The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-09-05

Idluage, VINO IS still absent IN the SOuln
Pacific, has selected as the subject Of
todays sermon through the press The
Rescue" the text chosen being Acts xvi,
81. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved"
Jails are dark. dull. damp. loathsome
places even now, but they were worse In
the apostolic times. l imagine today we
are standing in the Philippian dungeon.
Do you not feel the chill? Do you not
hear the groans of those incarcerated
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 estates? Listen
again. II is the cough Of a consumptive
or the struggle of one in the nightmare
of "A great horror. You listen again and
hear a 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 the
song Of joy and gladness. What place
to sing IN The music comes winding
through the corridors Of the prison, and
I'm all the dark wards the whisper is
heard. whats that? What's that?'
In the PhiIippian Dungeon.
1t is the song Of Paul and Silas. They
cannot sleep They have been whipped,
very badly whipped. The long gashes on
.heir 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 70 make the world
better Is that aIl2 That is all. pit
for Joseph, a lions cave for Daniel, a
blazing furnace for Shadrach, clubs for
John Wesley, an anathema for Philip
MelanchtbOn, a dungeon for Paul and
Silas.
But while we are standing in the
gloom Of the Phiippian dungeon, and we
hear the minging voices Of sob and
groan and blasphemy and halleujah, sud
the doors swing open. The iailer, feeling
the prison twist, the pillars crack OF, the
solid masonry begins 10 heave, and all
the doors swing open. The 1ailOr feeling
himself responsible for these prisoners
and believing in his pagan Ignorance sui
eide TO be honOrabie-since Brutus killed
himself and Cato killed himself. and Cas-
sius killed himself-puts his sword TO his
own heart, proposing with one strong,
keen thrust 10 put an end 70 his excite
ment and agitation. But Paul cries out:
stop! stop! Do thyseh no harm. We
are all here
the dust and amid the ruin of that prison.
and / see him throwing himself down at
the feet Of these prisoners. crying out:
what snail I do2 What shall 1 do?'
Did Paul answer: Get out OF this place
before there Is another earthquake Put
handouts and hopples on these other
prisoners, lest they get away2'' No word
Of that kind. His compact thrilling, ire
mendous answer. answer memorable all
through earth and heaven. was, believe
N afEr l.
be saved
Terrible Earthquakes.
Wen. we have all head OF the earth
quake in Lisbon. in Lima. In Aleppo and
in Caracas. but we live in a latitude
where In all our memory there has not
been one severe volcanic disturbance.
And yet we have seen fifty earthquakes.
Here is a man who has been building up
a large fortune. His bid on the money
market was felt IN all the cities. He
thinks ne has got beyond all annoying
rlvalries in trade, and he says 10 him
self. Now 1 am free and safe from all
possible perturbation" But In 1857 or
in 1873 a national panic strikes the fOun-
dalton of the commercial world. and
crash goes all that magnificent business
establishment.
Here IS man who has built up a very
come home from the seminary with diplo-
mas 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 ac-
cident down at Long Branch The young
man ventured too Tar out in the surf. The
telegraph hurled the terror up TO the City.
An earthquake struck under the fOunda-
ton Of that beautiful home.
rafu
the laughter hushed Crash go all those
domestic hopes and prospects and expec-
tatiOnsi So my 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 as he did: What shall
do? What shall l do?" The same reply
that the apostle made 10 him in appro-
pirate to US, Believe 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 Lord" and In other parts OF the
bib he is called Jesus" and In other
part 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"
Hope and Trust.
Nov, who is this being that YOU want
me 70 trust in and believe it? Men some
times come TO me with credentials and
certificates Of good character. but 1 can
not trust them. There is some dishon-
esty In THEN looks that makes me know
that l shall he cheated If I confide i'm
them. You cannot put your hearts con-
hdence in a man until you know what
stuff he is made Of and am / unreason-
bic when / stop 10 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
amSdships, telling how many tons lt car
rieS and how long ago IL was built. and
who built ii, and all about it, And Won
canhOt expect me 10 risk the cargJ OF
my mortal interests on board any craft
till you tell me what it is made Of and
whtre 1t was made. and what it is.
When, then. l ask you who this is Won
want me TO trust in, you tell me he Is a
Vety attractive person. Contemporary
Writers describe his whole appearances as
bang resplen1ent There was no need
fot Christ to tell the children to come to
HIM Suffer little children TO come
ufto Ne, was not spoken to the chill
dfen. It was spoken TO the disciples
1'he children came readily enough with
ott any invitation. No sooner did Jesus
e.gTsaar than the 1fffTa orao s,,,,.,1 e.