The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-08-08
THE EARTHQUAKE.
,xr WAY OF ESCAPE Is OPEN
. Midnight scene in a Prison and
the Lesson II Teaches

,,d thou hdttV
.o dark. dull, damp. loathsome places
Jails ny ny b,s they were worse In the npos-
even ,, NV I imagine to-day we are stanu.
toile u, ~. philippian dungeon. 10 you hos
ing " ~ chill2 DO you not hear inc groan y.
r. s.. ~ Tincsrcerated ones VINO lot lem zen ye;ab s;ab
those II, ny scsn tho sunlight, and the ueep slgn
have nos s,ho remember their fathers house
Of woiuen nver their wasted estateS Listen
and nnoI ~ ,s tho cough OF consumpive, OF
again. .rlo of one in tho nightmare
the suus horror. You listen again and hear
da "a, his chains rafting rs he rolls over
seuP' seP dre,ns. and you says; 6od PITY tne
IN ns But there Is another sound IN
p.Onrit ,risou. II is song OF 10y nnd glauness,
Wsat place to sing IN ano - ft1s0 .hs nr;son
winding III the dark wards the whisper Is
and ~ ,yvbat's thatp What's thntT
hearu. ,ha song OF Paul and Silas. They
IL y ~, ,n Thcy have been whipped, very
o,nno' 'ipneJ The long gashos on their
bsdg W bleeding yet. They lie hat ON tho
pscas pl ssro,.nd. their feet fast in wooden sock
oou M Of course they cannot sleep: But they
e.A eng Jailer, what are you uoing wtu
can sns, nlss,onleS why have they been put in
these IoS thew have been trying to mako
here III betior. Is that ally That is all.
the .V tor Joseph. A lions cave for Dam
~" A blazing furnace for Shadrach.
.l. Cor Joha Wesley. An anathema
eiuO' pbiIln Melancthon. A dungeon
to p.rl and Silas. But while we are stand
toI ie. n The gloom OF the Philippian dungeon;
h.s WI va hear the mingling voices OF SOD ana
san s-S and blasphemy and hanelulah, SUI
ssnly an earthquaiel Inc IRON pars Oh Wy .ns
o.y o.ay, twist. the pillars crack oil, the solid
prs hegins 60 heave and all tho doors
l..- lls., ooer,. Tho jailcr. feeling himself re-
ssa,s5iblc for these prisoners, and believing,
u bis IAN ignorance, suicide to be honora-
" w uS gnSc Brutus killed himself, and
rs., Lin,d himself. and CaSsius killed
ssi'.s.lf-nuts his sword 10 his own heart,
os1posing with ono strong, kcen thrust 10
~, an end 10 his excitement and agitation
brt Paul cries out: "Stopl stop DO thy-
W. harm. We are all here" Then | SEQ
~, - i.iior running through tho dust and amid
~ o min Of that prison, and sec him throw
g., himself down at ths feet OF these prison.
a.s n.s CRYING OUT "What shall I doi WhCs
.hau I doyi Did Paul answer: "Get out OF
~ nlsce before there Is another earthquake;
,T out handouts and hopplcs on these
aa,ber prisoners, lest they get awayr
No word Of that kind. His COM
n,c. thrilling. tremendous answer, an
sser memorable all through earth and
heaven was: "Bclievo on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved" Well, we
have all heard Of the earthquake in Lisbon,
In Lima, in Aleppo, and in Caracas, but We
iivo In . latitude whore severe volcanic dis
tnrbances are rare. And yet we have seon
Hftv earthquakes. Here Is q man who has
hosn building up u largo fortune. His bid ON
tbs money market was felt in all tho cities.
Ho thinks he has got beyond all annoying
rivnlries in trade, and he says 10 himself:
snow | am free and sofe from all
poSsible perturbation" But in 1887, or
J. Ia. a nOflnnnI
strikes the foundations of the commercial
world and crash goes all that magnificent
business establishments Here is man who
b., built up a very beautiful home. His
daughters have Just come from the seminary
with diplomas of graduation. His sons have
started In life honest, temperate and pure
When the evening lights are struck there is a
happy and unbroken family circle. But
there has been an accident down at Long
Branch. The young man ventured too far
out in the surf. Tho telegraph hurled the
terror up 10 the city. An earthquake struck
under the foundation of that beautiful home.
Tho piano closed; the curtains dropped; tho
laughter hushed. crash go all those domeS-
tic hopes and prospects and expectations. So.
nv friends, we have all felt the shaking
down OF some great trouble, and there was a
time when we were as much excited as this
man OF the text, and we cried out as he did:
"What shall dor What shall dor Tho
same reply that tho apostle made to him Is
appropriate TO us: ''Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt bc saved"
There are some documents of so little i'm
portance that you do not care to put any
more than your last nnme under thonn, or
even your initials; but there are soma docu-
ments Of so great Importance that you writo
out your full name. So tho Saviour in somo
parts of tho Bible Is called Lord" and in
other parts Of the Bible He called Jesus"
and in other parts Of the Bible He is called
Christ but that there might be no mistake
about this passage, all three names come to-
gether-"The Lord Jesus Christ"
Now, whOis this being that you want mo
to trust in and believe IMP Men sometimes
come 10 me with credentials and certificates
OF good character, but cannot trust them.
There is some dishonesty in their looks that
makes me know shall DO cheated il | con-
fde in them. You cannot put your heart :
confidence in a man until YOU know what
stun he is mndo of, and am
unreasonable to-day when | stop %
ask you who this is that You want mo
20 trust in? No man would think of ventur-
ing his life on vessel going out TO sea that
had never been inspected. No, you must
have the certificate hung amidships, telling
now many tons it carries, and how long ago
II was built, and who built It. and all abou,
And you cannot expect me TO riss
the cargo OF my immortal interests
on board any craft till you tell ms
What u Is made OF, and where il was made
and what it is. When, then, ask you who
thls u is you want me to trust in, you tell me
nc was very attractive person. Contem-
Porary writer's describe His whole appear
ahce as being resplendent. There was no
need Tor Christ TO tell the children to come
10 Him. Suffer little children TO come
unto Me-" was not spoken TO the children; it
was spoken TO the disciples. The children
game readily enough without any invitation.
NO sooner did Jesus appear than tho little
ones Jumped from their mothers arms, an
avalanche OF beauty and love, into His
ZAP Christ did not ask John TO put his head
Gown on His bosom; John could not help but
put us head there. i suppose TO look Mt Christ
was TO love Him. Oh, how attractive Iii.
manner. Why when they SAW Christ com,
ing along tho street they ran into thoir houses,
ana they wrapped up their invalds as quick
as = they could, and brought them out that
! ne might look at them. There was some.
tning 80 pleasant, so inviting, so cheering in
everything He did. in His very look. When
tnese .iTe sick ones were brought out, did Ho say
10 not bring Me these sores; do not trouble
me Wlth these leprosiesY No, no; there was
a Eihd look, thoro was n gentle word, there
was healing touch. They could not kceL
away from Him.
IN aciition TO this softness of character,
tnere was fiery momentum. How tho kings
oi the earth turned pale. Here is a plair
man with fcw sailors at his back, coming
on tlle sea Of Galilee, going up to the palacS
Vi the Caesars. making that palace duako &c
,ne foundations, and utterfng a word OF
,hIorcy ,I and kindness which throbs through al
~ ,he earth and through all the heavens, ant