The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1896-01-03
QUESTION ASKED
BY THE PHILLIpPIAN JAILOR.
DIR. Talnlage Says There Should BE Nc
Postponement.

Incarcerated in Philippian penitentiary,
place cold AMI dark and damp and loath-
some and htdeous, unillumined save by the
torch of the official who comes to SEQ IL they
are alive yet, are two ministers of Christ,
their feet fast in instruments Of torture. their
shoulders dripping from the stroke OF
leathern thongs, their mouths hot with in
fammation of thirst. their heads faint be-
Portable room of that same building and
amid pleasant surroundings is n paid officer
OF the Government whose business 1t Is to
supervise the prison 1t is night and all is
still In the corridors OF the dungeon save as
some murderer struggles with horrid
dream, or a rufiian turns over in his chains.
or there is the cough OF Il dying cOnsumptive
amid the damp9ess. but suddenly. crash go
the walls. The two clergymen pass out
free. The Jail keeper. although familiar with
the darkness and the horrors lowering
around the dungeon is startled beyond all
bounds. and nanh-au in hand he rushes
through, amid the falling walls, shouting AT
the top OF his voice, "Sirs, what must ! do to
be savcd?'
l stand now among those who are asking
the same question with more or less earnest
ness, and accoSt you in this crisis of your
soul with n message from heaven. There are
those in this audiences who might be more
skillGul in argument than L nm; there are
those here who can dive into deeper depths
Of science or have larger knowledge; there
are in this audience those before whom
superior. but yinld to no one in this assem-
blacain u desire to have all tho peOp'e saved
by tho power OF an omnipo;ent gospel
shnli proceed to characterize the ques-
tion OF the agtatcd Jail keeper. And first
characteri2a the question Us courteous. He
might have rushed in and said "Paul and
Slas. You vagabon1s, arc You tearing down
this prison? Aren'i you satisfied with dis
turbing the peace OF the city by your in
famous doctrines? And are You now going
80 destroy public property? Back with vou
to yOrr places. you vugahOni!S," He said no
such thing. The word Of four letters, ''sirs,'
equivalent to "lordS. rccoSniHcd the mai
SSty and the honor OF their mission. SirS, If
man with n captious spirit tries to find the
way to heaven he will miss it. II man
comes out and pronounces all Christians as
hypocrites and the religion OF Jesus Christ "a
Il fraud and asks irritating questions about
the mysterious and inscrutable, saying,
Come, my wise man, explain this and ex-
plain that; If this be trne. how can that be
true?' no such man finds the way to heaven.
The question OF the text was decent, cOur-
teous. Sentl manly defercntial. Sirs
Again. ] characterize this question OF the
agitatel Jail keeper by saying that il was a
practical question He did not ask why
God let sin come into the world; he did not
ask how Christ could b. God and man in the
same person; he did not ask the doctrine Of
the dccrcaS cX Xnaincd or want to know whOm
Cain married ur what was the cause oi the
earthquake. Ills present AMI everlasting
welfare wa, involved in the question, and
was not that practi"ni? But ] know multi
tudcS of rropl" who are bothprng the m
selves about the nOu"SSrutialS OF religion.
What would You think ora man who should.
while discussing the question OF the li-,ht
and heat OF the sun. spend his time down in
Il coal cellar when he might como out an
see the one ana feel tho other? Yc.therr are
muIiildl"s OF men VINO, in discussing tho
chemistry OF the gospel, spend their time
down in the dungeon of thrir unbelicf when
God all the while stands telling them to come
out into the noondav light and warmth OF
the sun Of righteousness. The question for
you my brother, to aiS.uSS is not whether
Calvin or Arminius was right. not whether
hanliu! of water in hoty baptism ora haD-
tistery is the better. not whether forcor,!i-
nation and free agency can be harmoniZcd
The practical question for YOU 10 discuss and
for mo to discuss is, 'Whcre will | spend
etnrnity?"
Again characterize this question Of tho
agitated Jail keeper rs one personal to him
self. / nave no doubt he hat many friends.
and he was interested in their welfare. /
nave no doubt he found that there were per-
sons i'll thgt prison who. ir the carthuuaSr
had destroyed them. woutd have found their
ease desperate. He il not questioning about
them. Tho who!" weigh; of his question
turns on the prunOun Il. ''What shall |
do!' or course when man becomes Il
Christian he Immediately becomes anxious
for the salvation Of other people but until
iHtt ipll.k IL T't''Ntu tll' !lt'SI lmDDrIunt
question is about your own salvation
What is to be my destiny" What are my
prospects for the futurc?" ''Whcre am GO
ing?' "What shall ] dO?' The trouble is
we Shuft'c the responsibility off upon others
We prOphcsy bad cnl to that in"briatc and
terrific exposure to thu. dn.auter. and aw-
..nr ':.;Ntrophe to that pro ni.;at". We are
so busy in weighing Other people we forget
ourselves to sc, INTO the scales We arc so
busy watching tho poor gardens of other
npDnln InnrN-nrl
to weeds. We are so busy sending OF other
people into tho lifcbDut we sink i'm the
wave. We cry ''ilie' because our neigh
bor's house * burning down and seem
to be unintcrrSt"d although our own house
is in the coniia%ration. Oh. wandering
thoughts, disappear to-day! Blot out this
entire audience except yourself. Your sin
is it pardOncl? Your death. is it provided
for? Your heaven. is ii secured? 4 mightier
earthquake than that which demolished the
Phiiippian p"nit"niiIry will rumble about
Your ears. M" iDUniutiunS ui the earth
will give way. TIL" earth 10y one trcmor will
Him, nll the American cities into til" dust.
Cathrdrdis ani palaces and prisons which
nav" ~tOoi r"r tnpus;n'!% OF TcarS VIII top
p." Ike Il chli'S blocihpu-c. tn" >ur-"S 81
the Sra Will Sui"u"r:" the lhnl AMI the At
ianii' ana Piriii Oceans above the Ains and
the Andes clap their hands. What then will
become OF mcI WHAT then will becUmc o,
yon? donot wond"rat tho anxiety of this
man OF my text. for he was not ou!y anX;ou.
about the falling ot the prison, bat tho fall
ing OF u world.
Again. remark. I characterize this uucs-
tion OF the aSitat"l jail keeper Us one OF in
comparable Importance. Men are alike,
and I suppose he had scores OF questions on
his mind, but all questions for this world are
hushcd up, forgotten, annihilatcl in this
one question of tn. text: "What must ] do
to hc savcd?" And have you. my brother,
any question OF Importance compared with
that question: Is it Il question of business?
Your common sense tells you that you will
soon cease worldly business. You know very
we'll that you will soon pass out of that part
nership. You know that, beyond Il ccr;ain
point, of all the millions OF dollars worth of
goods sold you will not handle yard Of cloth,
or pound OF sugar, or n pcnnys worth.
After that il conilagration should