The Bossier banner., 1901-06-13

L
that arrow on to the bowstring, and
its whirr was heard through the Cor
inthian theaters and through the |
until the knees of Felix
together. 1t was that arrow
that stuck in Luther's heart when he
cried out: ''Oh, my sins! Oh, my
sins!" If it strike man in the head,
it kills his skepticism; if it strike him
in the heel, it will turn his step; if it
strikes him in the heart, he throws up
his hands, as did one of old when
wounded in the battle, crying: 20
Galilean, thou hast conquered"
In the armory of the earl of Penn
broke there are old corselets which
show that the arrow of the English
used to go through the breastplate,
through the body of the warrior and
out through the backplate. What
symbol of that Gospel which is sharp
er than a two-edged sword, piercing
to the dividing asunder of soul and
body and of the joints and marrow!
Would to God we had more faith in
that Gospel! The humblest man in the
world, if he had enough faith in it,
could bring hundred souls to Christ
perhaps 500. Just in proportion as
this age seems to believe less and less
in it, l believe more and more in it.
What are men about that they will
not accept their own deliverance?
There is nothing proposed by men
that can do anything like this Gospel.
Again, if you want to be skillful in
spiritual archery you must hunt in
unfrequented and secluded places.
Why does the hunter go three or
four days in the Pennsylvania for
ests or over Raquette lake into the
wilds of the Adirondacks? 1t is the
only way to do. The deer are shy,
and one bang" of the gun clears the
forest. From the California stage
you see, as you go over the plains,
here and there a coyote trotting
along almost within range of the
gun-sometime quite within range
of it. No one cares for that. 1t is
worthless. The good game is hidden
and secluded. Every hunter knows
that. So many of the souls that will
be of most worth for Christ and of
most value to the church are Sc
cluded. They do not come in our
way. You will have to go where they
are. Yonder they are down in that
, cellar. Yonder they are up in that
garret-far away from the door of
any church. The Gospel arrow has
; not been pointed at them. The tract
distributor and the city missionary
sometimes just catch a glimpse OF
them, as hunter through the trees
gets a momentary sight of par
fridge or roebuck. The trouble is we
are waiting for the game to come to
us. We are not good hunters. We
expecting that the timid antelope
will come up and eat out of our hand.
We ere expecting that the prairie
fowl will light on our church steeple.
It is not their habit. If the church
should wait 100000 of years for
i the world to come in and be saved,
it will wait in vain. The world will
not come.
I remark, further, if you want to
succeed in spiritual archery you must
have courage. If the hunter stands
with trembling hand or shoulder that
finches with fear, instead Of taking
the catamount the catamount takes
him. What would become OF the
Greenlander if when out hunting for
the bear he should stand shivering
with terror on an iceberg? What
would have become of Du Chaillu and
Livingstone in the African thicket
with a faint heart and weak knee
When a panther comes within 20
PAGES of you and it has its eye on you
and it has squatted for the fearful
spring, STEADY there!" Courage, O
We spiritual archers! There are great
monsters of iniquity prowling all
around about the community. Shall
we not in the strength of God GO
forth and combat them? We not only
need more heart, but more backbone
What is the church of God that il
should fear to look in the eye any
transgression? inere is the Ben
gal tiger of drunkenness that prowl'
around, and instead of attacking il
how many OF us hide under the
church pew or the communion table
There is so much invested in it We
are afraid to assault it. Millions o.
dollars in barrels, in vats, in spigots
in corkscrews, in gin palaces will
marble floors and Italian top tables
and chased ice coolers, and in thu
strychnine and the logwood and thu
tartaric acid and the nux vomica tina
go to make up our pure" American
drinks. | looked with wondering eye
on the Heidelberg tun." 1t is th'
great liquor vat of Germany, which il
said to hold 500 hogsheads Of wine
and only three times in 10o years i
. has been filled. But as / stood an,
looked at it / said to myself: 'Tha
, is nothing-soo hogsheads. Why, ou
| American vat holds 100000 barrel
of strong drinks and we keep 10000
men with nothing to 90 but to Sc
that it is filed"
Oh, to attack the great monster o
, intemperance and the kindred NOR
sters of fraud and uncleanliness re
J quires you to rally all your Christia
~