Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-01-02
THE JAILER'S QUERY.
"SlRS, WHAT MUST | DO TO BE
SAVEDw

Rev. Dr. Talmage on the Converted Sher.
ir-A Question of Incompatible Impor.
tance--The Cry of an Agitated soul-A
Call to the Unconverted.
WAsIlINGToN Dec. 90. For the closing
discourse of the year Rev. DIR. Talmago
chose subject which appeals to the UNI
converted ovorywhoro-vz, "Tho Philip
plan Jailer." Tho text selected was,
"Sirs, what must do to be savcdY' Acts
xvi, 30.
1ncarceratcd in Phlippian peniten-
tiary, q place cold and dark and damp and
loathsome and hdcous, unillumined save
by the torch Of the official who comes to
Gee IL they arc alive yet, are two ministers
of Christ, their feet fast in instruments of
torture, their shoulders dripping from tho
stroke of leathcrn thongs, their mouths
hot with Inflammation of thirst, their
heads faint because thoy may not lie down.
In comfortable room of that same build
ing and amid pleasant surroundings is y
paid officer Of tho government whose bust
ness it is to supervise tho prison. 1t is
night. and all is still in tho corridors of
the dungeon save as some murderer strug.
giles with horrid dream. or u rufiian
turns over in his chains. or there is the
cough of dying consumptivc amid the
darpncss, but suddenly crash 90 the
walls The two clergymen pass out free.
The iail kcorer, although familiar with tho
darkness and the horrors lowering around
the dungeon, L. startled beyond all bounds.
and. flnmbcau in hand he rushcs through
amid the falling walls, shouting at the
top OF his voice, "Sirs what must / do 10
bc savedS"
! stand now among those who are ask
ingNhe same question with moro or loss
earnestness. and accost you in this crisis
of your soul with message from heaven.
There arc those in this audience who
might be more skilful In argument than
am; there are those hero who can dive
into deeper depths of science or have
larger knowledge there are in this audi
enco those before whom l would willingly
how rs thoinferior to tho superior, but
yield to NJ ono in this asscmblago in dc-
sire tc have all the people saved by the
pow r of an omnipotent gospel.
The Freeing of Paul ana silss.
sLall proceed to characterize the qucs
tion oe the agitatcd Jail keeper. And, first.
characterize the questior rs courteous.
He might have rushed in and 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 public property?
Back with you to your places. you vaga
hohdsu He said no such thing. The
word Of four letters "sirs, equivalents
to LORDS" recognized the majesty and
the honor of their mission. Sirs If a
man with n captious spirit tries to find the
way TO heaven, no will miss it, If "a man
comes out and pronounces all Christians
rs hypocrtes, and tho religion of Jesus
Christ as fraud, and asks irritating
questions about the mysterious and the
inscrutable, saying. "Comc, my wise man.
explain this and explain that; IL this be
true, how can that be true?" no such
man finds the way to heaven. Tho qucs-
Z ton of the text WAS decent courteous, gen
tlemanly, deferential. Srs
Again, / characterize this question Of
the agitatcd 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 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 tho earthquake. His
present and everlasting welfare was in
volvcd in the question, and was not that
practical2 But know multitudes of peo-
pie who arc bothering themselves about
the nonessentials of religion. What would
you think of "a man who should, while
discussing tho question of the light and
heatof the sun, spend his time down in /.
coal cellar when he might come out and
see the one and feel the otherY Yet there
are multitudes of men who. in discussing
tho chemistry of the gospel, spend their
time down in the dungeon of their unbe-
inf vvh ap Cod all tbp xyhila CT anIl fnllinu
them to come out into the MONDAY light
and warmth of the sun Of righteousness.
The question for you, my brother to dis
ciiss is not whether Calvin or Arminius
was right, not whether u handful of water
in holy baptism or u baptistcry is the bet
ter, not whether generalization and free
agency can be harmonized. The practical
question for you to discuss and for mo to
discuss is, "Where will spend eternity"
A Personal Question.
Again, | characterize this question OF
the agitatcd Jail keeper rs ono personal tc
himself. have no doubt he had many
friends, and he was interested in their wei
fare. i have no doubt he found that there
wero persons in that prison who, If the
earthquake had destroyed them. would
have found their case desperate. He is not
questioning about them. The whole
weight Of his question turns on the pro
noun 81. What shall do?' OF course
when man becomes Christian, he i'm.
nediately becomes anxious for tho saliva
ion of other people, but until that point
Is reached the most important question i
ahout your own salvation. What is tt
he my destiny" what are my prospect,
for thn fut1e?" "Where am I going:'
What shall do?" The trouble is We
shuttle tho responsibility off upon others
We prophcsy "A bad end TO that incbratt
AMI terrific exposure to TINT defaultcr ant
awful catastrophe to that profiigate W.
arc So busy in weighing other people ",
forget ourselves to get into the scales. Va
are 30 busy watching the poor gardens o.
other people that we let our own dooryart
go to weeds We are SO busy sending of
other people into the lifeboat we sink il
the wave. We cry "Fire" because ou
ncighbor's house is burning down ant
seem to be uninterestcd, although our owl
house Is in the conflagration. q wander
ing thoughts, disappear today Blot on
this entire audience except yourself. You
sin, is 1t pardoned? Your death, is it pro
yided forY Your heaven, is 1t secured? 4
mightier earthquake than that which de
molished the Philippian penitentiary viii
rumble about your ears. The foundation
of the earth will give way. The earth b,
one tremor will ding all tho American cit
los into tho dust. Cathedrals and palace
andprisons which have stood for thousand
Of years will topple like child's block