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

chose subject Whloh appealS TO tDe un-
converted everywhere-yiz, 1.-THE Philip
plan Jailer." The text selunted was,
"Sirs, what must do to be sayedf" Acts
xvi, 80.
Incarcerated in a Philippian peniten-
tiary, place cold and dark and damp and
loathsome and hideous, unillumined save
by the torch Of the official who comes to
see IL they are alive yet, arc 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 comfortable room Of that same build
ing and amid pleasant surroundings is
paid officer of the government whose busi-
ness 1t is to supervise the prison. 1t is
night, and all is still in the corridors of
the dungeon save as some murderer strug-
giles with horrid dream, or ruffian
turns over in his chains, or there is the
cough Of dying oonsumptive amid the
dampness, but suddenly crash 60 the
wallsl 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, fiambeau In hand, he rushes through
amid the falling walls, shouting at the
top of his voice, ''Sirs, what must do to
be sayedf"
l stand now among those who are ask
ing the same question with more or less
earnestness, and / accost you In this crisis
of your soul with message from heaven.
There are those in this audience who
might be more skillful In argument than
I am; there are those here who can dive
into deeper depths of science, or have
larger knowledge; there are in this audi
ence those before whom I would willingly
bow as the inferior to the superior, but
yield to no one in this assemblage In de-
sire to have all the people saved by the
power of an omnipotent gospel
The Freeing Of Paul and siIas.
I shall proceed to characterize the ques-
tion of the agitated Jail keeper. And, first,
characterize the question as courteous.
He might have rushed In and said: Paul
and Silas, you vagabonds, are you tearing
down this prisoni Aren't you satisfied
with disturbing the peace of the city by
your infamous doctrinesp And are you
now going to destroy public property
Back with you to your places, you vaga-
bonds!" He said no such thing. The
word of four letters, "sirs," equivalent
to tlords," recognized the majesty and
the honor Of their mission. Sirs II
man with captious spirit tries to find the
way to heaven, he will miss 1t. If man
comes out and pronounces all Christians
as hypocrjtes, and the religion Of Jesus
| Christ as fraud, and asks irritating
questions about the mysterious and the
inscrutable, saying, "Come, my wise man,
explain this and explain that; If this be
| true, how can that be truei" no such
man finds the way to heaven. The ques-
| tion of the text was decent, courteous, gen.
tlemanly, deferential Sirs!
Again, characterize this question Of
the agitated jail keeper by saying that II
was practical 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 person, he did not ask
| the doctrine of the DEGREES explained OF
want to know whom Cain married, OF
| what was the cause of the earthquake. Hil
present and everlasting welfare was in
volved in the question, and was not thai
| practical? But know multitudes Of peo
pie who are bothering themselves about
the nonessentials Of religion. What would
you think of man who should, while
discussing the question of the light ant
heat of the sun, spend his time down in {
| coal cellar when he might come out an(
see the one and feel the otherp Yet ther,
are multitudes of men who, In discussing
the chemistry of the gospel, spend theil
time down in the dungeon of their unbe
lief when God all the while stands telling
them to come out into the MONDAY ligb
and warmth of the sun of righteousness
The question for you, my brother, to dis
ouss is not whether Calvin or Arminiu
was right, not whether handful of waite
in holy baptism or baptistery is the bet
ter, not whether foreordination and fire.
agency can be harmonized. The practica
question for you to discuss and for me T.
discuss is, "Where will spend eternity?'
A Personal Question.
Il Again, characterize this question o
the agitated Jail keeper as one personal t
himself. / have no doubt he had man.
friends, and he was interested in their wei
fare. have no doubt he found that ther
were persons in that prison who, If tn
earthquake had destroyed them, woul
have found their case desperate. He is no
questioning about them. The Who'll
weight Of his question turns on the pre-
noun "I" What shall dor" OF course
when a man becomes Christian, he i'm
mediately becomes anxious for the saliva
tion of other people, but until that poin
is reached the most important question
about your own salvation. "What is
be my destinyP" "What are my prospect
for the futurep" "Where am goingf
s'What shall I do?' The trouble Is W
J shuttle the responsibility off upon Others
/ We prophesy bad end to that inebriat
and terrific exposure to that defaulter an
awful catastrophe to that profigate. "
are SO busy in weighing other people "
forget ourselves to get into the scales. "
! are so busy watching the poor gardens {
other people that we let our own dooryar
/ go to weeds. We are so busy sending o
Dther people into the lifeboat we sink
the wave. We cry "Firel' because OF
! neighbor's house is burning down an
seem to be uninterested, although our ow
house is in the confagration. o wande
ing thoughts, disappear today. Blet OF
! this entire audience except yourself. Yot
Z sin, is it pardonedp Your death, is 1t pr
y vided for9 Your heaven, Is 1t secured?
\ mightier earthquake than that which d
molished the Philippian penitentiary wi
rumble about your ears The foundation
of the earth will give way. The earth
one tremor will fling all the American ci
les into the dust. Cathedrals and palac
and prisons which have stood for thousan,
4 of wears will topple like child's bloc