The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1888-08-31

SCH, huu We VIII tnke care OF ourselves" No,
mol They held the rope, and IN doing 80 did
more for the Christian Church than any
thousaud OF us will ever accomplish. But
God knows aud has made eternal record of
Their undertaking. And they know. How
exultant they must have felt when they read
his letters to the Romans, TO the Corinthians,
10 the Galatians. TO the Ephesians, to the
philippians, to the Colossians, to the Thes.
salonians, to Timothy. to Titus, TO Philemon,
TO the Hebrews, and when they heard how
he walked out OF prison with the earthquake
unlocking the door for him. and took COM
mand OF the Alexandrian corn-ship when the
sailors were nearly scared to death, ana
preached a sermon that nearly shook Felix
oil his iudgment-seat / hear the men and
women who helped him down through the
window and over the wall talking In private
over the matter, and saying: "How glad 1
am that we effected that rescued In coming
times others may get the glory of Paurs
work, but no one shall rob us OF the ~satisfac-
tion Of knowing that W. held the rope"
There are said to be about sixty-nin thou
sand ministers of religion In this country.
About fifty thousand l warrant came from
early homes which had to struggle for the
necessaries of life.
The sons of rich bankers and merchants
generally become bankers and merchants.
tiers are the sons Of those who had
terrific struggle 10 get their everyday
bread. The collegiate and theological edu-
cation OF that son took every luxury from the
parental table for eigh. years. The other
children were more scantly apparelcd. The
son al college every little while got a bundle
from home. In it were the socks that mother
had knit, sitting up late at night. her sight
not as good as once IL was.
And there also were some delicacies from
the sisters hand for the yOracious appetite of
a hungry student. The father swung the
heavy cradle through the wheat, the sweat
rolling from his chin believing every step of
the way, and then sitting Town under the
cherry tree at noon thinking to himself: Il
am ~fearfullr tired, but it will pay If | can once
see that boy through college, and If l can
know that he will be preaching the Gospel af-
ter ! am dead" The younger children want
to know why they can't have this and that as
others do, and the mother saws: 'Be patient
nv children, until your brother graduates,
and then you shall have more luxuries, but
we must see that boy through"
The years go by, the son has been ordain-
ed and Is preaching the glorious Gospel, and
a great revival comes, and souls by scores and
accept the Gospel from the lips of
that young preacher, and father and mother,
quite old now, are visiting the son at the vii
lage parsonage, and at the close of a Sabbath
of mighty blessing, father and mother retire
to their room, the son lighting the way and
asking them If he could do anything to make
thCli IlOIC COillOTldDlt, bHNlUG IL UUeV want
ed anything in the night just to knock on the
wall. And then all alone father and mother
talk over the gracious influence of the day,
and Say: "Well, 1t was worth all we vent
through to educate that boy. 1t was a hard
pull, but we held on till the work was done.
er, We held the rope, didn't .we2"
And the voice, tremu'ous with joyful emotion,
responds: ''Yes, father; we held the rope, [
my work is done. Now, Lord, lettest
thy servant depart in peace, for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation" "PshawI"
saws the father, 81 never felt so much like
living in my life as now. / want to see what
fellow is going on to do, he has begun
so Weli!'
Something occurs to me quite personal. /
the youngest of a large family of children.
parents were neither rich nor poor; four
the sons wanted collegiate education, and
four obtained it, but not without great home
struggle. We never heard the old people say
once that they were DENYING themselves to
effect this, but | remember now that nv
parents ALWAYS looked tired. l don't think
that they ever got rested until they lay Town
in The sommerville cemetery: Mother would
sit down in the evening, and say: SWELL, [
don't know what makes me feel so tired?'
would fall Immediately to sleep, seated
by the evening stand, overcome with the days
One of the four brothers after
preaching the gospel for about fifty years
CuIcTcu upOu Ills heavenly resi-. hHOGueT OIL
the four is now on the other side of the earth,
a missionary of the cross. Two of us are in
this land in the holy ministry, and ! think
all of US are willing to acknowledge our OBJ.
to the old folks at home. Abou.
twenty-five years ago the other put down the
burdens of this life, hut they still hold the
o men and women here assembled, you brag
how you have fought your wav in
the world, but l think there have been
helpful influences that YOU have never fully
acknowledged. Has there not been
influence in our early or present
home that the world cannot see? Does there
not. reach to you from among the Canadian
hills, or western prairie, or from southern
plantation, or from English or Scottish or
Irish home a cord of influence that has kept
you right when you would have gone astray,
and which, after you had made a crooked
recalled you! The rope may be as
long as thirty years or five hundred miles
long or three thousand miles long, uut hands
went out of sight long ago still hold the
rope. You want a very swift horse, and you
need to reward him sharp spurs, and to let
the reins lie loose upon the neck, and 10 give
a shout to II racer, if YOU are going to ride
out of reach of your mothers prayers. Why,
a ship crossing the Atlantic in seven DAYS
can't sail AVA from thatl A sailor finds
them on the lookout as he takes his place,
and finds them on the mast as he climbs the
w W uioChbdbShS q lOpC Al AhS SL1pCo
and finds them swinging on the hammock
when he turns in. Why not be frank and ac-
knowledge 1.-THE most of US would long ago
have been dashed to pieces had not gracious
and loving hands steadily and lovingly and
held the rope.
But there MI come a time when we shall
find out who these Damascenes were who
Paul in the basket, ana greet them
and all those who have rendered 10 God and
the world unrecognized and unrecorded
That is going to be one of the
glad excitements of heaven-the hunting up
and picking out Of those who did good on
earth and got no credit for it. Here the
has been going on nineteen centuries,
and this is probably the first sermon ever rec
the services Of the people in that
Damascus balcony. Charles g.. Finney said to
D diving Christian: Give my love to st. Paul
you meet him." When you aud | meet
him. as we will, | shall ask him to Introduce
me to those people who got him out of the
Oamascene peril.
We go into long sermon to prove that we
be able to recognize people in heaven,
when there is one reason we fail to present,
that is better than all-God will introduce
is. We shall have them all pointed out.
You would not be guilty of the impoliteness
IF having friends in your parlOr not intro
Iuced. and celestial politeness will demand
that we be made acquainted with all the
heavenly household. What rehearsal of old
FlI1GS anu IcClbul IL oJilluS III uiSCChSCo.
If others fail to give introduction, God will
AXE us through, and before our first twenty
four hours in heaven-if it were calculated BY
earthly timepieces-have passed, we shall
meet and talk with more heavenly celebrities
than in our entire mortal state we met with
earthly celebrities. Many who made great
noise Of usefulness will sit on the last seat by
The front door in the heavenly temple, while
right up within arms reach of the heavenly
throne will be many who, though they could
not preach themselves or do great exploits for
God, nevertheless held the rope.
Come, let US 90 right up and accost those
this circle of heavenly thrones. Surely.
they must have killed in battle a million men.
Surely, they must have been buried with all
the cathedrals sounding a dirge aud all the
towers of ali the cities tolling the national
grief. Who art thou, mighty one in heavcn2
II lived By choice the unmarried. daughter in
an humble home that l might take care
Of nv parents in their old age, and | endured
complaints all their q~uerulousness