving to God that you are so niue
better off than you might be. A ma
{ passed down the street without an
, | shoes and said: 81 have no shoe