The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-08-07

as If all the inps Of darkness were let
loose in their fury. Their voices cast
in mad glee in our teeth the warning
we had heard during the fair and
promising weather: go to now. For
ye know not what shall be ON the NOR
row." Alas! it is too late now! The
relentless storm of our own selfseek-
ing and human wisdom is about us,
the rocks are just ahead. The next
mighty wave catches our helpless ship
of human plans and, dashing it upon
the rock, grinds it to pieces. The roll
ing waters cover the wreckage of shat
tered purposes, and perhaps we learn
the lesson James would teach US, but
more often we don't, but continue to
seek our own way and crafty our own
desires. And yet God, in patience and
love, continues to cry: go to now!"
Men-Made Plans.-What! Shall not
man make plans then? Would you
misapply to your own destruction the
Scriptural admonition to stake no
thought for the morrow" Would you
SO live in the present as to bear no
sponsibility in thought or deed to-
wards the future? Never! Nothing
is farther from Gods thoughts or
more contrary to the spirit of Gods
Word. God wants US to plan, but not
apart from Him but with Him. "For
that We ought to say: If the Lord will,
we shall live, and do this, or that"
Here are the teeming millions of the
earth, the multitude of nations, the
busy centers of industry and activity
which stud the earth like the stars of
heaven, weaving the uncertain and
perishable pattern of human plan and
endeavor, while God looks on and
mourns at the confusion and discord
and destruction wrought. As one
mind in the great silk mill must de-
sign the pattern and direct the forces
which are appointed to work it out in
its perfect beauty, SO God in His in
finite wisdom has planned for man and
would help him in working out the
perfect pattern. But man in his
blind willfulness sweats, and groans,
and struggles under the burden of life
and soils and mars the pattern, and
when disappointment and failure
come. bitterness of heart settles down
upon the life, if not self-inflicted
death which is the full fruitibn of the
sorrow of the world.
Lot made plans which led him right
into the heart of the life and activity
of Sodom. He came to be great man
in the city and succeeded in piling up
much of it's wealth about his own fire.
side, but, while he in self-satisfaction
was seemingly successfully working
out his own plans, the fire of Gods
wrath fell and licked up the city and
its iniquity, and Lot barely escaped
with his life. And Abraham, away
back there on the hillside, as he gazed
towards the burning city, realized as
never before that to follow God and
plan with Him meant security and
safety and certain success.
''In the days that were before the
food they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, un-
til the day that Noe entered into the
ark, and knew not until the food came
and took them all away" that man
made plans would fall like a house Of
cards before the on-moving plans of
God. For 100 years Noah preached on
one text, and while he warned the peo-
pie of the coming food they made
their plans, they built their houses,
had their family reunions and gay
weddings, and perhaps when they had
nothing else to occupy their time, they
went around to see how Noah was get
ting along with his STOOL ark" as they
called it, and joked him about his old
fogy notions of Gods wrath and the
certain punishment of sin, just as to-
day the world is outgrowing the good,
old-fashiored Gospel of hell-fire and
salvation alone through the blood of
Jesus Christ, and turning to a man
made gospel Of the Fatherhood Of
God and the brotherhood of man,
which robs God of His righteousness
and man of true fellowship. But to-
day Noah is with the redeemed in
Heaven because He planned with God,
while those who would not hear His
voice but planned after the devices
of their own hearts suffered the judg-
ment of God and perished.
Friend, are you planning apart from
God? Are you saying: To-day or to-
morrow ! will go into such city, and
continue there for a season, and buy
and sell, and get gain?' @ "
From the days when the waters of
the mighty food rolled themselves
over the inhabited world, down
through the ages to the present OF
Mont Pelee's thunderings, we read this
message to the world: The uncertain
ty of life. As the world reads the
story of the perishing of thousands
in moment of time and a prosperous
city with its massive buildings leveled
with one mighty, awful burst of ma.
ture, will it not learn the lesson o1
the hour and realize the uncertainty
of life and the certainty of God and
His promises? "Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but My words shall
not pass away"
Again there breaks upon the eye,
of the world a sad spectacle. The soy
ereign Of a great nation elaborately
plans for a magnificent ceremonial