Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-01-03
AN AGITATED JAILER
REV. Or. TALMAGE'S CALL TO THE
UNCONVERTED.

The Philippian Sheriff and His Burning
Ouestion-HOw Pardon FLASHES From the
Throne Of God to the Earnest Seeker
For 1t.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29.-For the clos
ing discourse Of the year Rev. DIR. Tai
mage chose a subject which appeals to
the unconverted everywhere-viz, "The
Philippian Jailer." The text selected
was, "Sirs, what must l do to be
saved:" Acts xvi, 80.
Incarcerated in o Philippian peniten-
tiary, a place cold and dark and damp
and loathsome and hideous, unillumined
save by the torch Of the official who
comes to see if they are alive yet, are
two ministers Of Christ, their feet fast
IN instruments of torture, their shoulders
dripping from the stroke of leathern
thongs, their mouths hot with infam-
nation of thirst, their heads faint be-
cause they may not lie down. In COM
Portable room Of that same building and
amid pleasant surroundings is a paid
officer of the government whose business
it is to supervise the prison. 1t is night,
and all is still III the corridors Of the
dungeon save as some murderer strug-
giles with a horrid dream, or a ruffian
turns over in his chains, or thereis the
cough Of a dying consumptive amid the
dampness, but suddenly, crash go the
walls. The two clergymen pass out
free. The Jail keeper, although familiar
with the darkness and the horrors hover
ing around the dungeon, is startled be-
yond all bounds, and fiambeau in hand
he rushes through, amid the falling
walls, shouting at the top Of his voice,
"Sirs, what must do to be saved?"
1 stand now among those who are
asking the same question with more or
less earnestness, and accost you in this
crisis Of your soul with message from
heaven. There are those in this audience
who might be more skillful in argument
than 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 l would
willingly bow as the inferior to the su-
perior, but yield to no one in this as
semblage in desire to have all the peo-
pie saved by the power of an omnipctent
gospel
The Jail Keepers Question.
I shall proceed to characterize the
question of the agitated Jail keeper.
And first I characterize the question as
courteous. He might have rushed in aud
said: Paul and Silas. you vagabonds,
are you tearing down this prison? Aren't
you satisfied with disturbing the peace
of the city by your infamous doctrines?
And are you now going to destroy pub
lie property? Back with you to your
places, you vagabondsp He said no
such thing. The word Of four letters,
"sirs," equivalent to "lords, " recog-
nized the majesty and the honor of their
mission. Sirs If a man with a captions
spirit tries to find the way to heaven,
be will miss it. If a man comes out and
pronounces all Christians as hypocrites
and the religion Of Jesus Christ as
fraud and asks irritating questions about
the mysterious and inscrutable, saying,
Come, my wise man, explain this and
explain that; if this be true, how can
that be true?" no such man finds the
way to heaven. The question Of the text
was decent, courteous, gentlemanly,
deferential. Sirsl
Again, l characterize this question Of
the agitated Jail keeper by saying that it
was a practical question. He did not ask
why God let sin come into the world;
he did not ask how Christ could be God
and man in the same person; he did not
ask the doctrine Of the DEGREES explained
or want to know whom Cain married
or what was the cause Of the earth
quake. His present and everlasting well
fare was involved in the question, and
was not that practical? But 1 know
multitudes Of people who are bothering
themselves about the nonessentials Of
religion. What would you think Of
man who should, while discussing the
question Of the light and heat Of the
sun, spend his time down in a coal cell
lar when be might come out and see
the one and feel the other? Yet there
are multitudes Of men who, in discuss
ing the chemistry Of the gospel, spend
their time down in the dungeon Of their
unbelief when God all the while stands
telling them to come out into the noon
day light and warmth Of the sun Of
Righteousness. The question for you, my
brother, to discuss is not whether Cal
win or Arminius was right, not whether
q handful Of water in holy baptism or a
baptistery is the better, not whether
foreordination and free agency can be
harmonized. The practical question for
you to discuss and for me to discuss Is,
"where will / spend eternityf"
'what Shall Do9"
Again, ] characterize this question OF
the agitated Jail keeper as one personal
to himself. l have no doubt he had
many friends, and he was interested in
their welfare. / have no doubt he
found that there were persons in that
prison who, if the earthquake had de-
stroyed them, would have found their
case desperate. He is not questioning
about them. The whole weight of his
question turns on the pronoun 81 "
"What shall / do?" OF course when a
man becomes a Christian he immediate
" becomes anxious for the salvation Of
other people. but until that point is
reached the most important question is
about your own salvation. "What is to
be my destiny?" "What are my pros
poets for the future?" "Where am l 60
ing7, "What shall / do?" The trouble
is we shuttle the responsibility of upon
others. We prophesy a bad end to that