The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-01-09
falling Of the prison, but the falling Of

i
a world.
Again, I remark. i characterize this
question of the agitated jailkeeper as
one of Incompatible Importance. Maa
are alike, and / suppose he had scores
Of questions on his mind, but all ques-
lions for this world are hushed up,
forgotten. annihilated in this one ques-
1 ton Of the text: what must ]. do to
be saved p And have you, my broth
/ er, any question Of Importance COM
pared with that question Is it not a
question of business? Your common
sense tells you that you will soon
cease worldly business. You know
very well that you will soon pass out.
of that partnership. You know that
beyond certain point, of all the mill
ions Of dollars worth of goods sold,
i you will not handl a yard Of cloth,
OF q pound of sugar, or a penny's
| worth. After that If confiagration
should sweep all Washinton into ashes
i it would not touch you, and would not
damage you. If every cashier should
Abscond and every bank suspend pay
ment. and every insurance company
fail, 1t would not affect you. Oh, how
insignificant is business this side the
grave with business on the other side
the grave! Have you made any pur-
chases for eternity? Have you any
securities that will last forever? Are
you jobbing for time when you might
be Wholesaling for eternity. Is there
any question so broad at the base, so
/ altltudinOus, so overshadowing as the
| question: "What must I do to be
saved?" Or is it a domestic question,
is it something about father, or moth
er; or husband, or wife, or son, or
daughter that is the more important
question? You know, by universal
and memorable 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 it's chief gains, or de-
plore It's worst losses, or roll up it's
m1ghtiest magnitudes, Ur sweep it's
vaster circles.
oh, what an question, what a i'm
portant question Is there any cues
ton that compares with it in import
ance? What is it now to Napoleon III
whether he triumphed or surrendered
at Sedan? Whether he died at the
! Tullerles or Chiselhurst? Whether he
was emperor or exile? Because ne was
laid out in the coffin in the dress of a.
field marshal, did that give. him any
better chance for the future than if
he had been laid out in plain shroud {?
What difference will it soon make to
you or to NE whether in this world we
walked or rode, whether we were
bowed to or maltreated. whether we
were applauded or Kissed at, Welcom-
| ed IN or kicked out? While laying hold
or every moment of the future, and
burning in every splendor or every
grief; and overarching or undergrad
ing all time and all eternity will be
the plain. startling. infinite, stipend
GUS question of the text: "What must
I do to be saved?" .s iii
Again, 1 characterize this question
Of the agitated jailkeeper as one
crushed out by his misfortunes, press
ed out by his misfortunes. The falling
Of the penitentiary, his occupation was
gone. Besides that the flight of a pris-
oner was ordinarily the death of the
jailer. He was held responsible. If
all had gone well, if the prison walls
had not been shaken of the earth
quake. If the prisoners had all stayed
quiet in the Stocks if the morning sun
light had calmly dropped on the Jail
er's pillow. do you think he would
have hurled this red-hot question from
his soul into the ear of his apostolic
prisoners? All! no; you know as we'll
as do it was the earthquake that
reused him up. And it is trouble that
starts great many people to asking
the same question. 1t has been so
with multitude of you. Your APP
parel is not as bright as it once was
Why have you changed your garb?
Do you not like the solferino, and
crimson, and purple as well as once?
Yes. But you say: "While I was
prospered and happy those colors were
accordant with my feelings; now they
would be discord to my SOUL" And
so you have plated up the shadows
into your apparel. The world is a very
different place from what it was once
for you. Once you said: ooh, if 1
could have. it quiet little while" It
is too quiet. Some people say that they
would not bring back their departed
friends from heaven, even if they had
| the opportunity; but if you had the op-
| portunity you would bring back your
! loved ones and soon their feet would
| be sounding in the hall, and soon their
voices would be heard in the family;
| and the old times would come back
| just as the festal days of Christmas
/ and Thanksgiving-days gone forever.
Oh, it is the earthquake that startled
| you to asking this questionable earth
| quake of domestic misfortune. Death
is so cruel, so devouring, so relentless,
that when it swallows up our loved
ones we must have some one to whom
we can carry our torn and bleeding
hearts. We need a balsam better than
anything that ever exuded from
| earthly tree to heal the pang of soul.
1t is pleasant to have our friends gath
| er around us and tell us how sorry
they are, and try to break up the lone
Illness; but nothing but the hand of
Jesus Christ can take the bruised soul
| and put it in his bosom, hushing it
with the lullaby of heaven, o, broth
er! o! sister! the gravestone will
never be lifted from your heart until
Christ lifts it. Was it not the loss Of
your friends, or the persecution Of
your enemies, or the overthrow of
your worldly estate-was it not an
earthquake that started you out to ask
! this stupendous question of my text?
| p1,4 y q -