The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1896-01-10

$3.50 " thaL ano dNLA "a
tastrophe to that profigate. We ar
so busy in weighing other people W
forget ourselves to get into the scales
We are so busy watching the poor gar
cens OF other people that We let oul
W dooryard go to weeds. We are 81
busy sending off other people into The
lifeboat we sink in the wave. We cry
fire" because our neighbours house i:
burning down and seem to be unin'
terested although our own house is in
the conflagration. o wandering
thoughts. disappear today. Blot out
this entire audience except yourself
Your sin, is it pardOned? Your death
is 1t provided for? Your heaven, is ii
secured? A mightier earthquake than
that which demolished the Philippian
penitentiary will rumble about your
ears. The foundations of the earth will
give way. The earth By one tremor will
fling all the American cities into the
dust. Cathedrals and palaces and pris-
ons which have stood for thousands OF
years will topple like a child's block
house. The surges of the sea will sub
merge the land, and the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans above the Alps and the
Andes, clap their hands. What then
will become of me? What then will be-
come OF you? 1 do not wonder at the
anxiety of this man Of my text. for he
was not only anxious about the fall
ing of the prison, Dut the falling Of
a world.
Again, [ remark: I characterize this
question of the agitated jall-keepcr as
n of incompatible Importance. Men
are alike, and l suppose he had scores
OF questions on his mind, but all ques-
tions for this world are hushed up,
forgotten, annihilated in this one ques-
ton of the text: what must l do to
be saved?" And have you, my brother,
any question of Importance compared
with that question? Is it a question OF
business? Your common sense tells
you that you will 500 cease worldly
business. You know very well that
you Will soon pass out OF that partner
ship. You know that beyond a certain
point, Of all the millions Of dollars
worth of goods sold, you will not handle
a yard of cloth, or a pound of sugar,
or a penny's worth. After that, if a
conf1agration should sweep all Wash
ington into ashes, it would not touch
you, and would not damage you. If
every cashier should abscond and every
bank suspend payment, and every in
surance company fail, it would not af-
feet you. Oh, how insignificant is bust
ness this side Of the grave compared
with business on the other side the
grave! Have you made any purchases
for eternity? Is there any question so
broad at the base, SO altitudinous, so
overshadowing as the question: What
must l co to be savci?" Or. Is 1t a
domestic question, is it something about
father, OF mother, or husband, or wife, |
or son, or daughter that is the more
important question? You know by uni
versal and memorable law that rela-
ton will soon be broken Up. Father
will be gone, mother will be gone, chill
dren will be gone, you will be gone; but
after that, the question of the text will
begin to harvest its chief gains, or de-
plore its worst losses, or roll up it's
mightiest magnitudes, or sweep it's
vaster circles.
Again, I characterize this question Of
the agitated j~ail-keeper as one crushed
out by his misfortuAes, pressed out
by his misfortunes. The falling of the
pe%nitentiary, his occupation was
Besides that the flight CT q prisoner was
ordinarily the death of the jailer. He
was held responsible. If all had gone
we'll, If the prison walls had not been
of the earthquake, if the pris-
oners had all stayed quiet in the stocks,
If the morning sunlight had calmly
dropped on the ~jailer's pillow, do you
think he would have hurled this red
hot question from his soul into the
ear of his apostolic prisoners? All!
no; you know as well as 1 do it was
he earthquake that reused him I'D. And
t is trouble that starts a great many
people to asking the same question. 1t
has been 81 with a multitude of you.
You apparel is not as bright as it once
vas. Why have you changed the garb?
Do you not like solferino, and Grim
on, and purple as well as once? Yes.
But you say: while I was ~prospered
nd happy those colors we're a~ccordant
With my feelings; now they would be
Iiscord to my SOUL" And so you have
,laited up the shadows into your ap-
The world is a very different
lace from what it was once for you
)nce you said: "Oh, if I could only
ave it quiet for a little while" 1t is
90 quiet. Some people say that they
not bring back their departed
from heaven even if they had
he opportunity; but if you had the OPP
ortunity you would bring back your
owed ones and soon their feet would
e heard in the family, and the o,dtimes
Iould come back just as the festal days
f Christmas and Thanksgiving-days
one forever. Oh, it is the earthquake
hat startled you to asking this ques-
earthquake Of domestic mis-
ortune. Death is so cruel, so devour-
lg, SO relentless, that when it swal- {