The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-07-24
HAIL TO THE KING.
Thoughts Suggested by the Corona
ton of the King Of England.


Sermon by the "Highway and Byways
Preacher i'm Which He Discourses
on jesus Triumphal Entry Into
Jerusalem and His Crown
-.E of Thorns.
Copyright, 1902, by A. N. Kellogg Newspa-
per Coz
Chicago, June 22, 1902
Text.-And He answered and said unto
them. tell you that If these should hold
their peace, the stones would Immediately
cry out.-Luke 1870. ssE
During the present week the elabo-
rate and magnificent coronation cere-
monies of King Edward VII. are to be
carried out in all of their brilliant
elaborateness, and the eyes of the
world, as it were, will be turned in
the direction of merry Old England"
and festive London. The few will see
the actual crowning of the king in
Westminster abbey, the thousands and
hundreds of thousands will catch a
glimpse of the gorgeously-robed king
as he passes in triumph through the
streets to the abbey, and their throats
will swell with the popular acclaim.
AS the vast crowds sway and throb un-
der the tense excitement and enthusi-
asm of the occasion and the mighty
thunder of their voices splits the air
and rolls through London's gayly-
decked streets, the millions in the dis
tant sections of the city will catch up
the refrain and cry: Hail to the
king"
The setting of our text carries us
back to the period in worlds history
when the Light of God was just begin
ming to burst through the dreadful
darkness of the centuries preceding,
and the scene enacted is similar in
some of its details to that upon which
the world is soon to gaze in England.
Similar in that King was there re-
ceiving the homage and acclaim of the.
multitudes over whom it was His right
to reign, but oh, how dissimilar, for
the triumphal entry as King leads to
the crown of thorns and the death on
the cross. The shouts of the people
are soon to be changed from BLESSED
be the King that cometh in the name
of the Lord: peace in Heaven, and
glory in the highest" to the hoarse,
mad cry of "Crucify Him! cruelty
Him!" cd @1 Es
Our text gives us the response of
Jesus to the jealous, angry criticism of
the Pharisees, who objected to His be-
ing hailed as the Heaven-sent King.
Behind Him lies Bethany, where at
His omnipotent command the tomb
was forced to give back its dead and
the sorrow of that home where Jesus
loved to tarry was turned to blessed
joy. Lazarus in the midst Of the multi
tudes is living witness to the power
of Jesus and His right to reign. The
changed skin of the leper, the seeing
eyes of the blind. the Strengthened.
strengthened limbs of the lame and
the halt, the rational, intelligent bear
| ing of those possessed with devils, all
| tell their story and swell the enthusi-
asm of the multitudes. In the imme-
date presence of such mighty works,
| and so many living witnesses, Jesus
uust be exalted to His rightful place
| md be accorded the Homage which it
vas His right to receive, If but for a
grief moment And "if these should
hold their peace, thezstones would inn
| mediately cry out" Think of it! The
cold, hard, unfeeling stones lying by
the roadside would burst with the
story of HeaveRsent King and pro-
claim their glad message, if the human
heart, so insensible to the gift which
| God had sent into the world, should re-
main untouched and human lips refuse
| to-proclaim Him the. King. And it
would have been even so, but thanks
into whose hearts had come the reali-
cation that. King Emanuel (God with
us) was even then present, and they
rejoiced in the deliverance He brought.
On that picturesque and beautiful
roadway leading from Bethany up
through the palm and .fower-fringed
path winding its ascent up the sides of
Mount Olivet and down the steep de-
scent through the valley of the Kedron
/ and on into Jerusalem man and ma
ture were found for few brief mo-
ments in perfect accord with the Di-
vine will and purpose. The foliage OF
the trees was never greener and more
luxuriant, the bright-hued flowers
were never more brilliant, the birds
never sang sweeter or clearer than on
that morning when Jesus. in fulfill
ment Of Scripture, rode triumphantly
as King to- the scene Of His rejection
and His ignominious death. As He
passed along the way with the shouts
of the multitudes and the fresh voices
of children ringing in His ears, the
| trees bent their swaying branches il
/ graceful obeisance, the flowers nodded
their fragrant tribute and the birds
circling in the air above sent forth
/ their notes OF glad greeting and wor
shipful praise, and then sped on in ad
vance of the rejoicing throng, filling
the afr with their glad song. All Jeru
salem is stirred. and, moved by one i'm
pulse, it catches the refrain and goei
forth to meet the coming King. Will
l s. u IL