THE FAMILY ALTAR

August 13.

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe

on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house."

Acts 16:30-31.

Paul and Silas were lying in the prison at Philippi, bound

hand and foot. They had been beaten with many stripes for pro-

claiming the saving name of Jesus, and were then cast into the

dungeon. But they held it pure joy to suffer thus for their Re-

deemer's sake, and at midnight they prayed and sang praises unto

God. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, the prison shook

in its very foundations, all the doors opened, and every prisoner's

bands were loosed. The jailer, thinking the prisoners had fled,

wanted to kill himself; but Paul restrained him; and falling

trembling at the apostles' feet, the jailer cries out: "Sirs, what

must I do to be saved?" He was shaken in the deepest depths

of his soul at the manifestation of divine power which the cru-

cified and risen Jesus had just given in behalf of His imprisoned

messengers. He now fears the wrath of this almighty Jesus; for

he was also guilty of cruelly mistreating the apostles, and knows

he has deserved nothing but death, eternal death, at the hands

of their God. Guilty fear makes him cry out his question. And

what answer do the apostles give him? They do not say one word

to him of any kind of penance he must first suffer, of any worthi-

ness or merit he must first achieve. No ! Clear, direct, uncon-

ditioned comes their answer: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,"

that is, accept this crucified and risen Jesus as your Savior from

sin, and guilt, and death just as we proclaim Him; trust in Him,

and you have nothing to fear; you will not die, but live." This

joyous Gospel-truth wrought saving faith in the trembling jailer's

heart. He took the apostles into his house, that selfsame night

was baptized, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

(Vv. 33 and 34.) Here we have God's own answer to the greatest

question which a fearing, guilt-struck sinner can raise, to the

question: "What must I do to be saved?" Let no man, no devil,

nor your own guilty heart ever rob you of God's own blessed

answer: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be

saved !" By grace! this ground of our salvation,

As long as God is true, endures:

What saints have penned by inspiration,

What God by His own Word assures,

What all our faith must rest upon,

Is grace, free grace, through His dear Son.