Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-01-04


of you? I 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 tho falling Of Il world.
Invest In Eternal Securities.
Again, I remark, l characterize this
question of the agitatcd jail keeper as
one of incompatible Importance. Men
me alike, and J. suppose he had scores Of
questions on his mind, but all questions
for this world are hushed up, forgotten,
annihilated III this orc question of the
text, "What must l do to be sayed?"
And haze you, my brother, any ques-
ton of importance compared with that
question? Is it question Of business?
Your common sense tells yon that you
viii soon cease worldly business. You
Euan Very we'll that you will soon pass
oui II that partnership. You know that,
beg ~. a certain point, of all the mil
lions Of. dollars worth of goods sold
you Will rot handle yard of cloth, or
pound of sugar, or 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-
nificant is business this side the grave
with business on the other side the
gr2Tol Have you made any purchases
Tor eternity? Have you any securities
tha. viii last forever? Are you jobbing
for zine when you might be wholesal-
ing for eternity? Is there any question
so broad at the base, SO altitudinous, so
oyershadowing rs the question. "What
must do to be savcd?" Or, is it do
mcstic question, is it something about
father or mother or husband or wife or
son on daughter that is the more impor-
tant question? You know by universal
and imexorable law that relation will
soon he 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 ii now to Napoleon lIIwhcther
ne triunphcd or surrendered at Sedan,
whether he died at the Tuileries or
Chiselhurst, whether he was emperor or
exile? Because he was laid ont i'll the
coffin in the dress Of field MARSHAL
did that give him any better chance for
ito future than if he had been laid out
plain shroud? What difference will
il soon make to you or to me whether III
tbs world we walked or rode, whether
vo were bowed to or malueated, wheth-
q wo were applauded or Kissed at, wei
c med in or kicked out: While laying
J. Id of every moment of the future and
barning in every splendor Or every grief
a.. oyerarcling CT 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 AFFILIATED Jail keeper rs one crushed
out by his niisfortunes, pressed out by
his misfortuneS. The falling Of the peni-
tertiary, his occupation was gone. Be-
sides that the flight 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 i'll the stocks, If
the morning sunlight had calmly drop
ped On the iailcr's pillow, do you think
he would have hurled this redhot ques-
tiod from his soul into the ear of his
apostolic prisoners? All, no. You know
as well rs I do it was the earthquake
that reused him up. And it is trouble
thai starts great many people to ask
ina the same question. 1t has been so
with a 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
well as once? Yes. But You say: "While
was prosperod and happy those colors
were accordant with my feelings. Now
thev would be discord TO my soul. p" 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, ooh, if I could
only have it quiet 4 little while. " 1t is
too quiet.
Some people say that they would not
bring back their departed friends from
heaven even if they had the opportu
nifty, bur 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 tho 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 devourirg, 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 a balsam better
than anything that ever exuded from
earthly tree to heal the pang of the soul.
1t 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 tho 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 Jour
heart until Christ lifts it. Was it not
the loss Of you friends, or the persecu-
ton of your enemies, or the overthrow
of your worldly estate-was it not an
earthquake that started yon out to ask
this stupendous question of my text?
Make IL an Urgent Question.
Dr+ ropoorl- AGAIN. T characterize