The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-01-22
TALMAGE In LONDON.
The Brooklyn Divine breaches a
Sermon to a London Audience
On Paul's Advice to the PhillppInn Jailor
--"Belieye ON the Lord Jesus Christ
and Thou Shalt be savcd"-The
Value of Divine Help In All
Earthly Affections. tf


~
hev' Deni'' iainago, " p'
preacned recently AZ London, Engr toa
large audience, taking for his text Acts
xvi, 81: Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved He
said;
Jails are dark, dull, damp, Joathsome
places even now; but they we're worse
in apostolic times. imagine, to-day,
we are standing in the Philippian dun
geon. 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 consumptiye, or the struggle Of one
In nightmare OF q great horror. You
listen again, and hear a culprit, his
chains rattling as he rolls over in his
dreams, and you say: "God pity the
prisoner" But there Is another sound
in that prison. 1t is song OF Joy and
gladness. What place to sing inl The
music comes winding through the cor
ridors Of the prison, and in all the dark
wards the whisper is heard: "Whats
that? What's thatp" It 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 fat 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 peopleP
Why have they been put In here? o,
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
annthema for Philip Melancthon. Adun.
geon for Paul and Silas. But while we
are standing in the gloom of that Philip
plan dungeon, and we hear the mingling
voices Of sob, and groan. and blasphemy,
and hallelujah, suddenly an earthquake!
The iron bars Of the prison twist, tho
pillars crack of, the solid masonry be.
gins TO heave and rock till all the doors
swing open, and the walls fall with a
terrific crash. The jailer, feeling HIM
self responsible for these prisoners, and
feeling suicide TO be honorable
Brutus killed himself, and Cato killed
himself, and Cassius killed himself
puts his sword to his own heart propos-
ing with one strong, keen thrust TO put
m end to his excitement and agitation.
But Paul cries out: "Stopl stop! Do
thyself no harm. We are all here"
Then see the jailer running through
the dust and amid the ruin Of that pris-
on, and see him throwing himself
down at the feet OF these prisoners, cry
ing out: "What shall do? What shall
Ido?" Did Paul answer: "Get out OF
this place before there is another earth
quake; put handouts and hopples on
these other prisoners, lest they get
away?" No word Of that kind. Com
pact, thrilling, tremendous answer; an
swer 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 Aleppo and
in Caracas; but we live in latitude
where in all our memory there has not
been one severe volcanic disturbance.
And yet we have seen fifty earthquakes.
Here is man who has been building up
q large fortune. His bid on the money
market was felt in all tho cities. He
thinks he has got beyond all annoying
rivalries in trade, and he says 70 him
self: snow am free and safe from all
possible perturbation" But a national
panic strikes the foundation Of the COM
mercial world, and crashl goes all that
magnificent business establishment.
Here is a man who has built up very
beautiful home. His daughters have
lust come home 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 happy and unbroken
family circle. But there has been an
accident down at the beach. The Young
man yentured too far out in the surf.
The telegraph hurled the terror up 70
the city. An earthquake struck under
the foundations Of that beautiful home.
The piano closed; the curtains dropped;
the laughter hushed. Crash no Ali
those domestic hopes. and prospects and
erpectations. So. NV friends we have
ali felt the shaking down Of some great
trouble. and there was A time when we
were A. much exited AZ this man Of the
itext and we cried out as he did:
"What ahall dop What shall / do3.
The same reply that the apostle made
~ NJ, a. arn-onriata 90 ,s. upo-