The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-06-06

Worldly philosophy said: IAN that
story about the light turned as clay
TO the seal is simply an absurdity.'
Old-time worldly philosophy said:
THE light comes straight" Christian
philosophy says: "Wait little WHILE"
and it goes on and makes discoveries
and finds that the atmosphere curves
and bends the rays of light around the
earth, literally "as the clay to the
SEAL" The Bible right again; worldly
philosophy wrong again. "Ah," says
worldly philosophy, 'all that allusion
in Job about the foundations of the
earth is simply an absurdity. Where
foundations of the earth?' The earth
has no foundation" Christian phi
losophy comes and finds that the word
as translated foundations" may be
better translated sockets" So now
see how it will read if it is translated
right: "Where vast thou when l set
the sockets of the earth?" Where is
the socket? It is the hollow of Gods
hand-a socket large enough for any
world to turn in.
Worldly philosophy said: what an
absurd story about Joshua making the
sun and moon stand still! If the
world had stopped an instant the
whole universe would have been out of
gear" "Stop," said Christian philoso-
ply; mot quite so quick" The world
has two motions-one on it's own axis
and the other around the sun. 1t was
not necessary in making them stand
still that both motions should be
stopped-only the one turning the
world on its own axis. There was no
reason why the halting of the earth
should have Jared and disarranged
the whole universe. Joshua right and
God right; infdeity wrong every time.
knew it would be wrong. l thank
God that the time has come when
Christians need not be scared at any
scientific exploration. The fact is that
religion and science have struck hands
in eternal friendship, and the deeper
down geology can dig and the higher
up astronomy can soar all the better
for us. The armies of the Lord Jesus
Christ have stormed the observatories
of the worlds science and from the
highest towers have flung out the ban
ner of the cross, and Chris tianity now
from the observatories at Albany and
Washington stretches out it's hand to-
ward the opposing scientific weapon,
crying: "There is none like that; give
it me-" Twas reading of Herschel, who
was looking at meteor through q
telescope, and when it came over the
face of the telescope it was so power
full he had to avert his eyes. And it
has been just so that many an astrono-
mer has gone into an observatory
and looked up into the midnight heav-
ems, and the Lord God has through
some swinging world famed upon his
vision, and the learned man cried out:
"Who am I? Undone! Unclean! Have
mercy, Lord God!"
Again, I remark that the travelling
disposition of the world, which was
adverse to morals and religion, is to
be brought on our side. The man that
went down to Jericho and fell amid
thieves was type of great many
travellers. There is many man who
is very honest at home who when he
is abroad has his honor filched and
his good habits stolen. There are but
very few men who can stand the stress
of an expedition. Six weeks at wa
tering place have ruined many a man.
In the olden times God forbade the
travelling of men for the purpose OF
ences attending it. A good many men
now cannot stand the transition from
one place to another. Some men who
seem to be very consistent here in the
way of keeping the Sabbath when they
get into Spain on the Lords day al
ways go out to see the bullfights.
Plato said that no city ought to be
built nearer to the sea than ten miles
lest it be tempted to commerce. But
this travelling disposition of the world
which was adverse to that which is
good is to be brought on our side.
These mail trains, why, they take our
Bibles; these steamships, they trans
PoI ouI uulSSlOIldTleS, UneSe Sailors
rushing from city to city all around
the world, are to be converted into
Christian heralds and go out and
preach Christ among the heather
nations. The Gospels are infinitely
multiplied in beauty and power since
Robinson and Thompson and Burk-
hardt have come back and talked to
us about Sloan and Capernaum and
Jerusalem, pointing out to us the lilies
about which Jesus preached, the beach
upon which Paul was shipwrecked, the
fords at which Jordan was passed, the
Red sea bank on which were tossed
the carcasses of the drowned Egyp.
tians. A man said: "I went to the
Holy Land an infidel. I came back a
Christian. l could not help it,"
1 am not shocked, as some have been
at the building of railroads in the
Holy Land. I wish that all the worlG
might go and see Golgotha and Beth
lehem. How many who could not at
ford muleteers now easily buy tickets
from Constantinople to Joppa! Their
let Christians travel! God speed the
rail trains and guide the steamships
l