Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-09-08

room he son lighting the way and ask
jng him II he could do anything 10 make
tncu IN g. comfortable, saying II they
ttn A. lining in the night just 20 knock
i,,,N "ai'. And then AL alone father
ana motn,r talk over the gracious IN
t~iuences Of the day, and say: We'll, 1t
vas worth all we went through to edu-
cate that boy. 1t was a hard pull, but
we held on Till the work was done. The
world may not know il, but, mother, we
held the rope, didn't we7' 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 "PshawN' says the father, II
never felt so much like living in my life
as now. ] want TO see what that fellow
is going to do. he has begun SO well"
Something occurs to me quite personal.
| was the youngest of a large family of
children; four Of the sons wanted col
legiate education, and four obtained it,
but none 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. l don't
think that they ever got rested until they
lay down in the Somerviile cemetery.
Mother would sit down in the evening
and say: well, | don't know what
makes me feel SO tiredl' Father would
fall Immediately to sleep seated by the
evening stand, overcome by the days
fatigues. One Of the four brothers after
preaching the gospel for about fifty years
pntarnH nnnn hio haaUnn1v root Another
of the cur is on the other side Of the
earth, a missionary Of the cross. Two
Of us are in this land in the holy min
istry, and | think all of us are willing to
acknowledge u 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
ife, Lut they still hold the rope.
O 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 can
not see? Does there not reach TO you
from among the Canadian hills, or west
ern 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
track, recalled you? The rope may be
as long as thirty years or 800 miles long
or 1000 miles long, but hands that went
out of mortal sight long ago still hold the
rope. You want a 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 a shout to IA racer,
if YOU are going to ride nj Of reach Of
your mothers prayers. Why, a ship
crossing the Atlantic in seven days can't
sail away from that! A sailor finds them
IN the lookout as he takes his place. and
finds them on the mast rs he climbs the
ratlines to disentangle "a rope in the tenn
pest, and finds them swinging 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 VIC
shall find out who these Damascencs
were who lowered Paul in the basket, End
great them and all those who have rem
dercd to God and the world unrecogniZed
and unrecorded services. That is going
to be one of the glad excitements Of
hcaven-the hunting up and picking out
of those who did good on earth and got
no credit for it. Here the church has
been gsing on nineteen centuries, and
this is probably the first sermon ever
recognizing the services of the people in
that Damascus balcony. Charles G..
Finney said to a dying Christian: Give
my love to ST. Paul when you meet him. :
When you and | meet him, as We will,
shall ask him 10 Introduce me 10 those
people who got him OUT OF the Damasccne
peril.
We go intoa long sermon to prove that
we will be able 10 recognize people in
heaven, when there is one reason we fail
to present, and that is better han all
God will introduce us. We shall have
tnem all pointed out. You would not be
guilty Of the impoliteness Of having
friends in your parlcr not introduced, and
celestial politeness will demand that we
be made acquainted with all the heavenly
household. What rehearsal Of old times
and recital of stirring "reminiscences. If
others fail to give introduction, God will
take US through, and before our first
twenty-four hours in %heaven-if it were
calculated by earthly timepicces-have
passed we shall meet and talk with more
heavenly celebrities than in our entire
mortal state we met with earthly celebri-
ties. Many who made great noise Of use
fulness will sit on the last seat by the
front door Of 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 Gsd, nevertheless
held the rope.
Come, let us 60 right up and accost
those on 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 sound
ing a dirge and all the towers Of all the
cities tolling the national grief. Who
art thou, mighty one of heaven? II
lived by choice the unmarried daughter
in an humble home that ! might take care
of my parents in their old age and | en-
dured without complaints all their queru-
l0usncss and administered to all their
wants for twenty years"
Let us pass on round the circle of
thrones. Who art thou, mighty one Of
heaven? II was for thirty years a Chris
tian invalid and suffered all the while, &C
/ pac;pnallv writinp q pofa ne Cvmrnthy for