The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-09-12
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject "The Rescue"

Jails are dark, dull, damp, loatnsome
places even now. but they were worse in
are standing in the Philippian dungeon.
Do YOU not feel the chilli Do you not
hear the groans of those incarcerated ones
who for ten wears have not seen the sun
light and the deep sigh OF women who
remember their fathers house and mourn
over their wasted estates? Listen again. 1t
Is the cough of a consumptive or the strug-
gle OF one in the nightmare of great hor~
ror. You listen again and hear culprit,
his chains rafting as he rolls over in his
dreams. and you say, "God, pity the prison
er!" But there is another sound in that
prison. It is the song of Joy and gladness.
What place to sing in The music comes
winding through the corridors OF the prison,
and in all the dark wards the whisper Is
heard "What's that? What's that
It is the song of Paul and Silas. They
cannot sleep. They have been whipped
very badly whipped. The long gashes on
their backs are bleeding yet. They lie fiat
on the cold ground. their feet fast in wooden
sockets. and of course they cannot sleep.
But they can sing. Jailer, what are you do
ing 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. pit for Joseph. A lions cave for
Daniel. A blazing furnace for Shadrach.
Clubs for John Wesley. An anathema for
Philip Melanchthon. 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 bias
phemy and hallelujah suddenly an earth
quake The iron bars of the prison twist,
the pillars crack off, the solid masonry he
gins to heave, and all the doors swing open.
The taller, feeling himself responsible for
these prisoners and believing, in his pagan
ignorance, suicide to be honorable-since
Brutus killed himself. and Cato killed him
self, and Cassius killed himself-put his
sword to his own heart, proposing with one
strong, keen thrust to put an end to his ex-
element and agitation. But Paul cried out:
"Stop, stop! Do myself 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 himself down at the feet
fofthese prisoners, crying out: "What shall
lido? What shall do?" Did Paul answer
Sect out of this place before there is another
earthquake. Put handouts and hobbies on
these other prisoners lest they get awayY"
No word of that kind. His compact thrill
Ing tremendous answer memorable all
through earth and heaven, was, "Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved"
Well, we have all read of the earthquake
cas-, but we live in a latitude wherein all our
memory there has not been one severe VOL
canic disturbance. And yet we have seen
fifty earthquakes. Here is a 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 all an
moving rivalries in trade, and he says to him
self, ''Now 1 am free and safe from all posi-
bic perturbation" But in 1857 or in 1878
national panic strikes the foundation of the
commercial world, and crash goes all that
magnificent business establishment.
Here is a man who has built up a very
beautiful home. His daughters have just
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 hap
piness and unbroken 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 dropped
the laughter hushed. Crash go allthose do
mestic hopes and prospects and expecta-
lions. So, my friends we have all felt the
shaking down OF some great trouble, and
there was time when we were as much ex-
cited as this man of the text, and we cried
out as he did: "What shall l do? What shall
7 do?" The same reply that the apostle
made to him is appropriate to US, "Beleve
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved"
There are some documents Of so little i'm
portance that you do not care to put any
more than your last name under them, or
even your initials, but there are some docu-
ments of so great importance that you write
out your full name So the Saviour in some
80 Io 10 nd in
other parts of the Bible He is called 'Jesus,"
and in other parts of the Bible He is called
"Christ,' bur that there might be no mis-
take about this passage all three names come
together-''the Lord Jesus Christ"
Now, who is this being that you want me
to trust in and believe in? Men sometimes
come to me with credentials and certificates
of good character, but cannot trust them.
is some dishonesty in their looks that
makes me know that | shall be cheated If l
conf1de in them. You cannot put your
hearts confidence in man until you know
what stuff he is made Of, and am l unreason-
able 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 who
built it, and all about it. And you cannot
expect me to risk the cargo of my immortal
interests on board any craft till you tell me
what it is made Of, and where it was made,
and what ii is.
When, then, ask you who this is you want
me to trust in. you tell me He is a very at
tractive person. Contemporary writers de-
scribe His whole appearance as being re-
epIendent. There was no need for Christ to
tell the children to come to Him. ''Suffer
little children to come unto Me- was not
spoken to the children. 1t was spoken TO
the disciples The children came readily
enough without any invitation. No sooner
did Jesus appear than the little ones jumped
from their mothers arms, an avalanche of
beauty and love, into His lap. Christ did