The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-08-31

preacher as he stepped into TT Who relaxed
not muscle Of the arm or dismissed an
anxious look from hisl face until the basket
touched the ground and discharged it's mag
nifcent cargoi Not one Of their names has
come TO us, but there was no work done that
day In Damascus or In all theearth compared
with the Importance Of their work. What II
they had In the agitation tied knot that
could slipi What II the sound Of q mob at the
door had led them to say: paul must take
care Of himself, and we win take
care Of ourselves" No, mol They held
the rope, and In doing 30 did more
for the Christian church than any thousand
Of Us win ever accomplish. But God knows
and has made eternal record Of their under
taking. And they know. How exultant
they must have felt when they read his let-
ters TO the Romans, to the Corinthians, to
the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Phil
ippians, to the Colossians, to the Thessalo-
mans, 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 CON-
mand Of the Alexandrian cornship when the
sailors were nearly scared to death, and
preached a sermon that nearly shook Felix
of his Judgment 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 I
am that we effected that rescued In coming
times others may get the glory of Paulis
work, but no one shall rob Us Of the satisfac-
ton Of knowing that we held the rope"
There are said to be about 90, 900 ministers
Of religion In this country. About $1,000 /
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
The most of those who become ministers are
the sons Of those who had terrific struggle
to get their everyday bread The collegiate
and theological education Of that son took
every luxury from the parental table for
eight years. The other children were more
scantily appareled The son at college every
little while got bundle from home In 1t
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 voracious appetite Of
Q 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 down under the
cherry tree ct noon thinking to himself: 81
am fefrfully tired, but it win pay II can
once see that boy through college, and II
can know that he win be preaching the Cos
pei after am dead" The younger children
want to know why they can't have this and
that as others do, and the mother says: BE
patient, my children, until your brother
graduates, and then you shall have more
luxuries, but we must see that boy through"
The years 60 by and the son has been or
dained and Is preaching the glorious Gospel,
and q great revival comes, and souls by
scores and hundreds accept the Gospel from
the lips Of that young preacher, and father
and mother, quite old now, are visiting the
son at the village 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 II he could do any
thing to make them more comfortable, say
ing if they want anything in the night just
to knock on the wall. And then all alone
father and mother talk over the gracious
influences Of the day, and say: "Well, 1t was
worth all we went through to educate
that boy. It was a hard pull, but we held
on till the work was done The world may
not know it, but, mother, we held the rope,
didn't wet" And the voice, tremulous with
joyful emotion, responds: "Yes, father, we
held the rope; feel my work Is done Now,
Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart in
peace, for mine eyes have seen thy saliva
ton" 'Pshawp says the father, 81 never
felt so much like living in my life as now. /
want to see that that fellow Is going on to
do, he has begun so well"
Something occurs to me quite personal
was the youngest Of large family Of chill
dren. My parents were neither rich nor
poor; four Of the sons wanted collegiate edu-
cation, and four obtained il, 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 my parents always looked tired.
don't think that they ever got rested until
they lay down In the Sommerville cemetery.
Mother would sit down in the evening and
say: "Well, don't know what makes me
feel 30 tiredp Father would fall immedi-
ately to sleep, seated by the evening stand,
overcome with the days fatigues One Of the
four brothers after preaching the Gospel for
about fifty years entered upon his heavenly
rest. Another Of the four Is now on the
other side the earth, 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 obligation to the old folks
at home About twenty-five years ago the
one, and about twenty-four years ago the
other, put down the burdens Of this life, but
they still hold the rope
D men and women here assembled, you
brag sometimes how you have fought your
way in the world, but / think there have
been helpful influences that you have never
fully acknowledged Has there not been
some influence in your early or present home
that the world cannot sect Does there not
reach to you from among the Canadian hills,
or western prairie, or from southern plan
tation, or from English or Scottish or Irish
home q cord Of influence that has kept you
right when you would have gone astray, and
which, after you had made o crooked track,
recalled youi The rope may be n long as
thirty years or Eve hundred miles
long or three thousand miles long, but hands
that went out Of mortal sight long ago still
hold the rope. You want o very swift horse,
and you need to rowel him with sharpest
spurs, and to let the reins lie loose upon the
neck, and to give shout to q racer, IL you
are going to ride out OF reach Of your
mothers prayers. Why, ship crossing the
Atlantic in seven days can't sail away from
he takes his place, and finds them on the mast
as he climbs the ratlines to disentangle a
rope In the tempest, and finds them swing
ing on the hammock when he turns In. Why
not be frank and acknowledge 1.-THE most
Of us would long ago have been dashed to
pieces had not gracious and loving hands
steadily and lovingly and nightly held the
rope
But there must come a time when We shall
find out who these Damascenes were who
lowered Paul In the basket, and greet them
and all those who have rendered TO God and
the world unrecognized and unrecorded ser.
vices. 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 church
has been going on nineteen centuries, and
this IL probably the first sermon ever recog-
mixing the services Of the people In that
Damascus balcony. Charles @. Finney said
to dying Christian: ''Give my love 10 St
Paul when you meet him" When you and
meet him, as we will. shall ask him 10 In
troduce me TO those people who got him out
Of the Damascene peril
We 60 into long sermon to prove that We
win be able to recognize people In heaven,
when there il one reason we fail to present,
and that Is better than all-God win intro
duoe US We shall have them all pointed
out You would not be guilty Of the impo-
likeness Of having friends in your parlor noe
introduced, and celestial politeness will de-
mand that we be made acquainted with ell
the heavenly household What rehearsal %
old times and recital Of stirring reminiscencea
II others fail to give introduction,
God win take Us through, and before
our FIRST twenty-four hours in heaven
II 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
viii sit ON the last seat by the front door Of
the heavenly temple, while right up within
arms reach Of the heavenly throne win b
many who. though they could .noe preach