Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-12-27
REV. DR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Washington pivlne's
Sunday Sermon.
Subject! 'sJhe PhiIippian Jailer."
TEXT: "Sirs, what must I do to be savedS'
~-Acts XVII, 30.

TEXT. "Sirs, what must do to be saved5
--Acts XVII, 30.
tncarceratel in Phiipplan penitentiary,
Mace cold AN dark an1 damp and loath-
soma and hden1s. unillumined save by tho
torch of the of cial who Domestic see II they
are alive yet, are two ministers or CHRIST
their feet fast in instruments of torture; tneir
shoulders dripping from the stroke OF
leathern thongs, their mouths hot with In
f1ammation of thirst; their heads faint be-
cause they may not lie down: In CON-
Portable room Of that same building and
amid pleasant surroundings Is paid otficer
of the Government whose business 1t is to
superyse the prison. 1t is night and all Is
still in the corridors of the dungeon save as
some murderer struggles with horrid
dream: or ruffian turns over in his chains,
or there is the cough Of dying consumptive
amid the dampness, but suddenly, crash! go
the walls. The two c'ergymen pass out
free. The jail keeper, altb ough familiar with
the darkness ana the horrors hoverlng
around the dungeon, is startled beyond all
bounds, and nenhsau In hand he rushe5
through. amid the falling walls, shouting at
the top of his voice, ''Sirs, what must do to
be saved?'
stand now among those who are asking
the same question with more or less earnest
ness, and accost you in this crisis OF your
soul with a message from heaven. There are
those in this audience who might be more
skillful in argument than l am; there are
those here who can dive into deeper depths
of science or have larger knowledge; there
are in this audience those before whom
would willingly bow as the inferior to the
superior but yield to no one in this assem-.
blage in a desire to have all the people saved
by the power Of an omnipotent gospel.
| shall proceed to characterize the ques-
ton of the agitated jail keeper. Aud first l
characteriz the question rs courteous he
might have rushed in and said paul and
Silas, you yagabonds, are you tearing down
this prison? Aren't you satisfied with dis
turbing the peace OF the city by your In
famous doctrines? Aud are You now going
to destroy public property? Back with you
TO vour places. YOU vagabon sl' He said no
such thing The word Of four letters, "sirs,'"
equivalent to ''loris." recognized the maj
esty and the honor of their mission. Sir! Ii
u man with captious spirit tries to find the
way to heaven, he will miss ii. Ii man
comes out and pronounces all Christians rs
hypocrites and the religion OF Jesus Christ as
a frau and asks irritating questions &9out
the mysterious and inscrutaDle, saying,
"Come my wise man, explain tn and ex-
plain that; If this be trne, how can that be
true?" no such man finds the way to heaven.
The question of hs'text was decent. cour-
teous. gentl manly, deferential. Sirs!
Again. I characterize this question OF the
agifated Jail keeper by saying that it was
practical question, He did not ask why
God let sin come into the world; he did not
ask how Christ could be God aud man in the
same person; he did not ask the doctrine oil
the DEGREES explained or want to know whom
(o.- i'd orx yiat the OF tl9
earthquake. His present and everlasting
welfare was involved in ths question: and
was not that practical? But l know multi
tudes of people who are bothering the m
selves about the nonessentials OF religion.
What would you think ola man who should,
while discussing the question OF the light
and heat of the sun, spend his time down IN
coal cellar when he might come out and
see the one and feel the other? Yet there are
multi,udes of men who, in discussing the
chemistry Of the gospel, spend their time
down in the dungeon of their unbelief when
God all the while lands telling them to come
out into the monday light and warmth OF
the sun of righteousness. The question for
Won. nv brother to discuss Is not whether
Calvin or Arminius was right, not whether
n handful OF water in holy baptism or bap-
tistery is the better, not whether foreordl-
nation and free agency can bs harmonized::
The practical question for you to discuss ana
for me to discuss Is, "Where will l speni
eternity2"
Again, characterize this question OF the
hgitated Jail keeper as one personal to him
self have no doubt he had many friends,
and he was interested in their welfare.
have no doubt he found that there were per-
sons in that prison who. il the earthquake
had destroyed them, would have found their
case desperate. He is not questioning about
them. The whole weight OF bis question
turns on the pronoun Il. ''What shall l
do2" OF course when man becomes q
Christian he Immediately becomes anXio1S
for the salvation OF other people but 44HEl
that point is reached the mport$nt
2VWfli at is to IS be r1SqI s% aPe my
prospects 70. the i,tReTeT' "where am go
ing2" AWbat sSaalI l do2" The trouble is
| we shuttle the responsibility off upon others.
we prophesy a bad end to that inebrlate, and
terrific exposure 10 that deiaulter, and aw-
full catastrophe to that pre- figate. We are
so busy in weighing other people we forget
ourselves to get into the scales. We are 50
busy watching the poor gardens OF other
neonle that we let our own dooryarl 20
TO weeds. We are 50 busy sending off other
peope into the lifeboat we sink in the
wava. We cry "hte" because our neigh
boris house is burning down and seem
10 be uninterestel although our own HOUSE,
is in the conhagration. Oh. wandering
thoughts, disappear today Blot out this
entire audience except yourself Your 3 n,
is it pardoned? Your death, is it provided
for? Your heaven, is 1t securely mightier
earthquake than that which demolished tue
Philppian penitentary will rumble about
your ears. The foundations OF the earth
will give way. The earth by one trenor will
fling all the American cities ihto the dust
Cathedrals and palaces and prisons which
have stood for thousands of years will top
pie like childs blockhouse. The surSes OF
The sea will submerge the LAM and the At
lantic and Pacif Oceans above the APPS aud
The Andes clap their hands. What then will
become of ma? What then will become OF
YOU? Idonot wonder at the anxiety OF this
man of my text, for ne was not on Y anxious
about the falling of the prison, but the fall
ing Of world,
Again remark, / characterize this ques-
ton OF the agitated Jail keeper as one of in
comparable Importance. Men are alike,
and suppose he had scores Of questions on
his mind, but all questions for this world are
hushed up, forgotten, annthilated in this
one question OF the text: "What must Go
to be saved?" And have you, my brother
any question OF importance compared with
that question? Is 1t question of business?
Your common sense tells you that you will
soon cease worldly business You know very
well that you will soon pass out OF that part
ne-S;5in. You know that beyond GER ain
point. of all the millions of dollars worth OF
goods sold you will not han lie yard OF cloth,
or q pound of sugar, or penny worth.
After that. ii conaagration should
sweep all Washington into ashes, it
would not touch you, and would not