The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-09-19
REV, DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvrNE's SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Rescue"

Tsxr: HBelieve 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. I imagine to-day We
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 years 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. It
Is the cough Of 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 prisoh
err But there Il another sound In that
prison. It Is the song Of Joy and glsdness.
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: srWhat's that2 What's that?"
It Is the song OF Paul and Sllas. They
cannot sleep. They have been whipped
very badly whipped. The long gashes on
their backs are bleeding yet. They lie nat
on the cold ground. their feet fast In wooden
sockets, and Of course they cannot sleep.
ing With these people2 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 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 of. the solid masonry he
gins 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 honorable-stnce
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-
citement and agitation. But Paul cried out
'tStop, stopI Do thyself no harm! We are
all here"
Then sec the jailer running through the
dust and amid the ruin of that prison, and
see him throwing himself down at the feet
ofthese prisoners, crying out. "What shall
i do2 What shall do2" Did Paul answer:
ssCer out Of this place before there Is another
earthquake. Put handouts and hobbies on
these other prisoners lest they get away?"
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 pe
saved"
Well, we have all read Of the earthquake
In Lisbon, In Lima, In Aleppo and In Cara.
cas-, but we hive in latitude where IN all our
memoir there has not been one severe vol.
ffty earthquakes. Here Is q 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
poyine rivalries In trade, and he says to him
SELF, Snow am free and safe from all possi-
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 man who has built up q very
beautiful home. His daughters have Just
come home from the seminary with diplo-
mas Of graduation. His sons have started
| In lie, honest, temperate and pure. Wher
ehe evening lights are struck, there is hap
riness and unbroken family circle. But
there has been an accident down at Long
Branch. The young man ventured too tar
put In the surf. The telegraph hurled the
ksrror up to the city. An earthquake struck
under the foundation Of that beautiful
home.
] The plano closed; the curtains dropped;
thH laughter hushed. Crash go allthose do
mestic hopes and prospects and expecta-
Hons. 30, my friends, we have all felt the
Shsiing down OF some great trouble, and
khere was time when we were as much ex-
bited as this. man Of the text, and We cried
+ but as he did: "What shall I do? What shall
I dol" The same reply that the apostle
made TO him is appropriate to US, believe
On the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be :
| There are some documents o. so little i'm.
|boYtsnce that you do not care to put any
more than your last name under them, or
sven your initials, but there are some docu-
manis OF 80 great Importance that you write
Euut your full name. So the Saviour In some
parts ofthe Bible Is called "Lord," and In
fother parts OF the Bible He Is called "Jesus,"
/ Ind In other parts Of the Bible He IS called
hChrist," but that there might be no mis-
take about this passage allthree names come
|together-"the Lord Jesus Christ"
Ii 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.
There is some dishonesty In their looks that
makes me know that shall be cheated II
|confide In them. You cannot put your
hearts confidence in man until you know
IWhat stuff he is made OF. and am unreason-
able when stop to ask you who this is that
SOD want me to trust In? No man would
| out to sea that had never been inspected.
No; sou must have the certificate hung
emidships, telling how many tons It carries,
| and how long ago It was built, and who
| built Il, and all about It. And you cannot
fe1pece me to risk the cargo OF my immortal
interests on board any craft till you tell me
what It b made Of, and where It was made,
land what It is.
4 When, then, I ask you who this Is you want
trac:ive person. Contemporary writer's de-
scribe His whole appearance as being re-
splendent. There was no need for Christ to
! tell the children to come to Him. "Suffer
Httle children to come unto Me" was not
spoken to the children. It 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
not ask John to put his head down on His
bosom. John could not help but put his
head there. suppose look at Christ was
lust to love Him. How attactive His mannerl
Why, when they saw Christ coming
along the street, they ran into their houses,
and they wrapped up their invalids as quick
as they could and brought them out that He
might look at them. Oh, there was some
thing 90 pleasant, 80 inviting, 80 cheeringi In
everything He did, In His very look! When
these sick ones were brought out, did He
say: "Do not bring before Me these sores.
Do not trouble Ne with these leprosies?" No,
no there was kind look there was gen.
tie word there was healing touch They
could not keep away from Him.
81 think there are many under the influ.
eYce Of the Spirit Of God who are saying,
T will trust Him II you will only tell me
how" And the great question asked by
many is. Chow. how2" And while l answer
your question look up and utter the PRAYER