The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1894-09-08

r.,uaee who is still absent in the
corth Pacific has selected as the sub
loot of to-day's sermon through the
nress, THE Rescue" the text chosen
bsiue Acts 1871 "Believe on the Lord
Issns Christ and thou shalt be saved"
Jails are dark, dull, damp, loath'
some places even now; but they were
worse in the apostolic times. imag-
ina to-day, we are standing in the
pbillipian dungeon. DO you not feel
the chill? Do you not hear the
aroans of those ;ncarcerated ones who
ior ten years have not seen the
sunlight, and the deep sigh OF women
who remember their fathers house,
.,d mourn over their wasted estates?
listen .agaiu. 1t is the cough OF a
consumptive, or the struggle OF one in
The nightmare of great horror. You
tisten again, and hear culprit his
chains rafting as he rolls oyer in his
dreams, and you say, God pity the
prisoner" But there is another sound
N that prison. 1t is the song OF JOY
and pladness. What a 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"
Il 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 vet. 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,
thew have been trying to make tine
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 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 sol
and groan and blasphemy and halle
luiah, suddenly an earthquakes The
IRON bars of the prison twist
the pillars creak off the solid masonry
begins to heave, and all the door:
swing open. The jailcr, feeling him
self responsible for these prisoners
and believing, in his pagan ignorance
suicide to be honorab le-since Brutu
killed himself and Cato killed himsel:
and Cassius killed himself-puts hi
sword to his own heart, proposing
with one keen thrust to put an end t.
his excitement and agitation. Blu
Paul cries out, stop! stop. no harm
We are all here"
Then see the jailer running througl
the dust and amid the ruin of tina
prison, and | see him throwing him
selfdown at the feet of these prisoners
crying out, What shall / do? Wha
shall do?" Did Paul answer, Get on
of this place before there is anothe
earthquake; put handouts and hoI
pies on these other prisoners, lest the
get away?" No word of that kline
His com pact, thrilling, tremendou
answer, answer memorable all throug
earth and heaven, was, believe o
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou sha
be saved"
Well, we have all read OF the eartl
quake in Lisbon, in Lima, in Alepp'
and in Caracas; but we live in lat
tude where in all our memory thel
has no been one severe volcanic di
turbance And yet we have seen fit
earthquakes, Here is man who hi
been building up large forum
His bid on the money market was fe
in all the cities. He thinks he has g
beyond all ANNOYING rivalries in trat
and he says to himself, Nov
am free and safe from all possib
perturbation. But in 1857 or
1873 national panic strikes the fou
dation of the commercial world ar
crash goes all that magnificent bu!
ness establishment. Here is MI
who has built up very beautif
home. His daughters have just con
home from the seminary with dipl
mas of graduation. His sons ha
started in life, honest, temperate, al
pure When the evening lights a
struck, there is happy and unbrok
family circle But there has been
accident down at Long Branch. Il
young man ventured too far out
the surf The telegraph hurled t
terror up to the city. An earthqua
struck under the foundation of tn
beautiful home
The piano closed; the curtai
dropped; the laughter hushed. !Cras
60 all those domestic hopes and pr
poets and expectations So, ,
friends, we have all felt the shaki
down Of some great trouble, and thu
was a time when we were as much {
cited as this man of the text and
cried out as he did, What shall &
What shall ! do" The same rel
that the apostle made to him is
propriate to u.s. Believe ON the LIZ
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be save,
There are some documents of SO
tie Importance that you do not C;
to put any more than your last ma
under them, or even your initials;
there are some documents of so Or,