The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-08-14
"'THE EARTHQUAKE"
Sermon by Rev. 7. Dewitt Tai.
mage, D. D.
He Takes for His Text Paul's Words ia
the PhIllipIan Jailer: "Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and Thou
Shalt BE Saved"

The subject Of DIR. Talmage's recent ser
mon at St Paul, Mimi, was 1.-THE Earth
quake" and his text: Acts xvi, 3l-"Be-
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou
shalt be saved" The eloquent Brooklyn
divine spoke as follows:
Jails are DARK, dull, damp, loathsome
places even now; but they were worse in the
apostolic times. l imagine to-day we are
standing in the Philippian dungeon. Do
you not feel the chilli Do you not hear the
groans of those incarcerated ones who for
ten years have not seen the sunlight, and
the deep sigh of women who remember
their fathers house and mourn over their
wasted estate2 Listen again. 1t is the
cough of consumptive, or the struggle OF
one in the nightmare of great horror
You listen again, and hear a culprit, his
chains rattling as he rolls over in his dreams,
and you say, 'God pity the prisoner" But
there is another sound in that prison. 1t is
song Of joy and gladness. What place to
sing in! The music comes winding through
the corridors of the prison, and in all the
dark wards the whisper is heard, whats
thate What's that!"
It is the song of Paul and Silas. They can
not sleep. They have been whipped, very
badly whipped. The long gashes on Their
backs are bleeding yet. They lie fiat on the
cold ground their feet fast in wooden sock
cts, and of course they can not sleep But
they can sing. Jailer, what are you doing
with these people! Why have they beer
put in here? o, they have been trying tt
make the world better Is that ala Thai
is all. A pit for Joseph. A lions cave fol
Daniel. A blazing furnace for Shadrach
Clubs for John Wesley An anathema fol
Philip Melancthon. A dungeon for Paul and
Silas. But while we are standing IN the
gloom of the Philippian dungeon, and we
hear the mingling voices of sob and groar
and blasphemy and hallelujah, suddenly ar
earthquake! The iron bars of the prison
twist, the pillars crack off, the solid mason
ry begins to heave and all the doors swing
open. The iailer, feeling himself respon
sible for these prisoners, and believing, in
his pagan ignorance, suicide to be hon
orable-since Brutus killed himself, and
Cato killed himself, and Cassius killed
himself-puts his sword to his owr
heart. proposing with one strong, keer
thrust to put an end to his excitement ant
agitation. But Paul cries out: "Stop! Stop
Do thyself no harm. We are all here
Then see the taller running through the
dust and amid the ruin of that prison, ani
see him throwing himself down at thu
feet Of these prisoners, crying out: "Wha
shall doa What shall dol" Did Pau
answer; "Get out of this place before there
is another earthquake; put handouts an(
hopples on these other prisoners, least they
get awayl" No word Of that kind Hi
compact, thrilling, tremendous answer, an
swer memorable through earth and heaven
was: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ ant
thou shalt be saved" WE'LL, we have al
read of the earthquake at Lisbon, in Lima
In Alcppo, and in Caraccus, but we live in
latitude where severe volcanic disturbance
are rare And yet we have seen fifty earth
quakes. Here is man who has been build
ing up large fortune. His bid on tn
money market was felt in all the cities. H
thinks he has got beyond all annoying ri
valries in trade and he says to himself
"Now am free and safe from all possibl
perturbation" But in 1887, or in 1857, or Il
1873 national panic strikes the foun
dations of the commercial world, and crash
goes all that magnificent business establish
ment. Here is man who has built up
very beautiful home. His daughters hav
Just come from the seminary with diploma
of graduation. His sons have started in life
honest temperate and pure When the even
ing lights are struck, there is happy an
unbroken family circle. But there has bee