The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1896-01-03

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Is it provided for2 Your heaven, Is 1t
aeowedi 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 will
fling all the American cities into the
dust. Cathedrals and palaces and pris-
ons which have stood for thousands Of
years will topple like child's block
house. The surges Of the sea will SUBJ
merge the land and the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans above the Alps and the
Andes clap their hands. What then will
become Of mef What then will become
of your I do not wonder at the anxiety
Of this man of my text, for he was not
only anxious about the falling Of the
prison, but the falling of a world.
Invest In Eternal Securities.
Again, remark, l characterize this
question Of the agitated Jail keeper as
one Of incompatible Importance. Men
are alike, and l suppose he had scores Of
questions on his mind, but all questions
for this world are hushed up, forgotten,
annihilated in this one question Of the
text, "What must I do to be saved2"
And have you. my brother, any ques-
tion Of Importance compared with that
question: Is 1t 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 mil
lions Of dollars worth of goods sold
you will not handle yard Of cloth, or
pound of sugar, or a penny's worth.
After that, if conf1agration should
sweep all Washington into ashes, 1t
would not touch you, and would not
damage you. If every cashier should alb
scond and every bank suspend payment
and every insurance company fail, it
would not affect you. Oh, how insig-
nificant is business this side the grave
with business on the other side the
gravel Have you made any purchases
for eternity? Have you any securities
that will last forever? Are you jobbing
for time when you might be wholesal-
ing for eternity? Is there any question
SO broad at the base, so altitudinous, SO
overshadowing as the question. "What
must I do to be saved?" Or, is it do
nestle question, is it something about
father or mother or husband or wife or
son or daughter that is the more impor-
tant 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 its chief gains or deplore it's
worst losses or roll up its mightiest
magnitude or sweep its vaster circles.
What Difference Does 1t Maker
Oh, what a question, what an impor-
tant question Is there any question
that compares with it in Importance!
What is it now to Napoleon III whether
he triumphed or surrendered at Sedan,
whether he died at the Tuileries Or
Chiselhurst, whether he was emperor or
exile? Because he was laid out In the
coffin in the dress of a field marshal,
did that give him any better chance for
the future than il he had been laid out
in plain shroud! What difference will
1t soon make to you or to me whether in
this world we walked or rode. whether
we were bowed to or maltreated, wheth-
or we were applauded or Missed at, vel
coined in or kicked QUIT While laying
hold OF every moment Of the future and
burning in every splendor or every grief
and overarching or undergirding all
time and all eternity will be the plain,
startling, infinite, stupendous question
Of the text, "What must l do to be
saved?'
Again, l characterize this question OF
the agitated Jail keeper as one crushed
out by his misfortunes, pressed out by
his misfortunes The falling Of the peni-
Tertiary, his occupation was gone. Be-
sides that the flight of a prisoner was
ordinarily the death Of the jailer. He
was held responsible. If all had gone
we'll, if the prison walls had not been
shaken of the earthquake, If the prison
ers had all staid quiet in the stocks, il
the morning sunlight had calmly drop
ped on the jailer's pillow, do You think
he would have hurled this redhot ques-
ton 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
hot cfsI WI 70 ocly
ing the same question. 1t has been SC
with a multitude Of you. Your apparel
is not as bright as it once was. Why
have you changed the garb? Do you not
like solferino and crimson and purple as
we'll as once? Yes. But You say: "While
was prospered and happy those colcrs
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 very differ
emit place from what it was once for
you'll Once you said, "Oh, if could
only have 1t quiet little while" 1t is
too quiet.
Some people say that they would not
bring back their departed friends from
heaven even if they had the opportu
nifty, but if you had the opportunity
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 question
the earthquake Of domestic misfor-
tune. Death is so cruel, SO devouring, sc
relentless, that when 1t swallows up oul
loved ones we must have some one to
whom we can carry our torn and bleed.
ing hearts. We need balsam better
than anything that ever exuded from
earthly tree to heal the pang Of the soul.
1t is pleasant to have our friends gather
around us and tell us how sorry they are,
and try to break up the loneliness, but
nothing but the hand Of Jesus Christ can
take the bruised soul and put 1t in his
bosom, hushiDg 1t with the lullaby Of
heaven. o brother D sister The grave.
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