Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-12

Is part Of a magnitude. Infnity is made up
Of inhnitssimals. Great things an ne,trera-
ton Of small things. bethlehem manager
pulling on a star IN the eaten sky. One
book in adrenehed slilors mouth the evan.
gelization Of multitude. One boat of
papyrus on the ME frcightcd with events
for all ages. The fate OF Christendom In n
basket let down from window on the wall.
What you do, do well. II you make rope,
make it strong and true, for YOU know not
how much may depend on your workman
ship II you fashion boat, let It be wa
terproof, for you know not who may sail
In Il.
II you put Bible in the trunk OF your
boy rs he goes from home, let Il be heard In
your prayers, for II may have mission rs
farreaching as the book which the sailor
carried IN his teeth TO the Pitcairn beach.
Tie plainest mans life is an island be-
tween two eternities--e eternity past ripping
against his shoulders, eternity to come
touching his brow. The casual, the acci.
dental. that which merely happened so. an.
parts of a great plan, and the rope that lets
the fugitive apostle from the Damascus
wall is the cable that holds to its moorinr
the ship OF the church In the northeast
storm OF tho centuries.
Again, notice unrecogniEed and unrecord.
ed services, Who spun that ropef Who
tied 1t to the basket Who stcadied the
1 illustrious preacher as he stepped into tn
! Who relaxed not muscle OF the arm or
dismissed an anxious look from his face
until the basket touched the ground and
discharged its magnificent Cargog Not ono
I of their names has come TO us. but there
was no work done that day in Damascus or
! in all the earth compared with the inpor-
tanco Of their work. What II they had in
Z their agitation tied knot that could sllpg
What II the sound OF the mob ut the door
: had led them TO say, Paul must take cam
Of himself and we will take care OF our.
selvesW No, moi They held the rope, and
/ In doing 80 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 Romans, to the
| Corinthians, to the Galatians, TO the Ephe-
slams to the Philippians, TO the Colossians,
to the Thessalonians, 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 command OF the Alexandriau
cornshipwhen the sailors were nearly scared
TO death md preached a sermon that near
ly shook Felix on his judgment scati Ihcar
the men and women who helped him down
through the window and over the wall talk
ing 10 private over the matter and saying:
GLOW glad am that we effected that res
cuel In coming times others may get the
glory OF paul's work, but no one shall rob
us of the satisfaction Of knowing that We
held the rope"
WE HELD THE RoPE.n
There are said TO be about 69,O00 minis
tiers Of religion in this country. About 3d.
900, warrant, came from early homes
which had to struggle for the necessiries OF
life. The sons OF rich bankers aud mer-
chants generally become bankers and mer-
chants, Tho most OF those who become
ministers ARE the sons OF those who had ter
rifle struggle to get their everyday bread
The collegiate aud theological education Of
that sou took every luxury from the pnren-
tai table for eight years. The otherchildren
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 MS good as once 1t was. And therenlso
were some delicacics from the sisters hand
for the voracious appetite OF hungry stu
dent.
The years 20 by, and the son has been or.
dalned and Is preaching the glorious Cos.
pei, and a great revival comes, and souls
by scores and hundreds accept the gospel
from the lips Of that young preacher, and
father aud mother. quite old now, are visit.
ing the son at the village 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 II be
can do anything TO make them more com
Portable, saying it 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
aud say; "Well, II was worth all we went
through to educate that boy. TWAS a hard
pull. but we held on till the work was done.
The world may not know II; but, mother,
: we held the rope, didn't wen And the
voice, tremulous with joyful emotion, re-
spends: "Yes, 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, ~ never felt SO much like
living in my life as nowl | want to see
what that fellow is going on to do, he has
begun so WE'LL
HIDDEN FROM TUE WORLD.
On, men uiu huIitl htft htntinultuf you
brar sometimes how you have fought your
way in the world, but / think there have
been helpful influences that you hnve never
fully acknowledged. Has there not been
some influence In your early or present
home that the world cannot seci Does
there not reach 70 you from among the New
England hills, or from western pralres, OF
Z from southern plantation, or from English
I or scottish or Irish home, cord OF intu'
ence that has kept you right when you
; would have gone Gatray and which. after
YOU had mnde crooked track, recalled
! YOU; The rope may be as long as 80 years
or 800 miles long or 5000 miles long. bat
! hands that went out OF mortal sight long
: AGO still hold the rope.
You want very swift horse, and you
5 need to rowel him with sharpcst spurs, and
: 10 let the reins lie loose upon the neck, and
s 10 give a shout to o racer, II you are going
e 10 ride out Of reach Of your mothers pray
I. ers. Why, ship crossing the Atlantic In
1 seven DAYS can't sail away from themi a
( sailor finds them on the lookout as he takes
0 his place, and finds them on the mast as hs
e climbs the rallines 10 diseniangle a rope ~
0 The tempest. and finds them swinging or
y lie hammock when he turns In. Why moi
Y he frank and acknowledge M The most o.
: Us would long ago have been dashed Z
b pieces had not gracious aud loving hands
5 steadily and lovingly and nightly held th'