Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-09-22

He 2EODKLTN DIVINE'e sun
DAY SERMON.

are s'oudinD In the P~aflipptan dunGeoA.
Do you not feel the chill! Do YOU not
hear the groaDs o! those incarcerated one
who for ten wears have not seen the sun
light and the deep sigh OF women who
remember their fathers house and mourn
over theft wasted estates? Listen again. /,
is the cough Of a consumptive or the strnc.
gle OF one In the nightmare OF a great nor
ror. You listen again and hear a culprft
bis chains rafting as he rolls over in his
dreams. and you say. "God. pity the prison.
err But there ia another sound In tha:
prison. 1t Is the song OF 10y and Rladness
Wha. a place TO sing in The music come
winding through the corridors Of the prison
and in all the dark wards the whisper e
heard What's that? What's that"
1t is the song of Paul and Siias. 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 WOO len
pockets. and Of course they cannot sleep.
But they can sing. Jailer. what are you do
ing with thesefpeople? Why have they been
put In here? Oh, they have been irving to
make the world better. Is that ail7 Tha,
is all. A pit FOR Joseph. A lions, cave for
Daniel. A blazing furnace for Shadrach.
Clubs for John Wesley. An anathema for
PhiIipp Melanchthon. A dungeon for Paul
and Siias.
But while we are standing In the gloom o:
the P~hiltppian dungeon. and We hear the
rningline voices Of sob and groan n BIAS
phemy and hallelujah, suddenly An earth
quake, The iron bars of the prison twist.
the pillars crack of. the solid masonry be-
"insto heave. and all the doors swing open.
The jailer, feeling himself responsible for
these prisoners AMI believing. in his pagan
ignorance. suicide to be honorahle-since
Brutus killed himself. and Cato killed him
self. and Cassius killed himself-put his
sword 10 his own heart. proposing with One
%r-pr,S -aa r,,o - .,& ~ 49, = L;,--
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 mi amid the ruin Of that prison, and I
go" him throwing himself down at the feet
otth"se prisoners, crying out "What shall
Ito? What shall I do?" Did Pau answer
Get out of this place before there is another
earthquake. Put handouts and hobbies on
these other prisoners lest they get away7"
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 Or
saved"
Well, we have all read of the earthquake
in Lisbon, in Lima. in Aleppo and in Cara
cas-. but we live In Il latitude where in 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
49, y up a ihISc OItuuC 1lS Utu
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 I am free and safe from all possi-
bic perturbation" But in 1857 or In 1873 a
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 a 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 hat beautiful
home.
The piano closed the curtains dropped ;
the laughter hushed. Crash go allthose do
nestle hopes and prospects and expecta-
tons. So. my friends, we have all felt the
shaking down OF some great trouble, and
here was a time when we were as much ex-
cited as this man OF the text, and we cried
out as he did "What shall lido? What shall
l do?" The same reply that the apostle
made to him is appropriate to US, "Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved"
There are some documents OF so little in-
por;ance 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
parts ofthe Bible is called "Lord," and in
other parts of the Bible Heis called "Jesus,'
AMI in other parts of the Bible He Is called
"Cnrist.' bur that there might be 10 mis-
take about this passage all three names come
toC~rther-'the Lord Jesus Christ
Now who ia this hpInv thar Won want mr.
TO trust in and believe in? Men sometime;
come 70 me with credentials and certificates
OF good character. but l cannot trust them.
There Is some dishonesty in their looks tina,
makes me know that l shall be cheated if
conide in them. You cannot put you
hearts confidence in Il man until YOU know
what stuff he is made Of. and an l unreason
able when l stop 10 ask you who this is tina
you want me 10 trust In! No man woult
think OF venturinc his life on n vessel go.n-
out 10. seathat had never been Inspected.
No. YOU must have the certificate huns
amidships. telling bow many tons it carries
and how long ago IL WAS built. aud whc
built ii. AMI all about it. Aud YOU canno
expect me 10 risk the cargo of my immorta
interests on board any craft till you tell m
what il is made %, an where 1t was made
and what ii is.
When. then. l ask you who TINS is YOU wan
me 10 trust in. you tell ne He Is 2 very AT
tTdcklNt person. tputefIlEc(u WHITES tt
scribe His whole appearance As being re
splendent. There was no need for Christ I
tell the children to come TO Hin. "Sufe
little children 10 come unto Me- was nc
spoken TO the children. /, was spoken I
the disciples. The children came readil
enough without any invitation. No soona
did Jesus appear than the little ones iumpe
from their mothers arms an avalanche o
beauty and love. into His lap. Christ dl
no, ask John 10 put his head down on II
bosom. John could not help bui put hi
head there. suppose a look AT Christ wa
jus; to love Him. How at,acrive His manner
Why. when they saw Christ comm
along the street. they ran into their house
and they wrapped up their invaiids as q1ic
as they could and brought them out that II
might look n Them. On. there was son,
thing so Pleasant. so inviting. so cheering
everything He did. in His very COX, Nne
these sick ones were brought out. did H
say DO no, bring before Ne thes. sore
Do not trouble Ne with these leprosies :" n
no there was q kind look there was Il Gel
tie word there was 81 healing touch. Tbs
could not keep away from Him
IthinS there are uanv made. the insy
ance ot the Spjri, o. Col woo ara savia.
4 viii trus. Him II YOU will oniv tell II
VT =