Sharp County record., 1888-09-13
rTAL]TAGTS SERMON.
Small Events Sometimes Prolific OF
Great Resulta.
HclpfuI Influences in Every Day Life iha'
Rarely Receive Full orcdit-ino'-
dents in Our Lives that Have
shaped Our DeStinieS.

Rev T. Dewitt TaImage delivered the
following sermon at Grimsby Canada on
q recent Sabbath 1t is not new one
having been delivered elsewhere WlihIu
+be mast two years. It is q good one, how
ever and will bear repeating. His text
was:
Through q window, in u basket was L leu
down by the waIL-u. Cor u., 33.
Demascus is % city Of white and gllSteh-
fnr architecture. sometimes called tine
eve Of the East" sometimes called 90"
pearl surrounded by emeralds," at one
time DISTINGUISHED for swords OF the best
material called Damascus blades, ana
rnhoIsterv of richest fabric called
5lmayks. A horsemau by the
name of Paul, riding toward this
ritv had been thrown from the sad
die. The horse had dropped under ahaSn
from the sky, which at the same time was
so BRIGHT it blinded the rider for many
DAYS, and [ think so permanently injured
his evesfrht that this defect of vision ne
came the thorn in the flesh he atterWard
speaks Of. he started for Damascus 10
butcher Christians, but after that hard
fall from his horse he was a changed
man and preached Christ in Damascus
till the city was shaken to its rounua-
ton.
The mayor gives authority for his ar
rest. and the popular cry is: Kill MN.
kill himw The city is surrounded by 81
bieb wall. and the gates are watched by
the police lest the Cilician preacher eS-
cane. Many Of the houses are built on
the wall. and heir balconies projected
clear over and lowered above the gardens
outside. It was customary TO lower
baskets out of these balconies and pull
ND fruit and flowers from the gardens.
To this dav visitors Mt the mOnaStrY OF
Mount Sinai are lifted and let down IN
agkets. Detectives prOwled around from
house to house looking for Paul. Dot his
friends hid him now in one place, now IN
another. He is no coward, as fifty mel
dents in his life demonstrates. But he
feels his wor% is not done yet, aud so he
evades assassination.
'Is that preacher here?" the foam ing
mob shouts at one door.
rs that fanatic here" the police shout
at another house door, Sometimes on
the street incognitO be passes through a
crowd of cIenched fists, and sometimes
he secretes himself on the house-tops.
AT last the tnfuriated populaco get on
sure track Of him. They have positive
evidence that he is in the house OF one OF
the Christians, the balcony Of whose
home reaches over the wall. "Here he is.
Here he is!0 The vociferation and BIAS
phemv and bowling Of the pursuer5 are
ut the front door, They break in. Fetch
out that Gospelizer and letus hang his
lead on the city gate. Where is he''
The emergency was terrible. ProVl"
denrially, there was o good stout basket
in the house. Paul's friends tasten q
rome to the basket Paul steps into 1t.
The basket is lifted to the edge Of the
balcony on the wall, and then, while Paul
holds on to the rope with both hands, his
friends lower away carefully and cau-
tiouslv slowly but surely further down
and further down. until the baskets trlkes
th4 aa,th. and the apeatln stnns mt and,
afOOt and alone, starts on that famous
missionary tour, the story Of which has
astonished earth and Heaven. ApprO-
pirate entry in Pau's diary Of travels:
Through % window, in % basket, was I let
down by the wall.
Observe. first on what a slender tenure
great results hang. The rope maker who
twisted that cord fastened to that lover
ing basket never knew how much would
depend on the strength Of it. How if it
had been broken and the apostles life
had been dashed ont? What would have
become Of the Christian Church? All
that magnificent missionary work IN
CaDpadDcil. Falatia, Mace
Ion1a would never have been accom-
1Iished. All his writings that make mp
so indispensable and enchanting 70 part
1f the New Testament would never have
been written. The story OF resurrection
would never have been so glOrI0usly told
rs he told it, That example of herolcond
triumphant endurance at PhIliDpI, in the
Mediterranean aurOcLvdOu. under tlagel-
alton. and at his 5eheadiug would not
nave Zindled the courage OF ten thousand
nartvrdOms. But that rope holding that
basket. how much depended on it. So
again and again great results have hung
IN what seemed slender circumstances.
Did ever ship Of many thousand tons
,rOssing the sea have such important
passengers as had once 20 boat of leaves,
rom taffrau to stern only three or tour
eet. the vessel male waterproof by
,oat of bitumen and floating on the Nile
With he infant Llw-gIver Of the Jews on
lDard? What If some crocodile should
rmch it? What if some Of the cattle
vading in for 70 drink should sink it?
Vessels of war sometimes carry forty
,uns looking through the PORTFOLIOS,
.eadv to open battle But that tiny craft
N the Nile seems to be armed with all
he guns of thunder that bombarded
Sinai at the law giving. On how fragile
raft sailed how much Of historical i'm
)ortance.
The parsonage at EpwOrth, England, is
IN fire in the night, and the father rushed
through the hallway for the rescue Of his
,hildren. Seven children are out and
.afe on the ground, but one remains in
he consuming building. That one wakes
md. finding his bed on fire and the build
do crumbling, comes to the window, and
wo peasants make q ladder of their
bodies. one peasant standing on the
lhoulder Of the other, and down the lU-
nan ladder the boy descends-John Wes-
ev. IF YOU would know how much de-
bends on that ladder Of peasants ask the
millions OF lGethodists on both sides Of
he sea. Ask their mission stations all
around the world. Ask their hundreds Of