DR. TALMAGE'S SERMON: The Earthquake. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,"—Acts 16 : Jains aredark, dull, damp, loathsome laces even now; but they were worse in the apostolic times. imagine to- day we are standing in the Philippian dungeon, Do you not feel the chill? Do you not hear the groan of those in- carcerated ones, who for ten years have aot seen the sunlight, and the deep sigh of woman who remember their father’s house and mourn over their wasted estate? Liston again. It is the cough of a consumpt.ve, or the strug- gle of one in the nightmare of A GREAY HORROR, You Hsten again and hear a culprit, his chains rattling as he rolls over in his dreams, and you say, ‘‘God pity the prisoner!” But there is another sound in that prison. It is a song of joy and gladness, What a place to sing in! The music comes winding through the cor- ridors of the prison, and dark wards the whisper ‘What's that? What's that >" Ji. is cannot sleep. 3 ped, very badly whipped. feet fast in wooden sockets, and of course they cannot sleep. But they can sing. Jailer, what are you doing with these people? Why been put in here? trying to make the world better. that all? That is all. A pit for Joseph. A for Daniel. furnace for Shadrach. Wesley. An anathema for Philip Mel- ancthon. A dungeon for Paul and Silas. But while we are the gloom of the Philippian dungeon, and we hear the mingling voices of sol and groan and blasphemy jah, suddenly an earthquake! pars of the pri off, the all lion B CAVe Theiron - 1. "rv Crack ry . v heave, and HE DOORS SWING OPEN. feeling himself responsi- risoners, and believing, in his pagan ignorance, suicide honorable—since Brutus killed himself, and Cato killed himself, and Cassius killed himself-—puts his sword to his own heart, proposing with one strong, keen, thrust to put anend to his ex- citement and agitation. But Pau out: “Stop! stop! Do thyself no Weare all here.” Then I see the runing throu; ruts of that n, throwing himself down these prisone shall I do? Paul answer: before there is another earthquake; put handcuffs and hopples on these other ! lest they get away?’ No word of that kind. His compact, thril- ling, tremendous answer, answer mem- rable all through earth and heaven, Was: “Belicve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thon shalt be saved.” Well, we have all read of the earth- guakes in Lisbon, in Lima, ip Aleppo, wd in Caraceas, but we live in a i tude where sevete voleanie disturbance are rare, And yet we have seen fifty earthquakes. Here is a man who has been building up a large fortune. His bid on the money raarket was felt in all the thinks he rot bee r rivalries in trade, } self, “Now I am from all possible pertur- jut in 1837, or mal panic strikes ] commercial world, ll that magnificent i Here 1s a m beautiful The jailer, ble for these Cries i I and 1 at the prisoners, ati "i iil cities, has dations of seminary with diplomas o His s started teroperate, snd pure. ‘hen the lights are struck, there is a happy and unbroken family circle. But there has n accident down at Long Branch. I'he young man ventured too far out in the surf, The telegraph hurled. TO THE CITY. 08 Deve evel Hiene Ils THE TERROR An carthquake struck under the foun- lations of that beautiful home. The piano closed; the curtains dropped; the laughter hushed. Crash go all those domestic hopes and prospects and ex- poectations! So, my friends, we have al felt the shaking down of some great trouble, and there was a time when we text, and we cried out a8 he did, “What shall I do? What shall I do?’ The same reply that the spostle made to lim is appropriate to us: ‘‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” There ar some documents of so little any more than your last name under them, or even your initials; but there are some documents of so great import- ance that you write put your full name. So the’ Saviour ‘in some parts of the Bible is called “bord,” snd in other parts of the Bible He is called ‘Jesus, and in other parts of th Bible He is called “Christ; but that there might be no mistake about this passage, all three names come together—“The Lord Jesus Christ.” Now, WHO 18 THIS BEING that you want me to trust id and be- lieve in? Men sometimes come to me with eredentials and ecrtificates of good character, but I cannot trust them. There is some dishonesty in their looks that makes me know I shall be cheated if I confide in them. You cannot put your heart's confidence in a man until you know what stuff he is made of, and am I reasonable to-day when 1 stop to ask you who this is that you want me to trust in? No man would think of venturing his life on a vessel going out 40 scm that had never been inspected, No, you must hive the cortificate hung amidships, tolling how many tons it carries, and how long ago'it was built, and who built it, and all about it. Aad you eaunot expect me fo risk the cargo ui my immortal interests on board any craft tll you tell me what it ismade of, aud where it was made, and what it is. 1en, then, I ask you who this is you want me to trust in, you tell me Ho wus a very attractive person. Contempor- ary writers described His whole appear- ance as being resplendent. There was no need for Christ to tell the children 40 come to Him, “Suffer little chil- dren to come upto me,” was not spoken to the children; it was spoken to the disciples. The children came readily enough without any invitation. No sooner did Jesus appear than the little ones jumped from their mother's arms, an avalanche of beauty and love, into His lap. Christ did not ask John to put his head down on His bosom; John could not help but put his head there, 1 suppose. TO LOOK AT CHRIST was to love Him. Oh, how attractive His manner! Why, when they saw Christ coming along the street they ran into their houses, and they wrapped up their invalids as quick as they could, and brought them out that he might look at them. There was something so pleas- ant, 50 inviting, so cheering, in every- thing He did, in His very look! When these sick ones were brought out, did He say: “Do not bring me these sores; do not trouble me with these leprosies?” No, no: there was a kind look, there was a gentle word, there was a healing touch, They could not keep away from Him. In addition to this softness of charac- ter, there was a fiery momentum. How of the earth at His back, coming off the sea of Gali- lee, going up to the palace of and kindness which throbs Oh, he 3ut it was not ef- heavens, and through all ages. was a loving Christ, infinite Lestthe world she Christ was accompanied with majesty, CARrn¢ stness, this mounts the cross, You sav: “If Christ let Him take and lie on a couch has to die, why some deadly potion in some bright and If He must die, ¥ intention zt } t muss Dear } He HAaminers The rattic No, the world world of the His each cheek co of His an- spikes, death i 1.1 World dre the must lead pping on ip intothe fi + So the ere warm bloo 1 1 ON THE TOP OF CALVARY. threa fect deep, laid on the ground, sufferer 18 stret ? “4 and muscle an hand, through they shake His right hand to see it. and tl by id Ti NO ii i Bs Why did Christ enddre mild have taken those rocks and them crushes wiffers reached up and grasped the } omnipotent Cod, i umbled them He wa with sould LE) ard one 1 his er dow and sa be the criminal for his own » ¥: “It was i hie rl But 1 Christ, the Si mother, nor for His father, bu Ch, sud tell yon of a thing un of God, « wil not for hs for His hrist as self that-—so lo rificing think ther: ence of the spirit ing: “I will ¢ tell me h asked Dy th 4 Aud while I ans 3 look up and utter the Rowland Hill sae ow; estion " which 0 often in the mons: * Master help!" HOW ARE YOU TO TRUST in Christ? Just as you trust any . You trust your partner in business with important if a house gives yous not months hence, you expect the payment of that note at the end of three months, have perfect confidence in their word and in their ability. ‘ * > pv H Wings cominercial 6 payable three You have confidence Now, 1 ask you to have the confidence in the Lord Jesus He BAYH: “You believe I take your sing, and they are all taken away.” “What!” yon say, **be- fore I pray any more? my Bible any more? my sins any more?’ Yes, this moment, Believe with all your heart, and you are saved! Why, Christ is only waiting to get from you what you give to scores of people every day. What isthat? Con. fidence. If these people whom you trust day by day are more worthy than Christ, if they have done more than Christ ever did, then give them the preference; but if you really think that Christ is as trustworthy, then deal with him as fairly. HISTORICAL FAITH, “Oh,” says some one in a light way, “I believe that Christ was born in Beth- lehem, and I believe that He died on the cross.” Do you believe it with your bead or your heart? I will illustrate the difference. You are in your own house. In the morning you open a nawspaper, and you read how Captain Braveheart on the séa risked hid hfe for the salvation of his passengers. You say, “What a grand fellow he must have been! His family deserve very well of the country.” You fold the newspaper and sit down at the table, and perhaps do not think of the incident again. That 1s historical faith, But now you are on the sea, and it is night, and you are asleép, and you are awakened by the shriek of “Fire!” You rush outon the deck, You hear, amid the ringing of the hands and the fainting, the ory, “No h pe! 1 hope! Wo are lost! we are lost!” The sail putsout its wings of fire, the ropes make a burning ladder in the night heavens, tho spirit of wrecks hisses in the wave, and on the hurricane-deck shakes out its banner of smoke and darkness. “Down with THE LIFEBOATS!” cries the eaptain. “Down withthe life- boats!” People rush into them. The boats are about full. Room only for one more man. You are standing on the deck beside thecaptain, Who shall it be? You or the captain? The cap- tain says, “You.” You jump and are saved. He stands there, and dies. Now, you believe that Captain Brave- heart sacrificed himself for his passon- gers, but you believe it with love, with tears, with hot and long continued ex- clamations, with grief at his loss, and joy at your deliverance. 7%hat is saving In other words, what you be- lieve with all your heart, and believe in regard to yourself, On this hinge turns my sermon; ave, the salvation of your soul, You often go across a bridge you Youdonot know who built the bridge, you do not know what material it 1s made of; but you over it, and ask no questions. And here is an arched And built by the Architect of the whole universe, spanning the dark gulf be- tween sin and righteousness, and all stop, and you go a little way on, and ay, “How dof know hold me?” instead of 1 firm step, asking periment. that bridge marching o questions, of the eternal was there ove A PRIZY 11 You s as pardon and you? Forhow muel It is certainly But che aper tf I n tins > . _ x w »y o> ana the tendrils sn unless Christ wring Aly be Into a oF with me reptiles Christ ¢ that I bright hom » HORA! I CANNOT BEAR DARKNESS firat of the At the minat fiir! or +1 evyonin liohitnd ¥y Algnteda, in fie rouna ff for th have more | about me ton Tat 5 AVE JY to the *“M “Happy New Yi lown to the hole grave, and call Unle as there is up rh wk fir 5 Bat 1t is Lifted rkness is gone, I look into it shudder, Now my anxiety is not about death; my anxiety is that I may live aright, for I know that if my life is consistent, when I come to the last hour, and this voice issilent, and these eyes are closed, and these hands with «hich I beg for your eternal salvation to-day are folded over the still hess t, that then I shall only begin to live. What power is there in anything to chill me in the last hour, if Christ wraps around me the skirt of His garment? What darkness ean fall upon my eyelids then, amid THE HEAVPNLY DAYBREAK? O Death! 1 will not fear thee then! Back to thy cavern of darkness, thon robber of all the earth! Fly, thou despoiler of families! With this battle-axe I hew thee in twain from hemlet to sandal, the voice of Christ sounding all over the earth and through the heavens: “O Death, I will be thy plague! O Grave, I will be thy destruction!” To be saved is to wake up in the presence of Christ. You know when Jesus was upon earth how happy He made every house Me went into; and when He brings us up to His house in heaven how great shall be our glee! His voice has more music in it than is to be heard in all the oratorios of eternity! Talk not about banks dashed with efflorescence. Jesus is the chief bloom of heaven. We shall seo the very face that beamed sympathy in Bethany, and take the very hand that dro | its blood from the short beam of the cross! Oh, I want to stand in oternity with Him. Toward that harbor Isteor. Toward that goal I ran. I shall be satisflod when I awake in His likeness. Oh, broken-hearted men and women, iral ilin- m ft My but above now the an i BOW how aweet it will be in that good land to pour all of your hardships and be- reavements and losses into the loviug oar of Christ, and then have Him ex- plain why it was best for you to be widowed, and why it was best for vou to be persecuted, and why 1t was best for you to be tried, and have Him point to an elevation proportionate to your dis- quiotude here, saying: “You have suffered with Me on earth, come up now and be glorified with Me in heaven!” Some one went into a house where there had been a great deal of trouble, and said to the woman there, “You seem to be lonely.” ¢‘Yes" she said, *‘I am lonely.” “How many in the family?” “Only myself.” “Have you had any ohildren?” “I had seven children.” “Where are they?’ “Gone.” ‘All gone?’