The Bossier banner., 1894-10-18
"THE RESCUE"
Rev. r. Dewitt Talmage on a Well
Worn Theme.
Faith in Christ the Only Passport to Eter.
nal SalvatiOn-'Twas That Faith That
Lightened the Tortures of
the Martyrs.

The following sermon by Rev. T. De-
Witt Talmage was selected by him for
| publication this week. Its subject:
"The Rescue" is based on the text:
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou
shalt be saved.-Acts xvi, 81.
| Jails are dark, dull, damp, loathsome
places even now; but they were worse
in the apostolic times. l imagine, to-
day, we are standing in the Philippian
| dungeon. Do you feel the chill? Do
you not hear the groans of those in
earcerated 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. 1t is
the cough of consumptive, or the
struggle of one in nightmare of great
horror. You listen again, and hear a
eulprit, his cheins rafting as he rolls
over in his dreams, and you say; "God
pity 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 pris
on, and in all the dark wards the whis-
per 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 bleed
ing 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 Shad-
rach. Clubs for John Wesley. An
anathema for Philip Melancthon. A
dungeon for 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 hallelujah,
suddenly an earthquake! The iron
bars of the prison twist, the pillars
crack off, the solid masonry begins to
heave, and all the doors swing open.
The jailer, feeling himself responsible
for these prisoners, and believing, in
his pagan ignorance, suicide to be hon
orable-sirce Brutus killed himself, and
Cato killed himself, and Cassius killed
himself-puts his sword to his OWL
heart, proposing with one strong, keen
thrust to put an end to his excitement
and agitation. But Paul cries out
'Stop! stop! Do thyself no HARM We
are all here.
Then see the jailer running through
the dust and amid the ruin of that
prison, and / see him throwing himsel-
down at the feet of these prisoners
crying out: "What shall l do? What
shall do?" Did Paul say: Get out
of this place before there is another
earthquake; put handouts and hop
Piles on these other prisoners, lest they
get away?" No word of that kind
His compact, thrilling, tremendous an
swer, answer memorable all through
earth and Heaven, was: "Believe OF
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shal
be saved"
Well, we have all read of the earth
quake in Lisbon, in Lima, in A1eppo
! and in Caracas; but we live in a lati
tude where in all our memory ther
has not been one severe volcanic dis
turbance. And vet we have seen fit,
earthquakes Here is a man who ha
/ been building up large fortune. Hi
; bid on the money market was felt i
all the cit es. He thinks he has go
beyond all annoying rivalries in trade
and says to himself: Now | am FIRE
and safe from all possible perturba
, ton" But in 1857 or in 1878 a nationa
panic strikes the foundation of tn
Q commercial world, and crash goes a
1 that magnificent business establish
: ment. Here is man who has built u
very beautiful home. His daughter
l have just come home from the seminar
: with diplomas of graduation. His son
Q have started in life honest, temperat
and pure. When Che evening light
are struck, there is happy and III
broken family circle. But there hs
. been an accident down at Long Brancl
u The young man ventured too far out
. the surf The telegraph hurled tt
T. j terror up to the city. An earthquah
struck under the foundation of thu
y beautiful home.
;. The piano closed; the curtain
u dropped; the laughter hushed. Crasl
6 go all those domestic hopes and pro
& poets and expectations. so, my friend
: we have all felt the. shaking down
i some great trouble, and there was
time when we were as much excited ;
this man of the text, and we cried o.
q as he did: what shall l do? VIII
n shall I do?" The same reply that Il
e apostle made to him is appropriate
sl us: believe on the Lord Jesus Chris
ID and thou shalt be saved"
IL There are some documents of SO |
10 tie Importance that you do not care
4 put any more than your last name Il
Le der them, or even your initials b
"a there are some documents of so gre
4" Importance that you write ont 20
full name So the Saviour in sol
rs parts of the Bible is called Lore
!. and in other parts of the Bible He
) called HJesus, and in other parts Of t
gible Hs Is called Christi bat Oh