The Yale expositor., 1896-01-03

posure 10 tnut ueiauiter, ana awful ca
tastrophe to that proAigate. We are
80 busy In weighing other people we
forget ourselves to get into the scales.
We are SO busy watching the poor gar
Gems OF other people that we let our
own dooryard go to weed. We are so
busy sending off other people into the
lifeboat we sink in the wave. We cry
"fire! because our neighoor's house Is
burning down and seem to be unin-
terested although our own house is IN
the confagration. o wandering
thoughts, disappear today. Blot out
this entire audience except yourseii.
Your sin, Is 1t pardoned? Your death,
is 1t provided for? Your heaven, is II
secured? A mightier earthquake than
that which demolished the Philippian
penitentiary will rumble about your
ears. The foundations of the earth will
give way. The earth By one tremor viii
fling all the American cities into the
dust. Cathedrals and palaces and pris.
ons which have stood for thousands Of
years will topple like O. child's block
house. The surges OF the sea will sub
merge the land, and the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans above the Alps and the
Andes, clap their hands. What then
will become Of me? What then will be-
come of you? l do not wonder at the
anxiety Of this mvn of my text, for he
was net only anxious about the fall
Ing OF the prison, Jut the falling OF
world.
Again, I remark: characterlZe this
question of the agitatel jall"keeper as
one Of Incompatible importance. Men
are alike, and ! suppose he had scores
OF questions On his mind, but all ques-
tions for this world are hushed up
forgotten, annihilated In this one ques-
tion Of the text: What must l do TO
be saved?" And have you, my brother
any question OF Importance compared
with that question? Is it 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 partner
ship. You know that teyoId certain
point, of all the millions OF dollars
worth Of goods sold, you will not handle
yard Of cloth, or q pound Of sugar,
or penny's worth. After that, If a
conflagration should sweep all Wash
ington into ashes, il would not touch
you, and would not damage you. If
every cashier should abscond and every
bank suspend payment, and every in
surance company fall. it would not af-
feet you. On, how insignificant Is bugi-
ness this side OF the grave compared
with business on the other side the
grave! Have you m;de any purchases
for eternity? Is there any question so
broad at the base, so altitudinOus, so
overshadowing as the question: What
must ! do 10 be sayci?" Or. is II
domestic question, is IL something about
father, or mother, or husband, or wife,
or son, or daughter that ia the more
important question? You know by uni
versal and inexorablc law that rela-
ton will soon he broken Up. Father
will be gone, mother will be gone, chill
dren will be gone, you will be gone; but
after that, the question Of the text will
begin to harvest its chief gains, or de-
plore it's worst Losses, or roll up its
mightiest magnilndc2, or sweep its
vaster circles.
Oh. what n question, what an impor-
tant Question. Is there any question
that compares with it in Importance?
What ie it now to Napoleon III. whether
he triumphed or surrendered at Sedan,
whether he died at the Tnileries o.
Chiselhurst, whether he vas emperor
or exile. Because he was laid out in the
coffin in the dress OF q field marshal,
did that give him any better chance
for the future than il he had been
laid out In plain shroud? What Diff
ference viii it soon make to you or TO
me whether we were bowed to or NAL
treated, whether we were applauded CT
hisged ut. welcomed Or kicked out?
while laying hold Of every moment OF
tho future, and burninS II every splen-
dor OF every grief, and overarching or
urdcrgirdling all time and all eter-
nifty will be the plain, startling, in
finite. stupendous question of the text;
what muat DO 20 be saved?"
Again, characterize this question OF
the agitated jail-Eecper as one crushed
out by his misfortuneG, pressed out
by his rnisfortunc5. The falling of tho
peni.ent;ary, his occupation was gone.
Besides that the flight OF prisoner was
ordinarily the death of the iailer. He
was held responsible. If all had gone
well. # the prison walls had not been
shaken OF the earthquake, if the pris-
oners had ell stayed quiet in the stocks,
If the morning sunlight had calmly
dropped on the jaiIer'5 pillow, do you
think he would have hurled this red
hot question from his soul into the
ear OF his apostolic prisoners? Ahl
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 asking tho same question. IL
has been so with a multitude OF you.
You apparel IL not cs bright as 1t once
was. Why have you changed the garb?
Do you not like solferino, and GRIM
son, and purple as well as once? Yes.
But you say, while was prospered