Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1888-10-04

lOr all ages. Inc ldLe Oh OnTlSbeuuOH III q
basket let down from window on the wall
What you do, do we'll If you make rope
make it strong and true, for you know not
how much may depend on your workman.
ship. Ii you fashion a boat let it be water.
proof, for you know not who may sail in it
If you put Bib!e in the trunk of your boy
as he goes from home, let it be heard in
your prayers, for it may have a mission as
/ far-reaching as the book which the sailor
| carried in his teeth to the Pitcairn beach.
The plainest mans life is an island between
two eternities eternity past ripping
against his shoulders, eternity to come
touching his brow. The casual, the acci-
DENTAL that which merely happens so, are
parts of great plan, and the rope that lets
the fugitive apostle from the Damascus
wall is the cable that holds to its moorlngs
the ship of the church in the northeast
storm of the centuries.
Again, notice unrecogniZed and unrecorded
services. Who spun the rope! Who tied it
to the basket! Who steadied the illustrious
preacher as he stepped into il! Who re-
Taxed not muscle of the arm or dismissed
an anxious look from his face until the
basket touched the ground and discharged
its magnificent cargoi Not one of their
names has come TO us, but there was no
work done that day in Damascus or in all
the earth compared with the Importance of
their work. What If they had in the agita-
ton tied knot that could slipl What II the
sound of mob at the door had led them TO
say: "Paul must take care of himself, and
we will take care of ourselves" No, mol
They held the rope, and in doing so did
more for the Christian Church than any
thousand of us will ever accomplish. But
God knows and has ma lie 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, TO the Galatians, to the
Ephesians, to the Philippians, TO the Colos-
slams, TO the Thessalonans to Timothy, TO
Titus, to Philemon, 10 the Hebrews.
and when they heard how he walked
out OF prison with the earthquake unlocking
tho door for him, aud took command of the
Alexandrian corn-ship when the sailors were
nearly scared TO death, and preached SER
mon that nearly shook Felix of his judg.
ment 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 am that
we effected the rescue In coming times
others may get the glory of Paurs work,
but no one shall rob us of the satisfaction OF
knowing that we held the rope"
There are said 10 be about sixty-nine
thousand ministers Of religion in this coun-
try. About fifty thou sand warrant came
from early home which had to struggle for
the necessaries of life.
The sons of rich bankers anu merchants
generally become bankers and merchants.
The most Of those who becone ministers
are the sons of those who had terrific strug
gle TO get their every day bread. The col
legiate and theological education of that
son took every luxury from the parental
table for eight wears. The other children
were more scantily appareled. The son at
college every little while got bundle from
home. In It were the socks mother nd
knit sitting up late at night, her sight mo-
as good as once il was.
And there were also some delicacies from
the sisters hand for the voracious 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 down under
the cherry tree at noon, thinking TO him
self: II am fearfully tired, but il will pay
if can once see that boy through college.
and If ] can know that he win be preaching
the Gospel after am dead.n The younger
children want 10 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 go by, and the son has been or
dained and is preaching the glorious Gospel,
and 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 their son
at the village parsonage, and at the close OF
a Sabbath OF mighty blessing, father and
mother retire to their room, the son light
ing the way and asking them IL he could do
ANYTHING to make them more comfortable, |
saving II 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, IL was worth all we went through 10
educate that boy. II was hard pull, but
we held on till the work was done. The /
world may not know 1t, but, mother, we
held the rope didn't we!m And the voice,
tremulous with joyful emotion, responds
ayes, father, we held the rope; feel my /
work is DONE Now, Lord, lettest Thou Thy 1
servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have
seen Thy salvation "Pshaw" says the |
father, II never felt so much like living IN /
my life as now. l want to see what that
fellow is going to do, he has begun so well.n /
Something occurs TO me quite personal. I |
was the youngest of a large family of chill |
dren. NV parents were neither rich nor |
poor; four of the sons wanted collegiate ed
ucation, and four obtained it. but not with |
out great home struggle. We never heard I
the old people say once that they were deny \
ing themselves to effect this, but l re-
member now that my parents always
looked tired. | don't think that they ever
got rested until they hay down in the Sum-
merville Cemetery. Mother would sit I
down in the evening and say; 'Well, don't
know what makes me feel so tiredv' Father
would fall Immediately 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 of the
earth, a missionary Of the cross. Two of us
are in this land in the holy ministry. and 1
think all of US are willing to acknowledge
our obligations to the old folks at home