The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-02-28

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be crowded in church. Do not put any
one in my pew" Ny brother, what
will you do in Heaven when a great
multitude that no man can number as
sembles? They will put so in your
pew. What are the people assembled
in Christian churches compared with
the mightier millions outside? Some
churches are like hospital, that
should advertise that its patients must
have nothing worse than toothache or
run-rounds, but no broken heads, no
crushed ankles or fractured limbs.
Bring there for treatment moderate
sinners, velvet coated sinners and sin
ners with gloss on. 1t is as if man
had farm of 5000 acres and put all his
work on one acre. He might raise never
so large ears of corn, never so big heads
of wheat, still he would remain poor.
The church of God has bestowed its
chief care on one acre and has raised
splendid men and women in that small
inclosure. But the field is the world.
That means Europe. Asia, Africa,
North and South America and all the
islands of the sea.
have to remark that the Heavenly
shepherd will find many sheep amid
the nonchurchgoers. There are con-
gregations where they are all Chris
tians, and they seem to be completely
finished, and they remind one of the
skeleton leaves which by chemical
preparation have had all the greenness
and verdure taken off them and are
left cold and white and delicate, moth
ing wanting but a glass case to put
over them. The minister of Christ has
nothing to do with such Christians but
to come once a week and with ostrich
feather dust off the accumulation of
the last six days, leaving them bright
and crystalline as before. But the
other kind of church is an armory,
with perpetual sound of drum and fife.
gathering recruits for the Lord OF
Hosts and saying to every applicant:
DO you want to be on Gods side, the
safe side and the happy side? If so,
come in the armory and get equipped.
Here is bath in which to be cleansed
Here are sandals to put on your feet.
Here is helmet for your brow. Here
is breastplate for your heart. Here
is sword for your right arm, and
yonder is the battlefield. Quit your
selves like men,
I remark again the Heavenly Shep-
herd is going to find great many of
his sheep among those who are now re-
jecters of Christianity. Some of the
mightiest advocates of the Gospel were
once skeptics. Thomas Chalmers once
a sleptic. Robert Hall skeptic.
Christmas Evans skeptic. Charles G..
Finney a skeptic. Paul, the apostle,
once skeptic. But when once with
strong hand they laid hold of the Cos
pei chariot they rolled it on with what
momentum! l do not know how you
came to reject Christianity. It may
have been through the infidel talk of
some young man in the store or shop or
factory. 1t may have been through the
trlckery of some professed Christian
man who disgusted you with religion.
1t may be that 80 years ago you lost
all faith by what happened in an oil
company which was formed amid the
petroleum excitement. The COM
pany owned no land, or if they did
shsre was no sign of oil produced. But
the president of the company was a
Presbyterian elder and the treasurer
an Episcopalian vetryman, and one
director was a Methodist class leader
and the other officers prominent mem
bers OF Baptist and Congregational
churches. Circulars were got out tell
ing what fabulous prospects opened
before this company. The circular had
all the hues of earth and sea and sky.
The letters famed with all the beauty
OF gold and jasper and amethyst. In
nocent men and women who had lit
tie money to invest, and that little their
all, said: Il do not know anything
about this company, but SO many good
men are at the head of it that it must
be excellent and taking stock in it
must be almost as good as joining the
church" So they bought their stock
and perhaps received one dividend to
keep them still. But after awhile they
found that the company had reorgan-
lied and had different president, a
different treasurer and different di-
rectors. Other engagements or an
overcoming modesty had caused the
former officers of the company. with
many regrets, to resign, and all that
the subscribers for the stock bad to
show for their investment was beau
tifully ornamented certificate. Some
times that man, looking over his old
papers comes across that certificate,
and it is so suggestive that he vows he
wants none of the religion that the
president and directors of that oil COM
pany professed.
Or you may have become skeptical
from the fact that you grew up in a
home where religion was overdone.
Sunday was the most awful day in the
week. You had religion driven into
you with trip hammer. You were
surfeited with prayer meetings. You
were stuffed and choked with cate
chisms. You were often told that you
were the worst boy your parents ever
knew because you liked to ride down