The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-08-09
THE CHRISTIAN TRUST.
DR.. Taln,age on Faith as the Only
Means of Salvation
Earthquakes That Are Liable to Occur In
the Life of All-Faith in Christ
Grand Trust of the Re-
deemed.

coursed upoa "The Earthquake" and
took for his text Believe on the Lord
Jesus Carist and thou shalt be saved.
Acts XVI. 81. The sermon was as follows:
Jails are dull, damp, loathsome places
even now; but they We're worse in the APP
ostolic times i imagine to-day we are
standing on the Philppian dungeon. Do
YOU not feel the chill: Do YOU not hear
the groans OF those incaTcerated ones who
fog ten years have not seen the sunlight
and the deep sigh of the women who re-
member their fathers house and mourn
over their wasted estate! Listen again.
it is the cough of a consumptive, or the
struggle of one in the nightmare of great
horror. You listen again and hear cul-
prit, his chains rafting as he rolls over IN
his dreams, and you say: God pity the
PR ,oHer." But there is another sound IN
that prison. 1t is a song of joy and glad
ness. What place to sing in! The music
comes winding through the CORR doris Of
the prison, and in all he dark wards the
whisper is heard: w hats that? What's
that:"
L; is the song of Paul and Silas. They
can not sleep. They have been whipped,
cry badly whipped. The long gashes on
their backs are bleeding yet They lie
fat on the cold ground, their feet fast in
wooden sockets, and of course they can
not sleep. But they can sing. Jailer.
what are you doing with these peopleI
Why have they been put in here: O, they
have been trying to make the world better.
Is that all? That is all. A pit for Joseph.
A lions cave for Daniel A blazing fur
mace for Shadrach. Clubs for John Wes-
ley. An anathema for Philip Melancthon.
a dungeon for Paul and Silas. But while
we are standing in the gloom Of the Phil
ippian dungeon, ami we hesr the mingling
voices of sob and groan, and blasphemy
and hallelujah, suddenly an earthquake!
The iron bars of the prison twist, the pill
lars crack off. the solid masonry begins to
heave and Ill the doors swing open.
The jaiIer, feeling himself responsible
for these prisoners, and believing in his
pagan ignorance. suicide to be honorable
since Brutus killed himself. and Cato
killed himself, and Cassius killed himself
puts his sword 10 his own heart, propos-
ing with ore strong, keen thrust to put an
end to his excitement and agitation. But
Paul cried out: 'Stopl stop! Do thvself
no harm. We are all here" Then I see
the jailer running through the dust ard
amid the ruins of that prison, and l see
him throw N g>himself down at the feet of
these prisoners, crying out: "What shall
j do: What shall do:" Did Paul answer:
Get out of this place before there is
another earthquake; put handouts and
topples on these other prisoners, lest they
get away" No word of that kind. His
compact, thrilling, tremendous answer.
answer mem rable all through earth and
Heaven, was: Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved"
Well, we have all read of the earthquake
in Lisbon, in Lima, in Aleppo, and in
Caracas, but we live in latitude
where severe volcanic disturbances
are rare. And yet we have
seen fifty earthquakes. Here is a man
who has been building up large fortune.
His bid on the money market was felt in
all the cities. He thinks he has got be-
yond all annoying rivalries in trade and
he saws to himself: Now am free and
safe from al possible perturbation" But
in lS3. or in 1857 or in 1878 a national panic
str kes the foundations of the commercial
world and crash! goes the magnificent
business establishment Here is a man
who has built up a very beautiful home.
His daughters have just come from the
seminary with diplomas of graduation.
His sons have started in life, temperate
and pure. When the evening lights are
struck there is a happy and unLroken
family circle. But there has been an ac-
cident at Long Branch. The young man
ventuTed too far out in the surf. The tel
egraph buried the terror up to the city
An earthquake struck under the found.
tons of that beautiful home. The piano
closed, the curtains dropped, the laughter
Ill -
hopes and prospects and expectations.
So, nv friends, we have all felt
shaking down of some great trouble and
there was time when we were as much
excited as this man of the text. and we
cried out as he did: what shall | do:
What shall do:" The same reply that
she Apostle made 10 him is appropriate 10
us: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved" There are some
documents of so little Importance that
you do not care TO put any more than
your asst name under them, or even your
initials; but there are some documents of
so great Importance that You write out
your full name. So the Saviour in some
parts of the Bible is called Lord" and in
other parts of the Bible He is called
Christ" but that there might be no mis-
take about this passage all three names
come together-"Th Lord Jesus Christ"
Now. who is this being that you want
me to trust in and believe in: Men some
times come to me with credentials and
certificates Of good character. but l can
not trust them. There is some dishonesty
in their looks that makes me know 1 will
he cheated if conf lie in them. You can
not put your hearts confidence in man
until YOU know what stuff he is made of,
aud am / unreasonable to-day when ]
stop TO ask you who is This that you want
me to trust in: No man would think of
venturing his life on a vessel going out to
sea that had never been inspected. No,
YOU must have the certificate hung amid
ships. telling how many tons il carries,
and how long ago it was built, and who
built ii, and all about ii. And you can no;
expect me to risk the cargo of my immor-
tai interests on board any craft till you
tell me what it is made of. and where
L. was made and what it is.
When, then, / ask you who this is
you want me to trust in, you tell
me he was a very attractive per-
son. Contemporary writers describe
His whole appearance as being respondent
There was no need for Christ to tell the
children to come to Him. ''Suffsr little
children to come unto me, was not spoke
to the children; it was spoken to the dis
ciples. The children came readily enough
without any invitation. No sooner did
Jesus appear than the little ones jumped
from their mothers arms. an avalanche OF
beauty and love. into His lap. Christ did
not ask John 20 put bis head down on His
bosom; John could not help but put his
head there.
suppose to look at Christ was to love
Him. o, how attractive His manner.
Why, when they saw Christ coming along