Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-03-28
THE QUESTION
pPOPOUNDE0 BY The PHlllPPlAS
JAllER
To Paul and Silas-The luterogatoy Cour-
tsOus, Practical, Personal and In
portsnt-"Sirs, What Shall |
Do 10 Be Saved p
TusAsrs SERMON or YESTERDAY.
ANELcQUENF DISCOURSE

NEw YoRE, March 27.-To-day's ser.
mon bv Rev Talmsge was preached in
~, midst Of a revival Of religion. Over
aEundred persons have been recently
converted in the Brooklyn Tabernacle.
Every night OF the week, except Sstur-
day. the Tabernacle is thronged.
subisct-"Qusstion Of Questions
Tr1,-Acts xvi. o-"Sin. what must do 10
D. saved
Ia the cell Of Philippiau dungeon, a
place cold, dark, hideous, uIillumined
save by the torch of an official who
comes 10 see il they are alive yet, are
two ministers OF the gospel, their feet
fastened in an instrument OF torture.
their bucks dripping from the strokes ot
Iea,hern thongs, their mouths hot with
Inflammation Of thirst, their heads faint
because they may not lie down. All is
still now in the corridors and dungeons
save occasionally the hard breathing OF
some one who can find no rest. in his
chains, or the hollow cough OF a con-
srmp,lye anil the dampness OF the
p!are. or 4 horrii dream comes upon a
rutHtn prisoner. In the same building,
bu, on a comfortable couch, sleeps a
paid officer Of the government, whose
business Il il TO supervise the prison. L
take him 10 have Heen a moral man, or
ne would not have been entrusted with
- responsible a position. But the hour
has come for God 10
Deliver Paul and silas
AMI in the darkness God lays his hand
on that s:outly built place. At mid
night crash goes the prison wall and
Paul and >lIGs, the incarcerated Clergy
men, ar. free. TIE supervisor, though
for A Ion. while accustomed 20 the dark
nrs and horrors that hover around the
dungeons, startled beyond bounds,
rusarS ltmbaau IN haud amid the fall
in, walls and throwing himself down
before bis Curistiau prisoners cries out,
'S.rs. what must DO To be saveiP
There must b. hundreds OF men and
women in this house with more or less
carucstness asking the same question.
meet YOU in the tremendous crisis
with a message from heaven. There
may he some here who could surpass
IN, InskliuIness Oiargument, some who
could draw upon larg-r resources OF
knowledge and dive in deeper protounds
of STanca. There are some before me
before whom in many respects | would
b. willing to bow, the interior 10 the
superior. But in one thing | yield to
none who are before me anil that is in
the desire % have more souls redeemed
by the power OF the emnlpotent gospel
AMI with an alicOnsuming desire that
sometimes we'll nigh takes away my
u',rranre | stand here to-day TO beg
v5ur acceptance oi life immortal.
/ proceed 20 characterize the question
OF the a.ita.ei Jail keeper. First | re-.
mark It WAS
A Courteous Question.
lie dii not rush in and say TO Paul
an I S,las: You vagabOnds, what are
ypu doing with my prison? Go back
tO yOUr places, YOU criminals, l have
hal enough trouble with you. After
DESTROYING the peace Of our city with
yOur infamous doctrines you are now
irving 10 break iajl" No; that word Of
four letters, "Sirl," tells the story. That
word is equivalent to Lords. Thus, the
iailer recognizes their manhood and the
honor OF their mission. Ii we come
with a captious spirit to inquire about
tie way To Heaven We cannot expect
any light. Ii we begin by saying that
the professors OF religion are hypOcrltes
and the church is a fraud, and to make
irritable inquiries about tue mysterious
and inScrutable, sayIngin spirit, Come,
my wise moexplain this and explain
that" we bFb make no inquiry at
al II was decent, gentlemanly and
deierential mode of address when the
prison keeper cried out to his apostle
prisoners, "~irs."
Again, it was
A Practical Question.
lie might have asked his distinguished
prisoners why God let sin come into the
world. OF how II was possible for the
Jesus OF whom they preached 10 be both
COD and man, or what they meant by
the Il crecs. OF whom Cain married or
what was the cause OF earthquakes. No,
he huris one question hot from the heart
into the ear ottheapOs.les, and that was
IN regard 10 his present and eternal safe
". Mutiiudes OF men want 10 be Chris
uaus but they have five thousand ques.
tons 20 ask ab nut non essentials. They
search the Bible tor queer things, TOR
contradictory things They have all
their lives been fishing for swapping tur.
ties. What u n man should have so
many questions 90 ask about the light
that he should STAY in a dark room all
h,s hic instead Of going ont 10 see the
OCe and tpal the OtGer. Yet there are
men IN such indecjSion about the chem
ls'ry Of the Gospel that year after year
they shut themselves in the dungeon OF
tae'r uub-il-f, when Cod has all the
time been calling them 70 come out into
the n0nn-tlte light and warmth Of the
sun oi righteousness. The question you
are most interested in is not whether
Gavin or Armiaius was right, not
whether IN holy ordinance handful OF
water or bap'istry is the better, no.
whether Generalization aud free-aysncy
can b. harmon'zsd, but whether YOU
are going 10 SpeUi e,ernity in gladness
or SOTrOW.
Further, | charac;erz, the question
OF the lallke"per a.
Personal 70 Himself
i suppose he hNi hundreds si friends
some OF them good, me bad. lie dii
not ask about them. | suppose There
were men in the wards of thar n,isor
unit 10 die, AMI il the walls during I've
ear;aqu8eC should fail doSn ON Them
their csus' would bs desperate. Bn,
the weight ot MS question hinged ON
ms own Gr.'ytrtaUe-Tha. shall I dop
As soon as man IS sa'e himself he bs
gins u lock alter others Blt the 6rs,
th'ng With every man Ongut ,n be lis
own SS1l'. VIVA: il uI condition
What = t3 hrc1",- of me, What sh,U
DO? The truth is we shuttle of tbs a
l'att r upon OtUrIs We propucy =
h"d enc 20 tina, net r,;;t, md = trrribl,
exposure tp TIA, PIE euder, ard AN
aNIui cdas.Tophe - that alv.ntur-,
We "sl:a al q" O'h-rS sri ,O-,,,. .,p-
selves TO get into ne scl,es. Whll.
Wat;h'as the pnn- S8T,leus OF o.bsrs
We onr own ;cOr.,rrt 90 n wee1s
We are looking 10 see whes sl.rthe other
are Sett NJ lnJO tue fi--boIt uhj,. W,
SINK INTO the wave. We cry frs bs
eaus- the neighbor's house is kindliny
but let our own 20 up in III, b,sz.
Turn BACK u wandering s.attere,