The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-02-05
TALMAGE's SERMON.
Trust in Christ as You w ould
Trust in Any One.
A simple Faith Which Tells = Most Mo.
msatous Story.

lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved" He said:
Jails are dark, dull, damp, loathsome
places even now; but they were worse
in the apostolic times. imagine, to-
day, we are standing in the Philippian
dungeon. Do you not feel the chill? Do
you not hear the groan of those incar-
cerated 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 es-
tates? Listen again. 1t is the cough of
cOnsumptive, or the struggle of one
in q nightmare of great horror. You
listen again, and hear culprit, his
chains rafting as he rolls over in his
dreams, and you say: God pity the
prisoner But there is another sound
in that prison. 1t is a song of joy and
gladness. What place to sing in! The
music comes winding through the corri-
doris of the prison, and in all the dark
wards the whisper is heard: whats
that? What's that?' 1t 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 sockets, and of
course they can not 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 Daniel. A blazing furnace for
Shadrach. Clubs for John Wesley. An
anathema for Philip Melancthon. A
dungeon for Paul and Silas. But while
we are standing in the gloom of that
Philippian dungeon, and we hear the
mingling voices of sob, and groan,
and blasphemy, and hallelujah, sudden
ly an earthquake! The iron bars of the
prison twist, the pillars crack off, the
solid masonry begins to heave and
rock till all the doors swing open, and
the walls fall with terrible crash. The
jailer, feeling himself responsible for
these prisoners, and feeling suicide to be
honorable-sinc Brutus killed himself,
and Cato killed himself, and Cassius
killed himself-puts his sword to his
own heart, proposing with one strong,
keen thrust to put an end to his excite
ment and agitation. But Paul cries out:
stop! stop! Do thyself no harm. We
are all here" Then see the jailer run
ming through the dust and amid the
ruin of that prison, and l see him throw
ing himself down at the feet of these
prisoners, crying out: what shall
do? What shall l do?" Did Paul an.
swer: Get out of this place before
there is another earthquake; put hand.
cuffs and hopples on these other pris-
oners lest they get away?" No word OF
that kind. Compact, thrilling, tremen.
dous answer; answer memorable all
through earth and Heaven: "Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved"
Well, we have all read of the earth
quake in Lisbon, in Lima, in Alleppc
and in Caracas. But we live in lati
tude where, in all our memory, there
has not been one severe volcanic dis
turbance. And yet we have seen fifty
earthquakes. Here is a man who has
been building up large fortune. His
bid on the money market was felt in al
the cities. He thinks he has got be
You'd all annoying rivalries in trade
and he says to himself: "Now l am free
and safe from all possible perturbation. >
But national panic strikes the founda
lions of the commercial world, anG
crash. goes all that magnificent business
establishment. He is a man who has
built up a very beautiful home.
His daughters have just come home
from the seminary with diplomas o.
graduation. His sons have started il
life, honest, temperate and pure. Wher
the evening lights are struck, there is
happy and unbroken family circle. Blu
there has been an accident down at the
beach, The young man ventured too
far out in the surf. The telegraph
hurled the terror up to the city. Al
earthquake struck under the foundation
of that beautiful home. The piano
closed; the curtains dropped; the laugh
ter hushed. Crash! 60 all those domes
tic hopes, and prospects, and expecta
tiOns. So, my friends, we have all fel
the shaking down OF some great trouble
and there was time when we were a.
much excited as this man of the text
and we cried out as he did: What shall
do? What shall ! do?' The same re
ply that the apostle made to him is APP
propriate to us: believe on the Lore
Jesus Christ. and thou shalt be saved.
There are some documents of so littl,
Importance that you do not care to pu
any more than your last name unde
them. or even your initials; but Their
are some documents of so great impor
lance that you write out your full
name.
So the Saviour in some parts of tn,
Bible is called "Lord," and in othe
parts of the Bible He is called "Jesus,
and in other parts of the Bible He i
called Christ" but that there might b
no mistake about this passage, all tire,
names come in together-''the Lor
Jesus Christ" Now. who is this Bein
that you want me to trust in and believ
In? Men sometimes come to me wit
credentials and certificates of good char
acter: but can not trust them. Their
is some dishonesty in their looks tina
makes me know shall be cheated if
confde in them. You can not put you
hearts confidence in a man until 20
know of what stuff he is made of. an,