The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-21


even get the poor relief which comes
sounds Do Won say-groans and lamen-
tationsi GFoans and lamentations p
no, but this AT midnight Paul and
Silas prayed and sang praises unto God,
and the prisoners heard them They
had never heard anything like il before.
They may have heard weeping and wall
ing-but now, the cold. mouldy, Shiny 4
walls of the dungeon resounded with
their thanksgiyings that they were
counted worthy to suffer so for the cause
Of their dear Lord
Once | made q visit 20 a young person
in this city who had long been a sufferer
from disease which caused her unspeak-
able pain Her kind physician stood by /
her with tears in his eyes, but could give .
her only temporary relief. After he left /
tried 10 say few soothing. comforting +
words 10 her. and she said les, ] suf- /
fer great pain. ! often lie awake all .
night. unable 90 sleep because OF II. but +
have one compensation cone com
pensation." ] asked, what is that F.
Said she 1T is this. Often when ! can
not close nv eyes in sleep have such a 1
sense of God s loving and reconciled pres /
ence all about me that | have learned 4
what David means when he talks about /
songs in the night
Whether it be fact in natural his
tory that the nightingale pOurs forth 1
her Sweetest notes when she leans her
bosom against a thorn. do not know,
but ! do know that in the experience OF
many Christian "the anguish of the
singer gives sweetness 10 the song and
that they are the best comforters VI
others who learn in suffering what they
teach in song"
But something else was heard in the
prison that night besides the praises of
Paul and Silas Suddenly there was
great earthquake. and the foundations of
the prison were shaken, and Immediately
all the doors were opened and every
ones bands were lOosed.' The iailer
thought the prisoners had fed and as
Roman taller was answerable with his
life for such escapes, he drew his sword,
and would have committed suicide mad
not Paul cried with loud voice Do
thy self no harm for we are all here
UNDER CONVICTION
The effect of all this on the taller was
something tremendous. The terror Of
the earthquake the calmness OF the
apostles Pauls mysterious knowledge
that he had intended 10 kill himself, the
warning not TO harm his mortal body cor
his immortal soul hy such an act, and
the remembrance, perhaps, that the
soothsayer had persisted in prOclaiming
These men are The servants of the most
high God. which show unto ms the way
of salvation all this came upon
him like the rush Of the earthquake. and
filled him with such conviction of his
guilt. and with such terror of coming
wrath that, trembling rs Felix did before
this same Paul when he reasoned of
righteousness and judgment 10 come the
jailer fell down, utterly Frustrated with
anguish and despair
Now the light has come in by which
he saw his guilt. and now we see how
much men need the divine Illumination,
which brings conviction OF sin. The
taller was as wicked before Z
tremble as he was afie~ he began l." d
apostle.1th a grain os,.f he ielI al me I
, theI ue'eloPai he did not discover un- d
iil the spirit opened his eyes lmpeni- a
tent men who 90 not tremble and who ;
do not fear are iusi as wicked as iheys {
are when they feel and confess their !
quilt. Ii is no new sin that fills them ,
with dismav il is the revelation OF the q
old sin that fills them with alarm. ne I
that belieycth not is condemned already. \
If my unconverted hearers knew what ,
that meant-if they would only remem'
Der that they are already condemned by
Gods righteous law, and that the only
difference between those under sentence
now and those who shall be sentenced
I'm the dav of Judgment, is that the pres
ent condemnation may be exchanged Tor
pardon. while the final condemnation
will be eternal. they would be as full OF
terror as the convicted taller was, and
they would act as he did, when tIemb-
Rnglv he cried w hat must | do 10 be
saved 81
Az EARNEST INQUIRER.
Whist is the next thing we are told !
about this man What was the piercing ,
question he asked-the most important ]
question a condemned man can ask on 1
his way to death and judgment W hat ,
must / do 10 be saved p
wish could stop here and announce
that every uncOnverted person present
was such an inquirer How II would
affect an Christians in this congregation ,
10 be assured that this was the case
W hat prayers would at once go up LOT
the converting powers OF the Holy Ghost
20 descend How il would affect the
preacher, and what Joy would I'll his
heart as he gave the apostles answer 10
the inquiry Why should this net be the
inquiry of every one here present II Is
question that may be asked-a question
that ought TO be asked-a question that
must be asked 10y every unconverted +
person before salvation can be possible
ONLY BELIEVE"
What must do to be saved ;" Now
hear the apostles answer Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saved. This is not the answer the jail
er expected lie no doubt thought he
would be told TO do something very dit
ferent-perhaps something very difficult
If he had been ordered TO put on the
chains that had dropped from the limbs
of the prisoners, TO be put in the stocks
out of which their feet had been taken,
TO be scOurged as they had been scOurged,
il might have seemed 10 him 10 be the
right way 10 satisfy divine justice for the
sins he had committed But no; he was
not told TO infici any suffering on him
self, or TO ask any one else 10 punish
him. but 10 cast himself on the mercy
and forgiying love of one who had suffer
ed in his room and stead-tO believe In
one who had borne his sins in his own
body on the tree What must do
The answer came short, plain, clear, and
sweet. " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved
This is absolutely the only way IN /
which sinner can be saved He has
broken an the commandments in
thought. word. or deed violated every
precept of the law which Is holy, just,
and good God has said Cursed is
every one that continueth not in all
things written in the book of the law TO
DO them" THE soul that sinneth It
shall die" AL have sinned and come
short of the glory OF God Now how J
can a weak, wicked man mend what he
10. I~.I.r hD,tr CON ia rypafr the min