Connecticut western news., 1896-01-02
AN AGITATED JAILER
REV. DR. TALMAaE'S GALL TO THE
 uNCONveRTED.

The Philippian Sheriff and His Burning
 Throne of God to the Earnest Seeker For 1t.
 WASHINGTON, Dec. 29.-For the clos ing discourse of the year Rev. Dr. Tal- mage chose subject which appeals to tho unoopverted everywhere--viz,' ''The PhilippiaIi Jailer. The text selected was, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Acts xvi, 80.
 Inoarcerated in PhYlippian peniten- tiary, a place cold and dark and damp and loathsome and hideous, unillnmined save by the torch of the official who comes to see if 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 ipaam- nation of thirst, their, heads faint be- cause they may not lie down.. Ina com fcrtable room of that same building and amid pleasant surroundings Is paid officer of the government whose business it is to supervise the prison. It is night, and all Is still in the corridors of the ffanSeon save as some murderer strug gles with horrid dream, or a rufaan turns over in his chains. or there is the cough of dying consumptive amid the dampness, but suddenly, crash go the walls. The two clergymen pass out free. The jail keeper. although familiar with the darkness and the horrors hover ing around the dungeon, is startled be- yond all bounds. and fambeau in hand he rushes through. amid the falling walls, shouting at the top of bis voice. ''Sirs, what must I do to be ,saved?,' s,
 I stand now among those who are asking the same question with more or less earussEnese. and accost you in this crisis of your soul with a 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 Anow ledge; there, are in this audisacs shpse before whom would willingly bow as the inferior to the sn- perior. but yield to DO one in this as- semblAaein destre to have 1.-the peo- pie saved by thtpower of an omnipotent gospel
 The Jail Ksepsr's Ouestion.
 Isshall proceed to characterize the question of the agitateds jail keeper. And first charaeteriEe the question as courteous. He might have rushed in and said: Paul and Silas. you vagabonds. arc you tearing down this prison? Aren't you satisded with disturbing the peace of the city by your infamous doctrines? 1? And are you now going to destroy pub, lie. propertyl Rack with you to your pl&ces.. you vagsbondsl' F. He said. no such thing. Tho word of four letters, "sirs." equivalent to "lords," reoog- niEed the majesty and the honor of their mission. Sirs! If a man with captiods spirit tries to find the way to heaven, he will miss 1t. If man comes out. and pronounces all Christians as hypocrites and the religion of Jesus Christ as . fraud and asks irritating questions about the mysterious and inscrutable. saying. Come, my wise man. explain this and explain that; If this be true, how can that be trus!'' no such man finds the way to heaven. The question of the text wasJ decent, courteous, gentlemanly, deferential Sirsl .a4A,. sl,4. l
 Again. Il chaxacterize, this question of the agitated jail keeper by saying that 1t was practical question. He did not ask why God let sin come into the world {; he did mt 6Sk bow Christ ponld be God and nSan-in flo anne person ;'he did not ask the doctrine of the decrees explained or want to know whom Cain married or what was the cause of the earth qpate. His present and everlasting wei fafe was involved in the question. and was not that practical! But I know multitudes of people who are bothering themselves about the nonessentials of religion. What would. you think of a man who should. while discussing the question of the light and heat of the sun. spend hiS time down in a coal eel lar when he hf6ht coms- out and see the ono and feel the other2 Yet.there ara multitpdes of men who, in discuss ing tho Ah(miNHy of the gospel, spend their N6e down in the dungeon of theiE un6elief when God all the while stands telling them to coma out into the noon day. light and warmth of. the sun of righteousness. The question for you. my brother, to discuss is not whether, Cal win or Arminius was right. not whether . handful of water In holy baptism or g hAptistery 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?"
 sWhaf 9hnlf I Do?~
 Again, characterize this question oi the agitated jail keeper as one personal to himself. have no doubt he had many friends, and he was interested in their welfare. I have no doubt be found that there were persons in that prison who. if the earthquake had de. stroyed them. would have found shei, case despetete. Re is not questioning about them, The whole weight of hil question surnS on the pronoun r"L ' What shall I do?" Of course when e man becomes Christian he immediate y becomes anxious for the salvation o1 other people, but until that point ii reached the most important question i. about your own salvation. What is t< be my destiny?'' "What are my pros poets for the futureS" "Where am I go ing2" What shall dosr The troubl, is we shuttle the responsibility of upon others. We prophecy bad end to tha insbriate. and terrific exposure to tha dafaulter. and awful catastrophe to tha prohigate. Weare 20 busy in weighing other people We forget ourselves to ge into the scales. We are 30 busy watch ing the poor gardens of other -peopl' that we let our own dooryard go tt weeds. We are so busy sending off othe, people into the lifeboat we sink in tn, wave We cry fire" because our neigh bor's house h burning down and seen
 to be uninterested although our owl
 house is in the conhagration. Oh, wan
 dering thoughts. disappear today! Bio
 out this entire audience except yourself
 Your sin. Is 1t pardonedi Your death
 is it provided forf Your heaven, is
 secured? A mightier earthquake tha