Connecticut western news., 1894-03-15

an aggregation of small things. Bethle- hem manager pulling on astar in theeast- ern sky. One book in a adrenched sailors mouth the evangelization of multitude. One boat of papyrus on the Nile freight ed with events for all ages. The fate of Christendom in a basket let down from 8 window on the wall. What youdo, do well. If you make rope, make it strong and true, for you know not how much may depend on your workmanship. If you fashion boat, let it be waterproof, for you know not who may sail in it.
 If you put Bible in the trunk of your boy as he goes from home. let it be heard in your prayers, for it may have mis- sion as farreachine as the book which the sailor carried in his teeth to the Pit cairn beach. The plainest mans life is an island between two eternities-eter- nifty past ripping against his shoulders, eternity to come touching his brow. The casual, the accidental, thaswhich merely happened so, are parts of 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 northeast storm of the cen turies.
 a THEY HELD THE ROPE
 Again, notice unrecognized and unre- corded services. Who spun that rope? Who tied it to the basket? Who steadied the illnstrious preacher as he stepped in- to it? Who relaxed not a muscle of the arm or dismissed an anxious look from | r. Al ~l DI txx, ground and discharged it's magni6cen. 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 their agitation tied a knot that could slip9 What if the sound of the mob at the door had led them to say, Paul must take care of him. self, and we will take, care of ourselves ? No, mol They held the rope, and in do- ing 80 did more for the Christian church than any thousand of us will ever ac- complish. 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 Ro- mans, to the Corinthians, to the Gala tians, to the Ephesians, to the Philip plans, to the Colossians, to the Thessa- lonians, to Timothy, to Titus, to Pmle- mon, to the Hebrews, and when they heard how he walked out of prison with the earthquake unlocking the door for him and took command of the Alexan- drian corn ship when the sailors were nearly scared to death and preached a sermon that nearly shook Felix of his judgment seat! I hear the men and women who helped him down through the window and over the wall talking in private over the matter, and saying: .sHow glad am that we effected that rescuel In coming times others may get the glory of Paul's work. but no one shall rob us of the satisfaction of know ing that we held the rope"
 There are said to be about 69. 900 min isters of religion in this country. About 5O, 900, 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 be- come ministers are the sons of those who had terrific struggle to get their every day bread. The collegiate and theolog- ical education of that son took every luxury from the parental table for eight years. The other children were more scantily appareled. The son at college every little while got 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 delicacies from the sisters hand for the voracious appetite of 8 hungry student.
 HARD PULL
 The years go by, and the son has been ordained and is preaching the glorious gospel, and a 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 vil- lage parsonage, and at the close of Sab bath of mighty blessing father and moth ar retire to their room. the son lighting the way and asking them if he can do anything to make them more comforta- ble, saying if they want anything 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 say: "Well. it was worth all we went through to educate that boyi It was a 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 we?' And the voice, tremulous with joyful emotion, responds: "Yes, fa- ther; 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" ''Pshawp says the father. "I never felt so much like living in my life as now. I want to see what that fellow is going on to do, he has begun so we'll"
 Oh, men and women here assembled, you brag sometimes how you have fought your way in the world, but I think there 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 New England hills, or from western praigies, or from southern plantation, or from English or Scottish or Irish home, cord of infiu- ence that has kept you right when you would have gone astray, and which, aft CT you had made crooked track, re- called youf The rope may be as long as 30 years, or 300 miles long or 5000 miles long, but hands that went out of mortal sight long ago still hold the rope.
 You want very swift horse, and you need to rowel him with sharpest spurs, and to let the reins lie loose upon the neck, and to give shout to a racer ii you are going to ride out of reach oi your mothers prayers. Why, 8 shiI crossing theAtlantic in seven days cant sail away from themi 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 ropt