Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-08-03

st. Paui. MInn.. before an lmmrnsc aud
Apprcciativc CongrcgatIon-Fnri Text of
. Memorable aud Interesting Discourse.
ST. PAUL. Mimi, July 2S.-Thc Rev.
T. De Wit Tnlmagc, s. D., Of Brook
lyn. - u. preached in this city today.
His subject was THE Earthquake"
and he took for liis text: believe on
tho Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved" Acts xvi. 81. Tho sermon
was rs follows:
Jails are dark. dull. damp. loath-
some places even now; but they were
worse in the apostolic times. imagine
today VIZ arc standing in tho Philip.
plan dungeon. Do you not feel the
chilli Do you not hear the groan OF
those inc;rccrltcd ones who for ten
Yeas have not seen the sunlight. and
the deep sigh Of women who remem-
Der their fathers house and mourn
over their wasted cstatei Listen again.
II is the cough Of u consumptivc, or
the struggle of one in the nightmare
of q great horror. You listen again
and hear culprit. his chains rattling
as hc rolls over in his dreams, and
you say. God pity the prisoner" But
there is another sound il that prison.
II is a song Of joy and gladncss.
What place TO sing ini The music
comes winding through the corridors
Of the prison, and in all the dark
wards the whisper is heard: Whats
thati What's thatf'
THE SONG or PAUL AND sILAs.
II is the song Of Paul aud Silas
They cannot sleep. They have been
whipped. very badly whipped. The
long gashes on their backs are bleed
ing yet, They lie fiat on the cold
ground. their feet fast in wooden SOCK
cts, and of course they cannot sleep.
But they can sing. Jailcr, what are
you doing with these pcoplci Why
have they been put III hercf Oh. they
have been trying TO make tho world
better. Is that alll That is all. a
pit for Joseph. a lions cave for Dan
iel. \ blazing furnace for Sliadrach.
Clubs for John Wesley. An anathe-
ina for Philip Melancthon. a dungeon
for Paul and Silas But while wo are
standing in the gloom Of the Philip
ling voices Of sob and groan and bias
phemy and hallclujah, suddenly AN
earthquake. The iron bars Of the
prison twist, the pillars crack
oil, the solid masonry begins Ia hcave
and all the doors swing open. The
jai!cr, feeling himself responsible for
these prisoners. and believing. in his
pagan ignorance. suicide TO be honor.
ablc since Bruius killed himself. and
Cato killed himself, and C;lssius killed
himself-puts his sword Ia his own
bcart. proposing with one strong, keen
thrust 10 put an end to his excitement
and agitation. But Paul cries out:
Stop! Stop Do thyself no harm.
We are all here" Then see L.. jailer
running through the dust and amid
the ruin Of that prison, and | see him
throwing himself down at the feet Of
these prisoners, crying out: What
shall doi What shall | dOr Did
Paul answer: Get out of this place
before there is another earthquake;
put handcuirs and hopplcs on these
other prisoners. lest they get awayf
No wOrl OF that kind. His compact,
thrilling tremendous answer. an.
swcr memorable all through earth
and heaven. was; Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saved We'll, we have all read Of
the earthquake in Lisbon. in Lima, in
Alcpin aud in Caracas. but We live
in latitude where severe volcanic
disturbances are rare. And yet we
have seen iif'y earthquakes. Here is
n man who has been building up a
large fortune Ills bid OH the money
market WAS felt in all the cities. He
thinks lie has got beyond all annoying
rivalrics IN ,rndc. and he says 10 him.
self. Now ] am free and safe from all
possible perturbation. But in 1887,
or in 1851. or in 1873 a national panic
strikes III" foundations of the CON-
inrrcal w"rld and crash goes all
that magnificent business establish
mcni Here is man who has built
up very beautiful home. His
daughters have just come from the
seminary with diplomas Of gradua.
ton llI> sous have started IN life.
honest. temperate aud pure. When
the cvrn.,l. !, Is are struck, there is
"A happy and unbrukcn family circle.
But there las been AN accident down
at Long l:,.,ncl. The young man
vcniur.d top far out in tho surf. Tho
telegraph HURLED the terror up 10 the
city. An earthquake struck under the
foundations al that beautiful home.
The piano closed the curtains dropped;
the laughter hushc.l. Crash! 20 all
those domestic hopes and prospects
and expectations. So. my friends. we
have all felt tho shaking down of some
great trouble. and there was time
s......l. Nsl this
man IL the text, and VIC cried out as
he did. What shnll dot What shall
dor" The same reply that the apos.
tic made To him is appropriate u us:
Believe on the lOrl 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 last 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
"lnrd." and in other parts Of the
Bible lIc il called Jesus" and in
other parts Of the Bible he is called
"Chrisi, but that there might be
/ no mistake about this passage, all
three nnmes come togcthcr-"The
+ Lord Jesus Christ
you CAN Trust HIN.
Now. who Is this being that you
want me Ia trust in and believe int
Men sometimes come 10 me with ere
dcntials aud certificates of good char
acter. but | cannot trust them. There
is some dishonesty in their looks that
makes nlc know shall bc cheated il l
coniide IA them. You cannot put your
hearts confidence in man until YOU
/ know " hat siuif he is made Of. and am
unr, as, .,ia' le I, day when | stop to