Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-09-14
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DTVINE'S sun.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Reocn4.o

! places even now, hut they were worse in
! the apostolic times. I imagine to- lay we
! are standing in tho Fhilip0ian dungeon.
! Do You not feel tho chilli Do Won not
| hear the Croans Of those incarcarated ones
! who for ten years have not seen the sun
| light and tho deep sigh Of women who
| remember their fathor's house and mourn
| over their wasted estates? Listen again. It
| Is the cough of n consumptive or the strug-
gle OF one in the nightmare of great hor-
rOr. You listen again and hear culprit
| his chains rafting rs he rolls over in his
| dreams. and you say, "Go1. pity tho prison
| Cr" But there is another sound in that
! prison. It Is the song Of 10Y and gIadnnsg
What place to sing in. Tho 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?"
1t is the song of Paul ani Slas. They
cannot sleep. They have hron whipped
| very badly whipped The long gashns on
! their backs are bleeding yet. They lie fat
! on the cold ground. their feet fast in WOO lon
| sockets. and OF course they cannot scep.
! But they can sing. Jailor. what are You do
! ing with these people? Why have they been
put in here? oh, they have been irving to
mako the world better. Is that all? That
| IS all. A pit for Joseph. A lions cave for
| Daniel blazing furnace for Shadrach.
| Clubs for John Wesley. An anathema for
| Phillip Melanchthon. A dungeon for Paul
| and SIlHs.
| the Phlllppian dungeon. and we hear tho
| m1ngling voices Of sob AMI grOan and bias
! phemy and halleluiah, suddenly an earth
| quake' The iron bars of the prison twist,
! the pillars crack off. the solid masonry be
| gins to heava. AMI all the doors swing open.
! Tho jaior, feeling himself responsible for
! these prisoners ami believing. in his pagan
| Ignorance. suicide to he hOnOrahIe-since
| Brutus killed himself and Cato killed him
| self, and Cassius killed himsolf-0ut his
Cr,l 70 xyi%l,
| strong, keen thrust to put an end to his ex-
citemcnt and agitation. Eut Paul cried out
| "StOp, stop! Do thySelf no harm! We are
| all here ~
| Then see the iailcr running through tho
| dust and amid the ruin of that prison, and [
| see him throwing himself down Mt the feet
| Ofthcse prisoners, crying out ''What shall
/ do? What shall I do2" Did Paul answer :
| ''Got 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 De
| saved"
Well, we have all read Of tho earthquake
in Lisbon, in Lima, in Aleppo and in Cara
cas-, but we live in a latitude where in all our
memory there has not been one severe VOL
canic disturbance. AMI yet we have seen
fifty earthquakes Here IS man who has
on the money market was felt in all the
cities He thinks he has got beyond all an
nOying riyhlries In trade, and he says to him.
self, "NOW am free and safe from all posi-
bic perturbation" But in 1857 or in 1873 n
national panic strikes the foundation of tho
commercial world, and crash goes all that
magnificent business establishment.
Hero i9 man who has built up a very
beautiful home. His daughters have just
come home from the seminary with diplO-
|
in life, honest, temperate and pure. When
the evening lights struck. there is a hap
piness and unbrokeu 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 aIlthose do
mestic hopes and prospects and expecta-
tiOnS. So, my friends, we have all felt tho
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 do? What shall
| do?" The same reply that the apostle
made to him is appropriate to US, 'Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, AMI 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 nHme under them, or
oven your initials, hut there are some docu-
ments Of so great importance that you write
out your full name. So the Saviour in some
parts ofthe BiblG is called Lord" and In
other parts OF the Bible He is called Jesus"
and in other parts of the Bible He is called
"Christ," iur that there might be no mis-
take about this passage all three names como
tOg"thGr-''tho Lord jesus Christ"
Now who Is this being that you want mo
TO trust in and believe in? Men sometimes
como 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 1 shall DC cheated If I
confide in them. You cannot put your
hearts confidence In man until you know
what stuff he is made Of. and am 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 a vessel going
out to sea that had never been inspected.
No; you must have the certificate hung
Rmidships, 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 Whero 1t was made,
and what 1t 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-
spIendent. There was no need for Christ to
tell the children to come to Him. "Sutfer
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
not ask John to put his head down on His
bosom. John could not help but put his
head there. l suppose a look at Christ was
Just to love Him. How attactive His manner
Why, when they saw Christ coming
along the street, they ran into their houses,
and they wrapped up their inYalids as quick
as they could and brought them out that He
might look at them. Oh, there was some
thing so pleasant, so inviting, 50 cheering in
everything He did, in His very look When
these sick ones were brought out, did He
say ''DO not bring before Ne these sores.
Do not trouble Me with these leprosies?' No,
no there was a kind look; there was a gen
tie word there was healing touch. They
could not keep away from Him.
II think there are many under the infiu-
ence Of the Spirit of God who are saying,
II will trust Him If you will only tell me
many Is. GLOW, how?" And while answer
your question look up and utter the prayer
which Rowland Hill SO often uttered in the
midst of his sermons, ''NTaster, help" How
are you to trust in Christi
Just as you trust any ones You trust your
partner IN business with important things.
If commercial house gives you note pay
able three months hence, you expect the
payment of that note at the end of three
months. You have perfect confidence in
their word and In their ability. Or, again.
you go home to-day. You expect there will
be food on the table. You have confidence
in that. Now, ask you to have the same
confidence In the Lord Jesus Christ. He
says, You believe; take away your sins
and they are all taken away. "What I"
you say, "before l pray any more? Be-
fore l read my Bible any more2 Before
cry over my sins any more?" Yes, this mo-
ment. Believe with all your heart, and you
are saved. Why, Christ is only waiting to
get from you what you give to scores of peo-
pie every day. What Is that2 Confidence. II
these people whom you trust day by day are