The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1902-09-18
THE TWO HIGHWAYS
One Leads to Life, the Other Ends
in Destruction.
The Bible IL the Guide Book and
Christ the Leader-Serm0n By
the "Highway and Byway"
Preacher.
copyright, 1902, by A. N. Kellogg News
paper Col

copyright. 1902, by A. N. Kellogg News
paper Col
Chicago. 1902
Text: Enter ye in at the strait gate;
for wide is the gate, and broad Is the
way, that leadeth to destruction. and
many there be which go in thereat: be-
cause strait is the gate, and narrow Is
the way, which leadeth unto life, and
few there be that find it.-Matt. 7:13. H.
The Figure.-In this text Christ has
given us a figure which easily and
clearly illustrates the thought that
the soul in this life is moving on to-
wards a destiny which reaches beyond
time into eternity. Two gateways
and two roads are mentioned, each
with it's destination definitely fixed;
one ending in the blackness OF the Dot
tomless pit and the ether reaching the
eternal glories of Heaven, where the
soul is clothed upon with immortal
ity. One road is crowded with the many
who press through the Wide Gate; the
other echoes with the footsteps OF the
few who have sought and found the
Strait Gate and entered in thereat. a
command sounds forth in the hearing
of all travellers entering these two
ways which is authoritative and posi-
tive. God meets every soul and cries:
Enter ye in at the Strait Gate!" ihe
many are SO engrossed in chasing the
butterfly of worldly gain and pleasure
which fits just before them that they
fail to hear and heed. The few stop
to listen and then begin to seek; and
in fulfllment of the Divine prom
Use, ''he that seeketh fndeth," the lit
tie wicket gate of Bunyan's Pilgrim is
seen to lie just ahead, and knock at
the door admits to the Narrow Way
as it did to that earnest traveller whose
journeyings we have followed with
such absorbed interest.
Broad is the road that leads to death,
And thousands walk together there;
But Wisdom shows narrow path,
With here and there traveller.
Deny thyself and take thy cross 4
Is the Redeemer's great command:
ALI men must count their gold but dross.
If they would gain the Heavenly land.
The Two Ways.-In the day in which
the words of our text were spoken the
roads or highways were the main ar
teries of communication and trade be-
tween cities and there was generally
but one road leading from point to
point, so that our Lord used an illustra-
tion which would appeal forcibly to
His hearers. In this day, when the
country is covered with it's network
of railroads, and many excellent road
ways lead from city to city, the figure
has lost much of its meaning. 1t is
hard to find the city of any consider
able size which is not reached by two
or more roads or railroads, but in the
days of our Lord there was the one
road between cities over which the
more, the cities of those days were
walled and gateways opened out upon
the highway, and through these gate
ways all must pass who sought to
travel by that road.
Rome had built her highways broad
and long from the large cities of the
then known world back to the homs
of the Caesars and the center Of the
worlds power. While the commercial
life of the world was flowing over these
splendid highways and the many were
passing to and fro bent on the world
ly ambitions and aims, with Rome as
the center, the devout Jews thought
and hope were centered in Jerusalem,
and the narrow, rugged pathways of
Palestine were travelled by the pill
grims as they journeyed toward it to
keep the feast days and worship the
true God. May it not have been that
the thought of the two ways first came
to Jesus as He journeyed towards Je-
rusalem when He was IL years of age,
and probably for the first time saw and
crossed the great roadway built by
Rome from Damascus to the south
through Palestine? Here was Rome
and her great highways on the one
hand and Jerusalem and the narrow
rugged road which led over the brow of
Mount Olivet and on into the city to
the temple gate on the other. There is
forcible contrast here which would
have readily suggested itself to those
who listened to our Lord as He spoke
these words which would not at first
occur to us.
A Wide Gate and Broad Way char.
acterize the road which leads to de-
struction, and Strait Gate and Mar
row Way the road which leads to life.
Why is it that mans way should be on
such a grand scale and appear SO at
tractive, and Gods way so limited and
the Strait Gate thereto SO hard to find /?
.The Broad Way spreads out into all the
world and takes in everything and ends
in destruction. The Narrow Way leads
through the world to a definite point
where the soul drinks in life eternal
and finds full scope for its powers. The
Broad Road yields present reward
1T the sacrifice of the eternal welfare
If the soul. The Narrow Road leads
from the allurements Of the world,
past the pitfalls and snares Of the
Devil, to the sure reward OF the Fa-
Tiers house. The Broad Road has q
Wids Gate and expanding roadbed, be