Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-09-07

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
Western prairie, or from Southern plan
tation, 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 a crooked track, recalled you2
The rope may be as long MS 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
to racer, if you are going to ride out OF
reach of your mothers prayers. Why, q
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
nightly held the rope.
But there must come time when we
shall find out 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 ont
of those who did good on earth and gotno
credit for it. Here the church has been
going on nineteen centuries, and this is
probably the first sermon ever recognize
ing the services of the people in that
Damascus balcony. Charles G. Finney
said to dying Christian: Give my love
to st. Paul when you meet him." When
you and 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.
we will be able to recognize people in
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 introduce
ton, God will take us through, and be-
fore our first twenty-four hours in
Heaven-if it were calculated 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
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 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
all the cities tolling the national grief.
Who art thou, mighty one of Heaven2
Il lived by choice the unmarried daugh-:
ter in an humble home that might take
care of my parents in their old age, and
, endured without complaints all their
' querulousness 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 a Chris
, tian invalid, and suffered all the while,
| occasionally writing note Of sympathy
for those worse off than I, and was gen
eral confident of all those who had
trouble, and once in while Twas 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? Il was the mother who
! raised q whole family of children for
God, and they are out in the world
> Christian merchants, Christian mechan-
! les, Christian wives, and have had full
, reward of all my toll" Let us pass on
, bath school class, and they were always
E on my heart, and they all entered the
' kingdom of God, and am waiting for
! their arrival"
t But who art thou, the mighty one OF
Heaven on this other throne? I'm time
of bitter persecution l owned q house in
Damascus, house on the wall. A man
a who preached Christ was bounded from
S street to street and hid him from the
L assassins, and when I found them break
e ing in my house and could no longer
g keep him safely, advised him to flee
e for his life, and basket was let down
: over the wall with the maltreated man
a in it, and was one who helped bold
d the rope" And I said: is that nh.
n And while was lost in amazement,
e heard q strong voice that sounded q.
e though it might once have been hoarse
: from many exposures and triumphant az
e though it might have belonged to one
Il of the martyrs, and it said: Not many
IS mighty, not many noble are called, but
h God hath chosen the weak things of thu
7. world to confound the things which at
II mighty, and base things of the worlt
y and things which are despised hath Coo
e chosen, yea, and things which are not t.
l. bring to naught things which are, tina
): no flesh should glory in His presence.
Il And looked to see from whence thu
st voice came, and 10! it was the very ont
II who had said: Through window, in
}" basket, was let down by the wall"
1t Henceforth look at nothing as insig
Y. niticant. A little thing may decide you
g all. A cunarder put out from Englan,
for New York. 1t was we'll equipped
!: but in putting up stove in the pilot
II box nail was driven too near the esm
n pass. You know how that nail woalss af
l. feet the compass. The ships officer, de
t, ceived by that distracted compass, pu
e. the ship 200 miles off her right course