The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-12-19

cas- asked: "What have you kept for
yourself?" He answered triumphant
ly, Hope" And, whatever else you
and | give away, we must keep for
ourselves hope-al comforting, all
cheering hope. In the heart of every
man, woman and child that hears or
reads this sermon may God implant
this principle right now.
Is your health gone? Then that is
a sign that you are to enjoy celes-
tial health compared with which the
most jocund and hilarious vitality
of earth is inyalidism. Are your for
tunes spent? Remember you are to
be kings and queens unto God and
how much more wealth you will have
when you reign forever and ever. I
want to see you when you get your
heavenly work dress on. This little
| bit of a speck of world we call
the earth is only the place where we
get ready to work. We are only jour
neymen here, but will be master work.
men there. Heaven will have no loaf
ers hanging around. The book says
of the inhabitants: "They rest not
day or night" Why rest when they
work without fatigue? Why seek q
pillow when there is no night there?
l want to see you after the pedes-
trianism of earth has been exchanged
for powers of fight and velocities
infinite and enterprises interstellar,
interworld.
l suspect that the telescope of that
observatory brings in sight constella-
tons that may comprise ruined worlds
which need looking after and need
help sanity and missionary. There
may be worlds that, like ours, have
sinned and need to be rescued, per-
haps saved by our Christ or by some
plan that God has sought out for
other worlds as wise, as potent, as
lovely. as the atonement is for our
world. The laziness which has cursed
us in this world will not gain the land
Of eternal activities-so much tonic
in the air, so much inspiration in the
society, so much achievement after
we get the shaclles of the flesh for
ever off. Do not dwell so much on op-
portunities past, but put your empha-
sis on opportunities to come. Do not
count the battles lost, but scour your
musket for victories to come.
Am I not right in saying that eter-
nifty can do more for us than can
time? What will we not be
able to do when our powers of loco
motion shall be quickened into the
immortal spirits speed? Why should
bird have a switness of wing when
it is of no Importance how long it
shall take to make its aerial way
have SO much more important errands
in the world, get on so slowly? The
roebuck outruns us, the hounds are
quicker in the chase, but wait until
God lets US loose from all limitations
and indictments. Then we will fair
ly begin. The starting post will be
the tombstone. Leaving the world
will be graduation day before the
chief work of our mental and spirit
ual career. Hope sees the doors open
ing, the victor's foot in stirrup for
the mounting. The day breaks-frst
flush of the horizon. The mission of
hope will be an everlasting mission,
as much of it in the heavenly here
after as in the earthly now. Shall we
have gained all as soon as we enter
realms celestial-nothing more to
learn, no other heights to climb, no
new anthems to raise, a monotony of
existence, the same thing over and
over again for endless years? No!
More progress in that world than we
ever made in this. Hope will stand
on the hills of Heaven and look for
ever frightening landscapes, other
transformations of color, new glories
rolling over the scene, new celebra-
tions of victories in other worlds,
Heaven rising into grander heavens,
seas of glass mingled with fire, be-
coming more brilliant glass ming
ling with more flaming fire. (Which
hope"
Do not have anything to do with
the gloom that Harriet Martineau ex-
pressed in her dying words: Il have
no reason to believe in another
world. l have had enough of life in
one and can see no good reason why
Harriet Martineau should be perpet-
uated." Would you not rather have
the Christian enthusiasm of Robert
Amman, who, when some one said: 81
will be satisfied if l manage somehow
to get into Heaven" replied, pointing
to a sunken vessel that was being
; dragged up the River Tay: "Would
yon like to be pulled into Heaven
with two tugs like that vessel yon-
der? 1 tell you, I would like to go
in with all my sails set and colors
flying"
Again, let me introduce the element
of hope to those good people who are
in despair about the worlds moral
condition. They have gathered up
appalling statistics. They tell of the
number of divorces, but do not take
into consideration that there are a
thousand happy homes where there
is one of marital discord. They tell
you of the large number in our land
who are living profigate lives, but
forget to mention that there are mil