The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-01-08
THE JATLER,S QUERY.
"SlRS, WHAT MUST DO TO 81
SAVED"

SAVED"
Rev. DR. Tslmase on the Converted saer-
,ra Question of Incompatible Impor-
.snce--The Cry of an !isits,ed Soul--A
Call to the Cnconverted.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29.-For the
closing discourse Of the year Rev. DR..
Talmage chose subject which appeals
to the unconverted eyerywhere-vlz,
The Philippian Jailer. The text
selected was, "Sirs, what must do to
be saved2" ActsSvi, 80.
Incarcerated in a Philippian peniten,
tiary, place cold and dark and damp
and loatksome and hideous, unillu.
mined save by the torch CT the official
who comes to see II 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
Inflammation of thirst, their heads
faint because they may not lie down.
In a comfortable room OF tnat same
building and amid pleasant surround
ings is a paid officer OF the govern
ment whose business it IS to supervise
the prison. It is night, and al IS stlIl
in the corridors Of the dungeon save as
some murderer struggles with a norrio
dream. or .rutiisn turns over III ms
chains, or there IS the cough OF a dy-
ing consumptive amid the daIapness,
but suddenly crash go the walls: Inc
two clergymen pass out free. Ihe Jai!
keeper, although familiar with the
darkness and the horrors hoverlne
around the dungeon, is startled be,
yond all bounds, and, fambeau IN
hand, he rushes through amid the fall
ing walls, shouting at the top OF his
voice, ''Sirs, what must | do to os
saved2"
Island now among those who are
asking the same question with more
or less earnestness, arr, accost you IN
this crisis of your soul with a message
from heavel. There are those IN this
audience who might be more skillful
in argument than l am; there are
those here who can dive into deeper
depths OF science, or have larger
knowledge; there are in this audience
those before whom I would willingly
bow as the inferior to the superior,
but 7 weld to no one in this assem-,
blage in desire to have all the people
saved by the power of an omnipotent
gospel.
shall proceed to characterize the
question of the agitated Jail keeper.
And first, characterize the question
as courteous. He might have rushed
in and said: Paul and Silas, you
yagabonds, are you tearing down this
PRISON. Aren't you satisfied with dis
turnbiny the peace of the city by your
infamous doctrines2 And are you now
going to destroy public property
Back with you to your places you
vagabonds!" He said no such thing.
The word of four letters, 'ssirs," equi'
valent to "lords," recognized the ma
jesty and the honor of their mission.
Sirs. If man with captious spirit
tries to find the way to heaven, he will
miss it. IF asman comes out and pro
noupces all Christians as hypocrites,
ana .Ae religion of Jesus Christ as a
frauG, and asks irritating questions
about the mysterious and the lnscrut-
able, saying, "Come, my wise man,
explain this and explain that; if this
be true, how can that be true2" no
such man finds the way to heaven.
The question of the text was decent,
courteous, gentlemanly, dsferential.
Sirs!
Again, I characterize this question
of the agitated Jail keeper by saying
that it was apractical question. he
did not ask why God let sin come into
the world, he did not ask how Christ
could be God and man in the same
~persoE, neeGd not ask the doctrine OF
the DEGREES eSpnsssced orwant to know
whom Cain married, what was the
cause Of the earthquake. His present
and everlasting welfare was involved
IN the question, and was not that
practical3 But I know multitudes OF
people who are bothering themselves
about the nonessentials of religion
What would you think OF man who
should, while discussing the question
of the light and heat of the sun, spend
his tine down in coal cellar when
he might come out and seethe one anc
feel the other? Yet there are multi
tudes of men who. IN discussing the
chemistry of the gospel, spend their
time down in the dungeon Of their un,
belief when God all the while stands
telling.them to come out into the noon.
day light and warmth of the sun OF
righteousness. The question for you
my brother, to discuss is not whether
Calvin or Arminius was right, no:
whether handful of water IN holy
baptism or baptistery is the better,
not whether foreordination and free
agency can be harmonized. The prac
teal question for yoa TO discuss and
for me to discuss is, ''Where will ]
spend eternity"
Again, I characterize this question
of the agitated Jail keeper as one per
sonal to himself. I have no doubt ne
had many friends, and he was inter.
ested in their welfare. I have no doubt
he found that there were persons in
that prison who, If the earthquake ha5
destroyed them, would have found
their case desperate. He is not ques
tioning about them. The whole weight
of his question turns on the pronoun
81" ''What shall 6o?" Of course,
when man becomes a Christian, he
Immediately becomes anxious for the
salvation of other people, but until
that point is reached the most impor.
tans question is about your own saliva
ton. What is to be my destiny2'
What are my prospects for the fu
ture2" Where am going% What
shall do2" The trouble is we shuttle
the responsibility off. upon others.
We prophesy bad end to tnat inebrl
ate and terrific exposure to that defaul
fer and aUfl,l catastrophe to that profit