The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-08-30

ulous 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 salvation"
"Pshaw!" says the father, "1 never felt |
80 much like living in my life as now. l |
want to see what that fellow Is going on |
to do, he has begun SO WELL"
Something occurs to me quite personal.
I was the youngest Of q large family Of
children. My parents were neither rich |
nor poor; four of the sons wanted col
legiate education, and four obtained it,
but not without great home struggle.
We never heard the old people say once
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 Sommerville cemetery.
Mother would sit down in the evening,
and say: ''Well, don't known what
makes me feel so tiredl" Father would
fall Immediately to sleep, seated
by the evening stand, overcome with
the days's 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, mis-
sionary of the cross. Two of US are in
this land in the holy ministry, and
think all of us are willing to acknowl-
edge 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.
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
cannot 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
cord of influence that has kept you
right when you would have gone astray,
and which, after you had made
crooked track. recalled you? The rope
may be as long as thirty years, or
five hundred miles long, or three
thousand 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 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 away from that! A sailor
finds them on the lookout as he takes his
place, and finds them on the mast as he
climbs the ratlines to disentangle rope
in the tempest. and finds them swing
ing on the hammock when he turns in.
Why not be frank and acknowledge it
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 time when we
shall find cut who these Damascene were
| who lowered Paul in the basket, and
greet them and all those who have rem
dered to God and the world unrecognized
and unrecorded services. 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 is
| probably the first sermon ever recogniz-
| ing the services of the people in that
Damascus balcony. Charles G.. Finnev
said to dying Christian: ''Give my love
to St. Paul when you meet him." When
you and l meet him, as we will, shall
ask him to introduce me to those people
who got him out of the Damascene peril.
We go into long sermon to prove that
Ill - l.
heaven, when there is one reason we fail
| to present, and that is better than all
God will introduce us. We shall have
| them all pointed out You would not be
guilty of the impoliteness of having
friends in your parlor 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 reminis-
cences. If others fail to give in
PRODUCTION, God will take us through
and before our. first twenty-four
hours in heaven-if it were cal
culated by earthly time pieces
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 of the heavenly
temple, while right up within arm s
reach of the heavenly throne will be
many who, though they could not preach
themselves OF do great exploits for God,
nevertheless held the rope.
Come, let us go 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
sounding a dirge and all the towers of
all the cities tolling the national grief.
Who art thou, mighty one of heaven?
81 lived by choice the unmarried daugh-
ter in an humble home that might take
care of my parents in their old age, and
I endured without complaints all their
ouerulousness 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? Il was for thirty years Chris
tian invalid, and suffered all the WHILE
occasionally writing note of sympathy
for those worse off than I, and was gem
eral confdant of all those who had
trouble, and once in a while 1 was strong
enough to make garment for that poor
family in the back lane" Pass on to
another throne. Who art thou, mighty
one of heaven? 81 was the mother who
raised a whole family of children for God,
and they are out in the world Christian
merchants, Christian mechanics, Chris
tan wives, and have had full reward
of all my toll" Let us pass on in the
circle of thrones. 81 had Sabbath
school class, and they were alwayson my
heart, and they all entered the kingdom
of God, al | am waiting for their ar
rival"
But who art thou, the mighty one of
heaven on this other throne? SIN time Of
bitter persecution I owned house in
Damascus, house on the wall. A man
who preached Christ was bounded from
street to street, and hid him from the
}. assassins, and when found them break