Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-01-02

do not wonder at tile anxiety Of this man
Of my text, for he was not only anxious
about the falling o. the prison, but the
falling Of a world.
Again, l remark, characterize this
question Of the agitated jail keeper as one
Of incompatible Importance. Men are
alike, and suppose ho had scores Of ques-
tions on his mind, but all questions foi
this world are hushed up, forgotten, ami.
hilated In this one question Of the text,
"What must do to be savedf" And have
you, my brother, any question of impor-
tance compared with that question? Is 1t
a question Of businessS Your common
sense tells you that you will soon cease
worldly business. You know very well
that you will soon pass out of that part
nership You know that beyond certain
| point Of all the millions of dollars worth
| of goods sold you will not handle yard Of
| 10th, or pound of sugar, or a penny's
| worth. After that, If conhagration
should sweep all Washington into ashes, 1t
would not touch you and would not DAM
age you. If every cashier should abscond,
and every bank suspend payment, and ev-
cry insurance company fail, 1t would not
affect you. Oh, how insignificant Is busi-
ness 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
wholesaling for eternityP Is there any
question SO broad at the base, so altitu-
dinous, SO overshadowing as the question,
"What must do to be saved2" Or is 1t a
domestic question: Is IT something about
father or mother or husband or wife or
son or daughter that is the more important
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 magnitudes, or sweep Its
vaster circles.
Oh, what question-what an impor-
tant question: Is there any question that
compares withit in Importance What Is
it now to Napoleon III whether he tri-
umphed or surrendered at Sedan, whether
he died at the Tuileries or Chiselhurst,
whether he was emperor or exile? Be-
cause he was laid out in the coffin in the
dress of field marshal did that give him
any better chance for the future than II
he had been laid out in plain shroudi
What difference will it soon make to you
} or to me whether in this world we walked
or rode, whether we were bowed to OF
maltreated, whether we were applauded OF
Missed at, welcomed in or kicked outi
While laying hold of every moment Of the
future and burning in every splendor OF
every grief and overarching or undergrad
ing all time and all eternity will be the
plain, startling, infinite, stupendous ques
tion of the text, "What must / do to b(
saved?"
The Philippian Jai1er.
Again, I characterize this question o.
the agitated jail keeper as one crushed out
by his misfortunes pressed out by his mis-
fortunes. The falling of the penitentiary
: his occupation was gone. Besides that tn
flight of prisoner was ordinarily th,
: death of the jailer. He was held respon
7 sible. II all had gone well IL the prison
walls had not been shaken Of the earth
; quake; II the prisoners had all staid quie
in the stocks; If the morning sunlight hat
; calmly dropped on the jailer's pillow, d,
you think he would have hurled this red
hot question from his soul into the ear o
his apostolic prisoners? All, no! Yol
know as we'll as do it was the earthquake
that reused him up. And it is troubl
! that starts great many people to asking
. the same question. 1t has been so with
!. multitude of you. Your apparel is not a
: bright as it once was. Why have yol
changed the garb? Do you not like softer
T ino and crimson and purple as we'll q
: once9 Yes, but you say: "While L wa
9 prospered and happy those colors were &C
1 cordant with my feelings. Now the
. would be discord to my soul" And s
you have plated up the shadows into you
apparel. The world Is very differen
L place from what it was once for you
o Once you said, "Oh, If could only hav
v it quiet little while" 1t is too quiet.
/ Some people say that they would nc
Q bring back their departed friends froI
Q heaven even If they had the opportunity
d but if you had the opportunity you woul
It bring back your loved ones, and soon thei
Q feet would be sounding in the hall, an
= | soon their voices would be heard in th
}, family, and the old times would come bac
l. just as the festal days of Christmas an
l
It is the earthquake that startled you to ash
IS ing this question-the earthquake of d,
% mestic misfortune. Death is SO cruel, {
IS devouring, SO relentless, that when it swa
~ lows up ourloved ones we must have SON
q one to whom we can carry our torn an
J. bleeding hearts. We need balsam bettt
10 than anything that ever exuded frol
d earthly tree to heal the pang Of the sou
'e 1t is pleasant to have our friends gath,
10 around us and tell us how sorry they al
re and try to break up the loneliness, bl
,f nothing but the hand of Jesus Christ ca
d take the bruised soul and put it in h
ff bosom, hushing it with the lullaby
n heaven. o brother! o sister! The grav
If stone will never be lifted from your hea
ID until Christ lifts it, Was 1t not the loss
n your friends, or the persecution of yol
r. enemies, or the overthrow of your world
1T estate-was it not an earthquake tn
1r started you out to ask this stupendol
o. question of my text?
A How to Get an Answer.
9, But remark again, characterize th
III question of the agitated jailkeeper
ls hasty, urgent and immediate. He put
y on the run. BY the light Of his torch
u he goes to look for the apostles behold b
% face, see the startled look and see the Ga
as nestness No one can doubt by that lot
4 that the man is in earnest. He must ha
y that question answered before the ear
e stops rocking, or perhaps he will nev
es have it answered at ALL Is that the wa
10 my brother, my sister, you are puttil
= this question: Is it on therun9 Is it hast
Is 1t urgent? Is it immediate? If it is nc
1t will not be answered. That is the on
kind Of question that is answered. 1t