The Yale expositor., 1896-01-03

| tiary, place cold, and dark, and Damp,
and loathsome, and hideous, unillum-
ined save by the torch OF 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
lcathern thongs, their mouths hot with
Inflammation of thirst. their heads
faint because they may not lie down.
In comfortable room OF that same
building, and amid pleasant surround
ings, Is paid officer o the govern
ment whose business II Is to supervise
the prison. It is night and all Is still
in the corridors Of the dungeon save
as some murderer struggles with hor-
! rid dream, or rufian turns over in his
chains. or there is the cough of dying
consumptive amid .le dampness; 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 fiamtcau in hand he
rushes through amid the falling walls,
| shouting at the top of his voice: "Sirs,
| what must do to be sGved?"
stand now among those who are
| asking the same question with more o:
less earnestness and acccst you in this
crisis OF your soul with message from
heaven. There are those in this audi
ence 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 audience those be-
fore whom I would willingly bow as
! the inferior to tho 5uporior; but yield
to no one in this assomblage in de-
sire 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, I characterize the question
as courteous. He might have rushed in
and said: Paul and Silas, you vaga-
| bonds, are you tearing down this pris-
on? Aren't you satisfied with disturb
| ing the peace of the city by your in
famous doctrines? 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, "Sirsw equiva-
lent to lords" recognized the majesty
and honor OF their mission. Srs! II
man with a captous spirit tries to
find the way to heaven he will miss
ii. If man comes cut and pronouncas
aa Christians as hypocrites and the
religion Of Jesus ChriSr as fraud, and
asks irritating question: about the
mysterious and the inscrutable. say
ing, Come, my wise man, explain this
and explain that; Il this DC true how
can that be true ?"--no such man finds
the way to heaven. Tho question of
the text was decent, courteous, gentle
manly, deferential. Sirs.
Again, characterize this question CT
the agitated jail-keeper by saying that
it was practical question. He did not
ask why God let Sin come into tho
world, he did not ask how Christ could
be God and man in the same person,
he did not ask the doctrine OF the de-
crees explained or |ant to know whom
Cain married, or what was the cause OF
the earthquake. His present and ever
lasting welfare was involved in the
question, and was not that practical?
But ! know multitudes of people who
are bothering themselves about the
non essentials of religion. What would
you think of man who should, while
discussing the question Of the light and
heat of the sun, spend his time down
in a coal cellar, when he might come
out and see the one and feel the other?
Yet there arc multitudes Of men who,
in discussing the chemistry Of the Cos
pei, spend their time down IN the dun
geon of their unbelief, when God all
the while stands telling them to come
out into the monday light and warmth
of the Sun Of righteousness. The ques-
ton for you, my brother, to discuss is
not whether Calvin or Arminius was
right, not whether handful OF water
in holy baptism or a baptlstery Is the
better, not whether foreordination and
free agency can be harmonized. The
practical question for you to discuss,
and for me to discuss, Is, Where will
I spend eternity?"
Again, characterize this question OF
the agitated jail-keeper as enc personal
to himself. I have no doubt he had
many friends, and he vas interested in
their welfare. have no doubt he
found that there were persons in that
prison who, IL the earthquake had de-
stroyed them, would have found their
case desperate. He 10 not question
ing about them. The while weight of
his question turns on the pronoun 81"
What shall I do?" OF course, when
man becomes Christian, he imme-
diately becomes anxious for the saliva
tion Of other people, but until that point
Is reached the most important question
is about your own salvation. What
Is to be my destiny?" What are my
prospects for the future?" Where am
I going?' what shall I do?" The
trouble is we shuttle tho responsibility
of upon Others We prophesy a bad
end torthat innbr!ate. end terrific ex-