Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-09-07

shoulders, eternity 10 come touching lls
brow. Tie casual, tine accidental, 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 hOida
10 lis moOriug the ship OF tie Church in the
north east storm O1 tie cen turtles.
Again, notice unrecOGnfzed and unrecOrded
serv .ccs- Who spun the ropes Who tied il
10 the basketl Vino steadied the iilusrious
preacher lie stepped Into itt
Who relaxed not muscle Of the arm or
dismissed an anxious look FROM his face
until The basket touched the ground
ana discharged us maya ncent cargOz Not
one OF their names has GENE 10 US, but there
was no work done that day in Damascus or
in all the earth compared with the import
ance OF their work. What if they had in the
agitation tied knot that could slips What
II the sound uf a mob at the door had led
them 10 say: Paul must take care of him
self, and we will talce care Of ourselves" No,
mol They held thc rope, and in doing so did
more for tie Christian Church than any
thousand OF US VIII ever accomplish But
God knows and has made eternal record of
their underLa lling. And they know. How
eZUitant they must have felt when they read
his letters TO the Romans, 10 the Corinthians,
10 The Galatians. 10 the Ephesians, 10 the
Philippians, to the COlOssians. To The Thes-
salOnians, TO Timothy, to Titus, 10 Philemon,
10 the Hebrews, and when they heard how
he walked out Of prison with the earthquake
unlocking tile door Tor him, and took COM
nand OF the AleXandrian cOrn-shiD when the
sailors were nearly scared to death, ana
preached a sermon that nearly shook Felix
oil his ludgment-seat 1 hear the men and
women who helped him down through the
window and over the wall talking in private
over the matter, and saying: Glow glad I
am LhaL we erected That rescue! In coming
times others may get the glory of PauIs
work, but no one shall rob us of the sa1isfuc-
ton of knowing that we held the rOpe.''
There are said to be about sixty nine thou
sand ministers of religion in this country
About fifty thousand 1 warrant came from
early homes which had to struggle for the
necessaries Of life.
ba Of -f.
generally become bankers and merchants.
The most of those who become minis
tiers are the sons Of those who had
terrific struggle 10 get their everyday
bread. The collegiate and theological edu-
cation of that son took every luxury from the
parental table for eight years. The other
children were more scanuy appareled. The
son at college every little while got a bundle
from home. In it were the socks that mother
had knit, sitting up late at night her sight
not as good as once it was.
And there also were some delcacies from
the sisters hand for tn vOracOus 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, aud then sitting down under the
cherry tree at noon thinking 10 himself: 4
arm iearfulIv tired, but il will pay if can once
see that boy through college, and if / can
know that he will be preaching the Gospel af-
ter am dead" The younger children want
to know why they cam have this and that AS
DINERS do, and the mother says: ''Be patient
nv children, until your brother graduates,
and then you shall have more luxuries, but
we must see that boy through
The years 90 by, the son has been ordain-
cd and Is preaching the glorious Gospel, and
II great revival comes. and souls by scores and
hundreds accept the GOsDel from the llps of
that young preacher and father and mother,
quite old now, are visiting the son at the vii
lage 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 if he could do anything to make
them more comfortable. saving IL they
ed anything in the night Just to knock on the
wall. And then all alone father aud mother
talk over the gracious influence of the dav
and say: well it was worth all we went
through to educate that boy 1t was a hard
null, but we held on till the work done
The world may not know it. but moth
er, we held the rope, didn't We2"
Aud the voice. tremu' Gus with joyful emotion
responds: Yes, father; we held the rope, I
feel my work is done Now Lord, lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine
eyes have seen thy salvation" 'Pshawl'
saws the father, 81 never felt so much like
/ living in my life as now. I want TO see what
so well2"
Something occurs TO me quite personal I
was the youngest of a large family of children.
My parents We're neither rich nor poor; four
of the sons wanted collegiate education. and
toar obtained it, but not without great home
struggle. We never heard the old people say
once that they were DENYING themselves to
elect this, but remember now that my
parents ALWAYS iOOlei tired. I don't think
/ that they ever got rested until they Iay down
| In the SOmmerVille cemrCerF. Mother would
/ sit down in the evening, and say: ''WeI I
/ don't know what makes me feel so tired %
| rather would fall immediately TO sleeD, seated
! by the evening stand, overcome with the DAVIS
1atlgues. One of the four brothers after
| p eaching 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 ] think
an OF US are willing to acknowledge our OBJ
/ legation TO the old folks at home. About
twenty-five wears ago the other put down the
| burdens OF this life, hut they still hold the
rope
men and women here assemb' Ell. Won brag
sometimes how you have fought your way in
tue world but think there have been
helpful influences that you have never fully
acknowledged. Has there not be en-
some influence in your early or present
home that the world cannot see2 Does there
not reach to You from among the Canadian
hills, or western prairie. or from southern
plantation, or from English or Scottish or
1FlsA nome cord OF influence that has kept
you right when YOU would have gone astray,
ana winch, after you had made a crooked
track, recalled YOU. The rope may be as
long as thirty years or five hundred miles
long or three thousand miles long, Dut hands
that went out Of sight long ago still hold the
rope You want very swift horse, and you
need TO reward him sharp 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
out OF reach of your mothers prayers. Why,
{ oL-Ap ~ using INC EALtdLAllC III seven uaN6
can't sail away from thatl & sailor finds
them on the lookout as he takes his place
and finds them on the mast AS he climbs the
raLllnes TO dlseutangle a rope In the tempest,
and finds them swinging on the hammock
| when he turns in. Why not be frank and ac-
knowledge 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
I lou a mi In ~HnaaH -Hs-
AID all those who have rendered 10 God and
/ the world unrecOgni Zed anC uurecOrded
/ services That is going to be one of the
/ glad eXcitements of heGVen-the hunting uD
! anl n-cE-na ONT of Lhnsa --ho III - y.