The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-07-04

take possession Of the world and rule
it in common sense and Christian
way. There would be less to amaze
and startle, but more to give equipoisa
to church and state and world. ITO
another one"
Is your talent that of persuasion?
Make good use of it. We all have it to
some extent, yet none of us think of it
as talent. But it is the mightiest Of
talents. Do you know that this ono
talent will fetch the world back to
God? Do you know it is the mightiest
talent of the High Heavens? Do you
know that it is the one talent chiefly
employed by all the angels of God
when they descend to our world-the
talent of persuasion? Do you realize
that the rough lumber lifted into the
cross on the hill back of Jerusalem
was in persuasion as well as sacrifice?
That is the only, absolutely the only,
persuasion that will ever induce the
human race to stop its race toward
the city of destruction and wheel
around and start for the city of light.
Now may the Lord this moment show
each one of us that to greater or less
extent we have that one talent of per-
suasion and impel us to the right use
OF it. You say you cannot preach q
sermon, but cannot you persuade
some one to 60 and hear . sermon?
You say you cannot sing, but cannot
you persuade some one to go and hear
the choir chant on Christmas or
Easter morning? Send bunch Of
flowers to that invalid in the hospital,
with message about the land where
the inhabitants never say: II am
sick" There is child Of the street.
Invite him into the mission school.
There is man who has lost his for
tune in speculation. Instead Of jeer-
ing at his fall go and tell him of riches
that never take wings and fly away.
Buckle on that talent of persuasion,
o man, o woman, and you will do q
work that Heaven will celebrate 10,-
600 years.
Among the 114,0OO words Of Noah
Webster's vocabulary and the thou
sands of words since then added to eur
English vocabulary there is one o,at-
mastering word the power of which
cannot be estimated, and it reaches so
far up and SO far down, and that is the
word ''come." 1t has drawn more pe.o-
pie away from the wrong and toward
the right than any word I now
think of.
After the resurrection day and all
Heaven is made up, resurrected bod
les Joined to ransomed souls, and the
gates which were so long open are
shut there may be some day when
all the redeemed may pass in review
before the great white throne. If so,
l think the hosts passing before tho
King will move in different divisions.
With the first division will pass the
mighty ones of earth who were as
good and useful as they were great.
In this division will pass before the
throne all the Martin Luthers, the
John Knoxes, the Wesleys, the Rich
ard Cecils, the Millions, the Chrysos-
toms, the Herschells, the Lenoxes,
the George Peabodys, the Abbot Law
rences and all the consecrated Chris
tian men and women who were great
in literature, in law, in medicine, in
philosophy, in commerce. Their
genius never spoiled them. They
were as humble as they were gifted
or opulent. They were great on
earth, and now they are great in
Heaven. Their Surprising and mag
nifcent talents were all used for the
worlds betterment. As they pass in
review before the King On the great
white throne to higher and higher
| rewards it makes me think of the
parable of the talents: "To another
ten" I stand and watch the other
divisions as they go by, division after
division, until the largest of all the
divisions comes in sight. 1t is hum
| dred to one, thousand to one, ten
thousand to one, larger than the
| other divisions. 1t is made up Of
men who never did anything but sup
| port their families and give whatever
! of their limited means they could
spare for the relief of poverty and
| sickness and the salvation of the
world, mothers who took good care
of children by example and precept
starting them on the road to Heaven,
millions of Sabbath school teachers
who sacrificed an afternoons siesta
for the listening class of yoz ag i'm
mortals, women who declined the
making of homes for themselves that
they might take care of father and
mother in the weaknesses Of old age,
ministers of the Gospel who on Mig
gardly stipend preached in the back
woods, meeting houses, souls who for
long years did nothing but suffer,
yet suffered with so much cheerful
patience that it became helpful les.
son to all who heard of it; those who
served God faithfully all their lives
and whose name never but once ap.
peared in print and that time in the
three lines of the death column
which some survivor paid for, sailors
who perished in the storm while try
ing to get the life line out to thu
drowning, prosecuted and tried soul.
who endured without complaint ma