Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-08-08
The CHRISTIAN TRUST.
DR.. Talnage on Faith as the Only
Means of Salvation.
Earthquakes That Are Liable to Occur in
the Life of AIl-Faith in Christ
Grand Trust of the Re-
deemed.

took for his text "Believe on the Lor
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Acts ". 81. The sermon wa as follows
ia Is are duii, damp, oalhsome place
even now: but they We're worse IN the Ap
csto.Ic times. l imagine to-day we ar
standing on the PhilipDian dungeon. D
you not feel the chill: Do you not hea
the groGns of those incarcerated ones wh
foE ten years have not seen the sunlight
0nd the deep sigh of the women who r.
member their fathers house and mourn
over their wasted estate: Listen again
It is the cough of a consumptive, or tn,
struggle Of one in the nightmare of grea
horror. You listen again and hear a cui'
Drit, his chains rafting as he rolls over il
his d: cams, and you say: God pity the
pTi ,oUer." But there is another sound in
that prison. II is song of JOY and glad
ness. What place TO sing in, Tie music
comes winding through the corri dors OF
the prison, and in all The dark wards the
whisper is heard: whats that? What's
that"
Il 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 people?
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-
fey. An anathema for Philip Melancthon.
a dungeon for Paul and Silas. But while
we are standing in the gloom of the Phil
ippian dungeon, and we hear 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 al the doors swing open.
The jailer, 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 one strong, keen thrust to put an
end to his excitement and agitation. But
Paul cried out: stop! stop! Do thvsef
no harm We are all here" Then see
tho jailer running through the dust and
amid the ruins of that prison. and l see
him throwing himself down at the feet of
these prisoners, crying out: What shall
lido? What shall L do?" Did Paul answer:
Get out of this place before there is
another earthquakes; Tut handouts and
hopp.es on these other prisoners, lest they
get away?" No word of that kind. His
compact thrilling, tremendous answer.
answer memorable all through earth and
Heaven, was: ''Believe on the Lord Jesus
{ ICt hal
Well, we have all read of the earthquake
in Lisbon, in Lima, in Aleppo, and in
Caracas, hut we live in a latitude
where severe volcanic disturbances
are rare. And yet we have
seen fifty earthquakes Here is 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
ne saws to himself: Now | am free and
safe from ali possible perturbation. But
IN 1887 or in 1857 or in 1873 a national panic
str kes the foundations of the commercial
worll 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. |
and pure. When the evening lights are |
struck there is a happy and unbroken |
family circle. But there has been an ac- |
cident at Long Branch. The young man
ventured too far out in the surf. The tel !
egraph hurled the terror up to the city |
An earthquake struck under the found. !
tions of that beautiful home. The piano !
closed, the curtains dropped, the laughter |
hushed. Crash! 60 all those domestic |
hopes and prospects and expectations.
So, my 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 |
the Apostle made to him is appropriate to
us: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved" There are some
documents of 30 little Importance that
you do not care to put any more than
your last name under them, Or even YOUR
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 The 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 l will
be cheated if l confile in them. You can
not put your hearts confidence in a man
until you know what stuff he is made of,
and am l unreasonable to-day when l
stop 10 ask you who is this that you want
me to trust in? No man would think of
bis 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 it carries,
and how long ago it was built, and who
built it, and all about it. And you can not
expect me to risk the cargo Of my immor-
tai interests on board any craft til. 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 resplendent.
There was no need for CDrist to tell the
children to come to Him. ''Suffer 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 30 put his head down on His
bosom; John could not help but put his
head there.
1 suppose to look at Christ was to love
HIM Q, how attractive His manner.
Why, when they saw Christ coming along