The Brookhaven leader., 1888-09-06

you know not who may sail in it IL yo'
put Bible in the trunk OF your boy as h'
goes from home, let it be heard in you
prayers, for ii may have q mission as fal
reaching as the book which the sailol
carried in his teeth to the Pitcairn beach
The plaiuest mans life is an island be-
tween two eternities eternity past rip
pling against his shoulders, eternity e
come touching his brow. The casual, thu
accidental, that which merely happens so
areAparts Of great plan, and th' rop,
THAT let's the fugitive apostle from thu
Damascus wall is the cable that holds e
its mooring the ship OF the Church in tht
northeast storm of the centuries.
Again, notice unrecoguizsd and un
recorded services. Who spun the rope
Who tied it to the basket Who steadiet
the illustrious preacher as he stepped
into it? Who relaxed not n muscle OF
the arm or dismissed an anxious lool
from his face until the basket touched
the ground and discharged its magnificent
cargo? Not one Of their names has come
to us, but there was no work done that
day in Damascus or in all the earth COM
pared with the Importance Of their work
What if they had in the agitation tied o
hllpl llldl CtN III SlAls w iloN - hlAN S'NAAN
OF a mob at the door had led them to say
paul must take care of himself, and we
will take care OF ourselves" No, mol
They held the rope, AMI in doing 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 exultant they must have felt when
they read his letters to the Rom ans, to
the Corinthians, to the Galatians, TO the
Ephesians, to the Philippians, to
the Colossians, to the Thessslonians,
to Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon, to the
Hebrews, and when they heard how he
walked out OF prison with the earthquake
unlocking the door for him and took COM
mand of the Alexandriau corn ship when
the sailors were nearly scared to death,
and preached a sermon that nearly shook
Felix off his Judgment seat, l hear the
men and women who helped him down
through the window and over the wall
talking in private over the matter, and
saying:
How glad l am that we effected that
rescue! In coming times others may get
the glory OF Paul's work, but no one
should rob us Of the satisfaction Of know
ing that we held the rope"
There are said to be about sixty mine
thousand ministers Of religion in thus
country. About fifty thousand l warrant
came from early homes which had to
struggle for the necessaries of life.
The sons OF rich bankers and merchants
generally become bankers and merchants.
The most of those who become ministers
are the sons Of those who had terrific
struggle to get their everyday bread.
The collegiate and theological education
of that son took every luxury from the
parental table for eight years. The other
children were more scautily 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 SO good as once it
was.
And there also were some delicacies
from the sisters hand for the voracious
appetite Of hungry student. The father
swung the heavy cradle through the
wheat the sweat rolling from his chin,
believing every step of the way, and then
sitting down under the cherry tree at
noon thinking to himself:
II am fearfully tired, but 1t will pay II
can once see that boy through college,
and if can know that he will be preach
ting the Gospel after l am dead"
The younger children want to know
why they can't have this and that as
others do, and the mother says:
abe patient, my children, until your
brother graduates, and then you shall
have more Injuries, but we must see that
boy through"
The years 60 by, and the son has been
ordained, 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 father and mother, quite
old now, are visiting the son at the viii
lage parsonage. and at the close of q
Sabbath of mighty blessing, father and
mother retire to their room, the son
lighting the way and asking them If he
could do any thing to make them more
comfortable, saying if they want any
thing in the night just to knock on the
wall. And then all alone father and
mother talk over the gracious influences
of the day, and sayt
: "Well, it was 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, mothe r,
we held the rope, didn't we?"
And the voice, tremulous with joyful
emotions, 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"
"Pshaw!" says the father, 81 never felt
ilyo iy-i,, In
want to see what that fellow is going on
to do, he has begun so we'll"
Something occurs to me quite personal
was the youngest Of 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 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 dowr
in the Sommerville Cemetery. Mother
would sit down in the evening, and say:
-"Well, l don't know what makes me
feel so tired"
Father would fall Immediately to sleep
seated by the evening stand, overcom,
with the days fatigues. One Of the foul
brothers, after preaching the ospel TO
about fifty years, entered upon his Heav
emily rest. Another OF the four is now OF
the other side of the earth, a missionar
of the cross. Two Of US are in this Ian
in the holy ministry, and l think all O
US are willing to acknowledge our obi
cation to the old folks at home Abou
twenty two years ago the one, and abou
twenty-four year ago the other, pu
down the burdens Of this life, but the
| still hold the rope.
q man and yunrnarn hnra nhloh 10,