New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1890-01-29
BELIEF IN CHRIST.
Sermon Preached at London
by the Rev. DIR. Tai
mage.
Paul and Silas in the Gloom
of the Phillipian
Dungeon.

LONDON, Special.-The Rev. T. Dewitt
Talmage, d. D., of Brooklyn, preached in
'Shis city, taking for his text Acts xvi 81:
Believe in 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 Phillipian dungeon. Do you
not feel the chill? Do you not hear the groan
of those incarcerated ones who for 10 years
fs,ave not seen the sunlight and the deep sigh
OF women who remember their fathers house,
and mourn over their wasted estates? List
Gu again. 1t ia the cough of a consumptive,
or the struggle of onein anightmare ofgreat
Esiorror. You listen again, and hear culprit,
'ats chains rafting as he rolls over in his
dreams, and you say: "God pity the pris-
OYER" But there is another sound in that
ssrison. 1t is a song ofjoy and gladness.
What place to sing in! The music comes
winding through the corridors of the prison
zaad in all the dark wards the whisper is
heard: "What's that? What's that?" 1t
Is the song of Paul and Sias. They can
act sleep. They have been whipped, very
badly whipped. The long gashes on their
backs are bleeding yet. They lie fat on the
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? O., they have been trying to make
ssbe world better. Is that all? That is OIL
a pit for Joseph. A lions cave for Daniel.
4 blazing furnace for Shadrach Clubs for
Sohn Wesley. An anathema for Philip Me-
AIaucthon. A dungeon for Paul and Sias
in no oil IF
snat Philippian dungeon, and we hear the
anIugling voices of sobs, and groans, and
asasphemy, and hallelujah, suddenly an
earthquake! The iron bars of the prison
s swist, the pillars crack of, the solid masonry
begins to heave and rock till all the doors
swing omen, and the walls fall with terrific
s:rasn. The jaler, feeling himself responsible
sser these prisoners, and feeling suicide to
s1e honorable-since Brutus killed himself,
and Cato killed himself, and GASEOUS killed
inSmsef-puts his sword to his own heart pro-
posing with one strong, keen thrust to put an
saa TO his excitement and agitation. But
paul cries out: "Stop stop! Do thyself no
snarm We are all here Then see the
faiior running through the dust and amid
The ruin of that prison, and see him throw
ing himself down at the feet OF these prison.
srs crying: What shall do?" What shall
Ado?" Did Paul answer: ''Get out of this
place before there is another earthquake;
put handouts and hobbies on these other
.ytisoHels lesU Uley geG AWAY! mo WOrQ OF
shat kind. Compact, thrilling, tremendous
answer answer memorable NIL through earth
and heaven: "Believe on the Lord Jesus
christ and thou shalt be saved"
Well we have all heard of the earthquake
ia Lisbon, in Lima, in Alleppo and in Carac:
cas-, but we live in a latitude where in all our
nemory there has not been one severe vol
sauic disturbance. And yet we have seen
hU earthquakes. Here is q man who has
Been building up aarge fortune. His bid on
she money m arket was felt in all the Cities He
thinks he hos got beyond all annoying rival
ties ia trade, and he says to himself: Nov
am free and safe from all possible perturb-
ataon." But a national panic strikes the
foundation of the commercial world, and
crash! goes all that magnificent business es-
SabiIshment. He Is a man who has built up
q very beautiful home. His daughters have
slst come home from the seminary with d.
plomas of graduation. His sons have
started III life, honest, temperate and pure.
When the evening lights are struck: there is
happy and unbroken family circle. But
ehere has been an accident down at the
beach. The young man ventured too far out
FIN the surf The telegraph hurled the terror
Up to the city. An earthquake struck I'M
der the foundation of that beautiful
home. The piano closed; the curtains drop
ped; the laughter hushed. Crash! go all
those domestic hopes, and prospects. and ex.
.Dectatlons. So, my friends, we all felt the
slaking down of some great trouble, and
: there was d time when we were as much ex-
cited as this man Of the text, and We cried
@Hh as he did: "What shall l do? What
= ShsR DOR The same reply that the apos-
= tie made to, him is appropriate to us: BE
lieve on the Lord 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
Savior in some parts OF the Bible is called
nLordS'. and in other parts of the
Of the Bible he is called Christi but that
vthere might he II o mistake about this passage,
all three names come in together-"the Lord
Jesus Christ" Now, who is this Being
Chat you want me to trust in and be-
iieve in? Men sometimes come to
me with credentials and certificates of
good character; but l cannot trust them.
There is some dishonesty in their looks that
makes me know shall be cheated if confide
in them. You connot put your hearts con-
adence.in. e man until you know what stuff
che is made,of, and am unreasonable this
morning when l stop to ask you who this
is that you want me to trust in? No man
would think of venturing his life on vessel
going out to sea that had never been
inspected. No, you must have the certificate
hung amidships, telling how many tons it
carries, and how long ago it was built, and
Fho built it, and all about it. And you can
mot expect me to risk the cargo of my i'm
mortal interests on board any craft till you
tell me what it is made Of, and where it was
made, aud what it is. When, then, ask
you who this is you want me to trust in, you
tell me he was very attractive person
Yea tell me that the contemporary writer's
describe him. and they give the color of his
.eyes, end the color of his hair, and they de-
scribe his whole appearance as being resplen-
dent Christ did not tell the children to
come to him. stSuffer little children to come
unto me. was not spoken to the children,
1t was spoken to the Phnrisees The children
slad come without any invitation. No soon
sr did Jesus appear than the little ones
pitched from their mothers arms, an ava
fanche of beauty and love, into his lap:
Suffer little children to come unto me. .
Tiat was addressed to the Pharisees; not to
ythe children. Christ did not ask John to
:put his head down on his bosom; John
could not help but put his head there. Such
eyes, ouch cheeks, such chin, such hair,
such physical condition and appearance
why, it must have been completely captiy at
ssing and winsome. suppose look at him
was just to love him. O! how attractive his
H..