The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1905-04-20
EASTER THOUGHTS.

Ienton, Louisiana. April 20. 1908.
EASTER THOUGHTS.
Almost every country has some special
lay which it observes as national holl-
lay and celebrates with great pomp and
plendor. But Easter is festival totally
mike all these, for it belongs to all the
nations of the world, whether they have
yet learned to recognize it or not, since
it celebrates the victory of the Son of
God over death, the common enemy of
Ill mankind.
A national holiday or festival is of use'
not only in perpetuating the memory OF
sqme great man or important event, but
iH making us realize what benefits we
have derived from them. If there were
MO special day set aside to commemorate
the independence of country, its people
would be SO busy enjoying the blessings
of freedom they would fail to remember
they were free, and to realize how differ
ent their condition might be. And so
these days which the Church sets apart
are useful in bringing us to realization
of the blessings which Heaven has con-
ferred upon US, as well as in reminding
us how they were attained. If we pause
for moment to consider what would be
our lives without the hope which the
resurrection of our Saviour has given
US, we discover that we would be little
better than salves to time, and be at last
"scourged to our dungeon"
If death were the end of all things for
us, we would not have the courage to
begin any enterprise that we could not
finish Immediately, and would live all the
time in dread of death overtaking us
before it was completed. All learning
would be but WEAKNESS, if we believed
that our hardly acquired knowledge
would die with US. We could have no
aspirations that thisworld cannot crafty,
and love and friendship which could go
no farther than the edge of the grave
would hardly be worth the having.
The uncertainty of life would weigh upon
us and deaden every effort, and the only
philosophy we would care to listen to
would be that which bids US "eat, drink
and be merry, for tomorrow you die. "
The only gospel worth preaching would
be that which commands men to enjoy
the present, for there will be no compen-
satian for self-denial and disappointment
hereafter.
But how different it is to him who car
say with the firm conviction of Job, 81
know that my Redeemer liveth-and ir
my flesh shall see God; whom shall
see for myself and not another and mine
eyes shall behold With such on,
death is but an incident in his life, no
the termination of it. Heno longer fear
it because he knows it can have no lasting
power over him. His horizon widen
from the bounds of earth until it EN-
braces all eternity. knowledge become
precious to him because he feels tina
what he learns here is but the first step
to what he shall know hereafter, and tina
the more he knows of the best kind Q
knowledge the more fitted win he be t
appreciate the pleasures OF HEAVIER
Love and friendship will be ennobled b
the thought that the sweetest intercours
between earthly friends will be all tn
sweeter and purer when the coarser pas
sions of earth are extinct and the mort,
shall have put on Immortality.
Even if we had not SO strong rock 8
the Resurrection upon which to build o,
faith of the immortality Of the soul, thel
are still many "intimations Of immorta
ity" that would assure us there is some
thing beyond this world. Many of the O
philosophers, knowing nothing Of Il
divine revelations made to man whie
form the foundation of the Christian n
ligion, reasoned it out for themselves al
were convinced that death was not Il
end OF all. One of them has calmly salt
"Wherever go it will be well with m
as it has been here, and not on accou
of the place, but the principles which
shall carry away with me-" and in b
words we see the same faith which Y
hold, that unless there were somethil
beyond the present, human nature wou
not have those desires for better Ii
and higher knowledge which have be-
common to all mankind in all ages. H
those desires been doomed to disappoin
ment they would never have been il
planted in our nature, our aspiratio
would only have reached to the best tn
this world can offer.
Then who that have loved sincerely a
who have lost the object of that love c
refuse to believe in the Immortality Of
soul? Can they stand by the side of t
coffin that holds what is dearest to thu
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