The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-19
Or. RUOO breaches on
THE 0lD-MtW QUESTION
Barton Hcights Baptists Hear What
Must BE Done for Sal

Must BE Done for Sal
Walton.
DR.. A. b. Rudd in Barton Heights
Baptist Church last night preached
from Acts 18: 80. What Must 1 Do
to BE Saved?" DR.. Rudd said:
when I was a small boy. / re-
member driving to Richmond with
my father from my old home some
twenty-five miles up in Chesterfield
County. After having his patience
severely tried for about half the way
with my many questions, he finally
said to be: Barlow. If you do not
stop asking me questions. think /
shall have to drop you here and leave
you on the road After this threat
I think must have gone for at least
a half a mile before I yentured on
another question.
But after all, these lives OF ours
are thickly set with Interrogation
points. 1t must needs be So Many
! of the questions with which / vexed
my good father that day were silly
and perhaps meaningless; but here is
the "old-new question" brief. pointed
clear, interesting, clear-cut, that has
| Tod that antedates that night that
Paul and Silas spent In the Jail at
Philippi--as old as the race itself and
yet as new and as fresh as the color
and perfume of the flowers of this
spring morning. It Is the question of
all questions-let us give 1t the right
of way: What must do to be
saved 2"
Some light on the question may
come from noting the circumstances
under which 1t was asked It Ia af-
a MID tCh IN la 4alJ
prisoners. duly scourged in the early
hours of the night, were delivered to
the TALLER with instructions to keep
them in all safety The inner prison"
and stocks for their feet would seem
to meet the exgencies OF the case
The work is done and well done. The
| key of the cell door Is turned and the
TALLER throws himself across his hard
| bed for the remaining hours of the
night. The prisoners, joyous over the
victories won for the gospel in the
home OF Lydia, praise God In song and
prayer at the midnight hour. The
| tellow-prisoners hear and wonder.
Heaven hears and understands and
responds. That old Roman prison Is
shaken to It's foundations Its doors
open and all chains fall from the linn BIS
of the prisoners. The TALLER. dumb
founded. bounds from his bed, and
seeing the open doors concludes that
I the prisoners are gone. This would
of course mean death to him and he
decides to die by his own hand. Paurs
voice treasures him: do myself no
harm. for we are all here" In fear
/ and establishment he rushes in and
! falls down before the prisoners How
| things have changed Now they are
the masters OF the situation. and he,
virtually. the prisoner. They come
out from the inner prison and the
| prisoner now has time to think: God
ds In this. these are His servants; they
are right and I am wrong: they are
serving God: I am SHINING against
Him; am sinner all undone. Sirs.
what must I do to be saved?"
Question Expressive OF Hope.
Never before did those grim.
prison walls echo with such a ques-
ton as this. Never before or after
was this question asked with such in
tense earnestness OF soul. 1t is the
question of a soul lost In sin and
that deeply realizes this awful fact
But the import of the question Is
deeper still. 1t is expressive OF hope.
The case Is not a hopeless one. II
am bound with letters, but someone
can loose them. I am burdened. but
someone can relieve me of my burden
IL am criminal but someone can
wipe out my guilt. I am lost. but
someone can save me. Sirs, what must
do to be saved?" 1t Is the query of a
| prisoner OF hope.
| Let us turn, now, to the answer
The jailer asked this question with
confidence in the prisoners. Are these
able - answer 1t satisfactorily? On
this depends the fate of the ques-
| toner.
Human wisdom, philosophy,
science. cannot answer It, else IL would
have been answered in Rome, or In
Greece. long before the jailer asked
1t: For after that in the wisdom Of
God. 1t pleased God by the foolish
ness OF preaching to save them that
believe" Il Cor. /: 21.)
| I made such a statement as this
some years ago in Porto Rico, which
was heard by newspaper man in the
| crowd gathered on the street, and in
the next issue Of his paper he great
| ly ridicuied the views OF the Baptist
| preacher. that human science, human
learning. would not save a man. The
preacher was an old fogy and a long
way behind the times" praise God
for every Advancement OF real science,
but hitherto she has not lifted the bur-
| den from a single sin sick soul. Heaven
| alone can answer this deep question
| OF the human soul. Her way may not
be my way or your way. but II IL Gods
| way. Paul and Silas were his repre-
sentatives In that prison at Philippi.
| Let US be silent while they speak: Be
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ and
| thou shalt be saved" The 3ailer was
| perhaps a. much surprised at the sim
plicity Of the answer, ~ was NaAman.
the sleper. at the command Of the old
| prophet: go, wash seven times In the
Jordan: but no was ready to do any
| thing. however simple, however diff
| hcuit. that his bound spirit might be
set free from it's bondage.
| The vital point Of Paurs answer
seems to be this: Put yourself In vital
| touch with the historic Christ. Put
your soufs interest In His hands and
all will be well.
acknowledgements
| have u friend. an old man. In whose
salvation have long felt a deep In
! terest. I saw him not long agos and
ventared again to express the hope that
he would soon surrender to the Mas
| ter. He answered In substance: II
have lived in such 4 way that when
the end of my life comes, with have
| Just as little as possible to be sorry
|