The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1894-09-12
THE DIVINE RESCUE.
salvation Without tMoney-Desth Robbed
of It's TerIors-

Salvation Without aIoney-Desth Robbsd
tits Terrors.
BROOKLYN, Sept. 2.-Rev. DR.. Tai
mage, who is still absent in the south
Pacific, has selected as the subject OF
today's sermon through the press 1.-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. imagine today
we are standing in the Philipplan Gun
geon. Do ycu not feel the chill? DO
you not hearthe groans ofthose incarce.
rated ones who to- 10 years have not
seen the sunlight and the deep sigh OF
women who remeD Der their fathers
house and mourn over their wasted
estates? Listen again. II is the cough
of c5asunptive or the struggle OF one
ia the nightmare Of great horror. You
listen again and hear culprlt, his CHAINS
rafting SIS he rolls over in his dreams,
and you say, "God, pity the prisoner"
But there is another sound il that pr.
son. II is the song of JOY and gladness.
What place to sing IL! The music
comes winding through the corridors OF
the prison, and IN al the dark wards the
whisper is heard: whats that? Whats
that9"
It is the song of Paul and S;las. They
cannot sleep. They have been whipped
very badly whipped. The long gashes
on their backs are bleeding yet. Theyllle
dat on the old ground, their feet fsst IN
wooden sockets, and of course they cans
not sleep. But they can sing. Jalsr,
what are you doing with these people?
Why have they been put in here? Oa,
they have been trying to make the world
~ -~.asr.rr. Is that all? That is all. A
pit for Joseph, lions cave for Daniel,
blazing furnace for Shadrach, clubs Tor
John Wesley, an ansthema for Phlllpp
Melanchthon, dungeon TOR Paul and
Silas.
But while We are standing IN the gloom
of the Philippian Dungeon, and We hear
the mingling voices Of sob and groan
and blasphemy and hallelulsh, suddenly
an earthquake! The iron bars Of the
prison twist, the pillars crack Of, the
solld masonry begins to heave, and au
the doors swing open. The jsller, feel
ing himself, responsible for these prison.
ers and believing in his pagan ignorance
suicide to be honorable-since Brutus
killed himself and Cato killed himself,
and Csssius killed hinsef-puts 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 harme We
are all here"
Then T see the iailer running through
the dust and amid the ruin Of that pri.
son, and see him throwing himself
down at the feet of these prisoners, cry,
ing out: sWhat shall I dc? What shall
Idc?" Die Paul answer: SECT out OF
this place before there is another earth
quake. Put handouts and hopples on
these other prisoners, lest they get
awas?" No word of that kind. His
compact, thrilling, tremendous answer,
memorable all through earth and heaV-
en-, was, 'sBeheve on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved"
We'll, we have all read of the easth.
quke in Lisbon. in Lima,in-AasbTo and
in Caracas, but~we live in latitude
where ~sh our memory there has not
been one severe volcanic disturbance.
And vet we have seen so earthquakes.
Here is man who has been building up
large fortune. HIS bid on the money
market was felt in all the cities. He
thinks he has got beyond an annoying
rivalres IN trade, and he says to himself
ssNow I am free and safe from all posi-
BILE perturbation" But IN 1857 or IN
1873 natiensl panice strikes the tounda-
ton of the commercial world, and crash
goes all that magnificent business estab.
lsement.
Here is man who has built up very
beautiful hons. His daughters have
Just 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 uubroken
family circle. But there has been an
accident down at Long Branch. The
young man ventured 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 drop
pee; the laughter hushed. Crash 60 all
thvse domestic hopes and prospects and
expectations! So my friends, ne have
all felt the shaking down of some great
trouble. and there was time when, we
were as much excited as this man OF fthe
text, and we.cried out as he did:
ssWhat shall do9 What shall I do?"
The same reply that the apostle made
to him is appropriate to US, "Belleve
on the Lord Jesus ChIlst, and thou shalt
be sayed.''
There are some docu nents 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 80 great import
ance that you write out your full names
SO the Saviour in some parts of the Bl-
BILE is called "Lord," and in other part,
of the Bible he ls 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 together, ''Lord Jesus
Christ"
Now, who is this being that you want
me to trust IN and believe 10? Men
sometimes come to me with credentials
and CERTIFICATES of good character, but
cannot trust them. There is some
dishonesty in their looks that makes me
know that shall be cheated if I confde
in them. You cannet put your hearts
confidence in man until you know what
stuff he is made of, and am unreason.
able when stop to ask you who this is
that you want me to trust in9 No man
would think of venturing his lie on a
vessel going out to sea that had never
been inspected.