The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-05-23

find it, and it it has never been used
in that direction before all the more
shall we use it. When we come to
speak of the glory of Christ, the con-
queror, we are going to draw our
SMILES from triumphal arch and ora
torio and everything grand and stu
pendous. The French navy have 1s
flags by which they give cignal, but
those IS flags they can put into $4,000
different combinatio And / have
to tell you that these standards of
the cross may be lifted into combina-
tions infinite and varieties everlast-
ing. And let me say to young men
who are after awhile going to preach
Jesus Christ, you will have the larg-
est liberty and unlimited resource.
You only have to present Christ in
your own way.
Jonathan Edwards preached Christ
in the severest argument ever penned,
and John Bunyan preached Christ in
the sublimest allegory ever composed.
Edward Payson, sick and exhausted,
leaned up against the side of the pull
pit and wept out his discourse, while
George Whitefield, with the manner
and the voice and the start Of an ac-
tor, overwhelmed his auditory. It
would have been a different thing if
Jonathan Edwards had tried to write
and dream about the pilgrims prog
ress to the celestial city or John Bum
yam had attempted an essay on the
human will.
Brighter than the light, fresher
than the fountains, deeper than the
seas, are these Gospel themes. Song
has no melody, flowers have no sweet
ness, sunset sky has no color, COM
pared with these glorious themes.
These harvests of grace spring up
quicker than we can sickle them.
Kindling pulpits with their fire and
producing revolutions with their
power, lighting up dying beds with
their glory, they are the sweetest
thought for the poet, and they are
the most thrilling illustration for the
orator, and they offer the most in
tense scene for the artist, and they
are to the ambassador of tie sky all
enthusiasm. Complete pardon for the
direst guilt. Sweetest comfort for
ghastliest agony. Brightest hope for
grimmest death. Grandest resurrec-
ton for darkest sepulcher. Oh, what
a Gospel to preach! Christ over all
in it. His birth, His suffering, His
miracles, His parallels, His sweat, His
tears, His blood, His atonement, His
intercession-what glorious themes!
Do we exercise faith. Christ is it's
object. Do we have love? 1t fastens
on Jesus. Have we fondness for
the church? 1t is because Christ died
for it. Have we hope of Heaven?
1t is because Jesus went ahead, the
herald and the forerunner.
The royal robe of Demetrius was
so costly, so beautiful, that after he
had put it off no one ever dared put
it on, but this robe of Christ, richer
than that, the poorest and the wan
nest and the worst may wear.
"Where sin abounded grace may
much more abound
A thousand feet underground, by
light of torch toiling in a miners
shaft, a ledge of rock may fall upon
us, and we may die miners death.
Far out at sea, falling from the slip
perry ratlines and broken on the hal
yards, we may die sailors death.
On mission of mercy in hospital amid
| broken bones and reeking leprosies
and raging fevers we may die phi
lanthropist's death. On the field of
| battle, serving our God and our coun-
try, slugs through the heart, the gun
carriage may roll over us, and VIC
may die patriots death. But after
all there are only two styles of de-
parture, the death of the righteous
and of the wicked, and we all want to
die the former.
God grant that when that hour
comes you may be at home! You
want the hand of your kindred in
your hand. You want your children
to surround you. You want the light
on your pillow from eyes that have
long reflected your love. You want
the room still. You do not want any
curious strangers standing around
watching you. You want your kin
dred from afar to hear your last
prayer. I think that is the wish OF
all of us. But is that all? Can earth
ly friends hold us when the pillows
of death come up to the girdle? Can
human voice charm open Heavens
gate? Can human hands pilot us
through the narrows of death into
Heavens harbor? Can an earthly
friendship shield us from the arrows
of death and in the hour when Satan
shall practice upon us his internal
archery? No, no! Alas, poor SOUL
if that is all! Better die in the will.
derness, far from tree shadow and
far from fountain, alone, vultures
circling through the air waiting foI
our body, unknown to men, and tc
have no burial, if only Christ would
say through the solitudes: 81 will
never leave thee. will never forsake
thee" From that pillow of stone q
ladder would soar heavenward, an
gels coming and going, and across the
solitude and the barrenness woult
come the sweet notes of heavenly