Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-01-03

Andes clap their hands. What then VIII
become Of me: What then will become
Of you? do not wonder at the anxiety
Of this man Of my text, for he was not
only anxious about the falling Of the
prison, but the falling Of a world.
Invest In Eternal Securities.
Again, remark, l characterize this
question Of the agitated Jail keeper as
one Of Incompatible importance. Men
are alike, and l suppose he had scores Of
questions ON his mind, but all questions
for this world are hushed up, forgotten,
annihilated in this one question Of the
text, "What must 1 do to be sayed:"
And have you, my brother, any ques-
tion of importance compared with that
question? Is it a 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 partnership. You know that,
beyond a certain point, Of all the mil
lions Of dollars worth Of goods sold
you will not handle yard Of cloth, or
a pound Of sugar, or a penny's worth.
After that, if a conflagration should
sweep all Washington into ashes, it
would not touch you, and would not
damage you. If every cashier should alb
scond and every bank suspend payment
and every insurance company fail, it
would not affect you. Oh, how insig-
nifcant is business this side the grave
with business on the other side the
grave Have you made any purchases
for eternity? Have you any securities
that will last forever? Are you jobbing
for time when you might be wholesal-
ing for eternity? Is there any question
so broad at the base, so altitudinous, so
overshadowing as the question, "What
must do to be saved?" Or, is it do
mestic question, is it something about
father or mother or husband or wife or
son or daughter that is the more impor-
tant question? You know by universal
and inexorable law that relation will
soon be broken up. Father Will be gone,
mother will be gone, children will be
gone, you will be gone, but after that
the question Of the text will begin to
harvest its chief gains or deplore its
worst losses or roll up its mightiest
magnitude OF sweep its vastor circles.
What Difference Does 1T Make?
Oh, what a question, what an impor-
tant question! Is there any question
that compares with it in Importance!
What is it now to Napoleon III whether
he triumphed OF surrendered at Sedan,
whether he died at the Tuileries or
Chiselhurst, whether he was emperor or
exile? Because he was laid out in the
coffin in the dress Of a field marshal,
did that give him any better chance for
the future than if he had been laid out
in q plain shroud? What difference Will
it soon make to you or to me whether IN
this world we walked or rode, whether
we were bowed to or maltreated, wheth-
er we were applauded or Missed at, vel
coined in or kicked outi While laying
hold of every moment Of the future and
burning in every splendor or every grief
and overarching or undergirding all
time and all eternity will be the plain,
startling, infinite, stupendous question
Of the text, "What must l do to be
saved:"
Again, characterize this question Of
the agitated Jail keeper as one crushed
out by his misfortunes, pressed out by
his misfortunes. The falling Of the peni-
tentiary, his occupation was gone. Be-
sides that the fight Of a prisoner was
ordinarily the death Of the jailer. He
was held responsible. If all had gone
well, if the prison walls had not been
shaken Of the earthquake, if the prison
ers had all staid quiet in the stocks, if
the morning sunlight had calmly drop
ped on the jailer's pillow, do you think
he would have hurled this redhot ques-
ton from his soul into the ear Of his
apostolic prisoners? All, no. You know
as well as l do it was the earthquake
that reused him up. And it is trouble
that starts a great many people to ask
ing the same question. 1t has been so
with multitude Of you. Your apparel
is not as bright as it once was. Why
have you changed the garb? DO you not
like solferino and crimson and purple as
we'll as once? Yes. Butyou say; while
l was prospered and happy those coiors
were accordant with my feelings Now
they would be discOrd to my soul" And
so you have plated up the shadows into
your apparel The world is very differ
ent place from what it was once for
you Once you said, "Oh, if l could
only have it quiet little while. " 1t is
too quiet.
Some people say that they would not
bring back their departed friends from
heaven even if they mad the opportu
nifty, but if you had the opportunity
you would bring back your loved ones,
and soon their feet would be sounding
in the hall, and soon their voices would
be heard in the family, and the old times
would come back just as the festal days
of Christmas and Thanksgiving-days
gone forever Oh, it is the earthquake
that startled you to asking this question
the earthquake Of domestic misfor-
tune Death is so cruel, so devouring, so
relentless, that when it swallows up our
loved ones we must have some one to
whom we can carry our torn and bleed
ing hearts. We need balsam better
than anything that ever exuded from
earthly tree to heal the paDg of the soul
It is pleasant to have our friends gather
around us and tell us how sorry they are,
and try to break up the loneliness, but
nothing but the hand of Jesus Christ can
take the bruised soul and put it in his
bosom, hushing it with the lullaby OF
heaven. o brother o sister The grave
stone will never be lifted from your
heart until Christ lifts it, Was it not
the loss Of you friends, or the persecu-
ti0n Of your enemies, or the overthrow
Of your worldly estate-was it not an
earthquake that started You out to ask
this stupendous question Of my textf
Make It an Urgent Question.
But l remark again, l characterize
this question Of the agitated Jail keeper
as hasty, urgent and immediate. He pat
it on the run. By the light of his torch