The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-27
circumstance depended what mighty re-

Is part OF q magutuue. lnnnlty liz lnaue
up of inflnitesimals. Great things an
aggregation of small things Bethlehem
manger pulling on star In the eastern sky,
One book in IA drenchet sailors mouth the
evangelization of Il mu titude. One boat
of papyrus on the Nile freighted with
events for all ages. The fate of christen-
dom in basket let down from window on
the wall. What you do, do well. If you
make rope, make ii strong aud true. for
you know not how much may depend on
your Workmanship. II you fashion boat,
lot it be waterproof, for you know not who
may sail in 1t. If yOu put Bible "the
trunk of your boy as he goes from ),lonle,
let it be heard in your prayers, for it may
have mission as far reaching as the book
which the sailor carried in his teeth TO the
Pitcairn beach. The plainest maI's life Is
an island between two eterliLleS-eterulty
past ripping against his shoulders, eternity
to come touching his brow The casual,
the accidental, that which merely happens
SO, are parts of a great plan, and the rope
that lets the fugitive apostle from the
Damascus wall is the cable that holds to its
mooring the ship of the church in the north
cast storm of the centuries
Again, notice unrecognized and unre-
corded services Who spun the ropef Who
tied it to the basket. Who stoadied Tho
illustrious preacher as he stepped Into i5t
Who relaxed not muscle of the arm or
dismissed an anxious look from his face
until the basket touched the ground aud
discharged its magnificent cargof Not ono
of their names has come to us, but there
was no work done that day in Damascus or
in oil the earth compared with the impor-
tance Of their work. What If they had In
the agitation tied knot that could siipf
What If the sound of a mob at the door had
le them to say: Paul must take care OF
himself and we will take care of ourselves" j"
No, mol They held the rope, and in dUing
so did more for the christian church than
any thousand Of us will ever accomplish.
But God knows, and has made eternal
record of their Undertaking And they
know. How eXutant they must have felt
when they read his 'etters to the Romans,
TO tho Coiint las, to the Galatians, to tho
Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colos-
slams, To the Thessalonans, to Timothy, to
Titus to Philemon, TO 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
a sermon that nearly shook Felix off his
judgment-seat. hear the men AMI women
who helped him down through the window
and over the wall talking in private over
that we effected that rescued In coming
times others may get the glory of Paups
work, but no one shall rob us of the salts
faction of knowing that we held the rope"
There are said 60 be about sixty-nine
thousand minister's of religion in this coun-
try. About fifty Thousand, | warrant
came from early homes which had to strug-
gle for the necessaries OF life.
The sons of rich bankers and merchants
I1trk ha I'm MT
The most OF those who become minister's are
the sons of those who had terrific struggle
to get their every day bread The collegi-
ate and theological education of that son
took every luxury from the parental table
for eight years The other children were
more scantily appareed The son at col
lege 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
us good as onca it was.
And there also were some delicacies from
the sisters hand for the voracioas appetite
of a hungry student. The father swung the
heavy cradle through the wheat, the sweat
rolling from his chin bedewing every step
of the way, and then sitting down under toe
cherry tree at noon thinking to himself: 81
am fearfuly tired. but 1t will pay IL | can
once see that boy through college, aud If
can know that no will be preaching the
gospel after | am deaf" The younger
children want to know why they can't have
this and that as others do, and tho mother
says: "Be patient, my children, until your
brother graduates, and thea you shall have
more luxuries, but we m1st 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 fat1er
and mother, quite Old now, are visiting the
son at tho village parsonage, and at the
close of 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 com
Portable, saying ii they want anything II
the night just to knock on the wall And
then all alone father and mother talk over
the gracious influences of tho day, ana say
"Well, il wac worth all We went through to
educate that boy 1t was hard pull, but
we held on till the work was done. The
world may not know it, but, mother, we
held the rope. didn't weF Aud tine voice
trenlulous with joyful emotion, responded
Eyes, 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" "PshawW says the
nv life as now | want to see what that
fellow is going on to do, no has begun SC
we'll"
Something occurs to me quite personal.
| was the youngest OF a largo family oi
children. My parents we're neither rich nor
poor; four OF the sons wanted collegiate
education, and four obtained 1t, but not
without great home struggle We never
heard the old people say once that they
were denying themselves to effect this, but
remsmber now that my parents always
looked tired. don't think that they ever
got rested until they lay down in the Som
merville cemetery. Mother would sit down
in the evening, and say: "Well, ! don't
know what makes me feel 50 tiredl' Father
would fall Immediately TO sleep. seated by
the evening stand overcome with tue days
fnti9ues One OF the four brothers after
preaching the gospel for about lfty years
entered upon his heavenly ros'. Another
Of the four Is now on tae other side the
earth, missionary 6f 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 tho old folks at home
About twenty-five years ago tho one, and
about twenty-four years ago the other, put
down the burdens Of this life, but they still
hold the rope.
0, men and women here assembled, you
brag sometimes how you have fought your
way Ia the world but think there have
been helpful influence that you have never
fully Acknowledged. Has there not been
some influence In your early or present
home that the world cannot sect Does
there not reach to you from among the