The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-08-14
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DlVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.


DAY SERMON.
Subject: The Earthquake. preached
at st. Paul, Minn.)
TEXT: "Believc on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be sdued."-Acts xvi, 81.
Jails arc dark, dull, damp, loathsome places
even now: but they were worse In the apos-
tolic times. imagine to-day we are stand
ing in the Phihppian dungeon. Do you not
feel the chill' Do you not hear the groan OF
those incarcerated ones who for ten years
have not seen the sunlight, and edeep sigh
of women who remember their father house
and mourn over their wasted estate? Listen
again. It is the cough Of a 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 says: God pity the
prisoner" But there is another sound IN
that prison. It is a 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 tho whisper Is
heard: s'What's that? What's that"
1t is the song Of Paul and Silas. They
cannot sleep. They have been whipped, very
badly whipped. The long gashes on their
cold ground, their feet fast In wooden sock
cts, and of course they cannot sleep. But they
can sing. Jailer, what are you doing with
these people? Why have they been put in
here? oh, they have been trying to make
the world better. Is that all? That IS all.
A pit for Joseph. A lions cave for Dam
iel. A blazing furnace for Shadrach.
Clubs for John Wesley. An anathema
for Philip Melancthon. A dungeon
for Paul and Silas. But while we arc stand
ing in the gloom Of the Philippian dungeon,
and we hear the mingling voices OF sob and
and blssphsmy And ina, hae,u1sh hu3s ~ saH tSe
prison twist, the pillars crack off, tho solid
masonry begins to heave and all the doors
swing open. The jailer, feeling himself re-
sponsibie for these prisoners, and balieving,
in his pagan ignorance, suicide to be honora-
ble-since Brutus killed himself, and
Cato killed himself, and Cassius killed
his sword to his own heart,
proposing with one strong, keen thrust to
put an end to his excitement and agitation.
But Paul cries out: "Stopl Stop! Do thy
self no harm. We are all here" Then see
the jailer running through the dust and amid
the ruin of that prison, and see him throw
ing n1mSeu oOWn aG Iue ASoo VI enS@o +. ,n
ers, crying out: "What shall do9 What
shall I doT Did Paul answer: sect out Of
this place before there is another earthquake;
put handouts and hopples on these
other prisoners, lest they get awayT
No word Of that kind. His COM
pact, thrilling, tremendous answer, an
swer memorable all through earth and
heaven. was: s'Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved" We'll, we
have all heard of the earthquake in Lisbon,
in Lima, in Aeppo, and in Caracas, but we
live in O latitude where severe volcanic dis
turbances are rare. And yet we have seen
fifty earthquakes. Here is man who has
been building up 3 large fortune. HIS bid on
the money market was felt in all tho cities
BE thinks he has got beyond all annoying
"Now I am free and safe from all
possible perturbation" But in 1897, or
In 1851, or In 1873 a national p,nic
strikes the foundations of the commercial
world, and crash! goes all that magnificent
business establishment. Here is man who
has 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 ventsrred too far
out in the surf. The telegraph hurled the
terror up to the city. An earthquake struck
under the foundation Of that beautiful home.
The piano closed; the curtains dropped; the
laughter hushed. Crashl 60 all those domes-
tic hopes and prospects and expectations: 50,
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 ns he did:
srWhat shall do? What shall dor 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 ore some documents OF so little I'M
portance that you do not care to put any
more than your last name under them, or
even your initials; but there are somo docu-
ments of 30 great Importance that you write
ont your fulfna so tho Saviour in some
parts of the Bible is called "Lord," and in
other parts Of the Bible He is 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, who is this being that you want me
to trust in and believe in9 Men sometimes
come to me with credentials and certificates
of good character, but canpdt trust them.
There Is some dishonesty in their looks that
makes me know shall be cheated if I con-
fde in them. You cannot put your hearts
confidence in man until you know what
STUFF he is made OF, and am l
unreasonable to-day when . stop to
ask you who this is that you want me
to 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 amidshfps, telling
how manv tons it carries, and how long ago
it was built, and who built 1t, and all about
it. And you cannot expect me to risk
the cargo Of my immortal interests
on board any craft till you tell me
what it is made Of, and where it was made
and what it Is. When, then, I ask you who
this Is you want me to trust in, you tell me
He was a very attractive person. Contem-
porary writer's describe His whole appear
ance as being resplendent. There was no
need for Christ to tell the children to come
to. Him. "Sutfer little children to como
unto Me-" was not spoken to the children; it
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 to put his head
down on His bosom; John could not help but
put his head there. I suppose to look at Christ
was to love Him. Oh, how attractive His
manner. Why, when they saw Christ COM
ing along the street they ran into their houses,
and they wrapped up their invalds as quick
as they could, and brought them out that
He might look at them. There was some
thing 50 pleasant, so inviting, so cheering in
everything He did, in His very look. When
these sick ones were brought out, did he say:
'tDo not bring Me these sores; do not trouble
Ne with these leprosies?" No, no; there was
q kind look, there was gentle word, there
was a healing touch. They could not keep
away from Him.
In addition to this softnass of character,
there was fiery momentum. How the kings
of the earth turned pale. Here is plain
man with few sailors at his back, coming