The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-03-15
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BIocKLYN DIvINE's sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "Unappreciatcd Services. -


pds i,i dozen by Me icGN."--u Corinthians
IL. 3d.
! Damascus is a city Of white and elistening
architecture sometimes called "the eve ofthe
| East" sometimes called "a pearl surround
/ ed hy emeralds." at one time distinguished
| for swords Of the best material. called Da-
mascus blades. aud upholstery OF richest
fabric. called damasks.
| A horseman OF the name OF Paul. riding
! toward this city. had been thrown from the
/ saddle. The horse had dropped under a
/ flash from the sky. which NJ the same time
| was 50 bright Il blinded the rider for many
! days. and think 80 permanently injured his
/ eyesiSht that this defect ot vision became the
/ thorn IN the flesh he aiterwarl speaks OF.
/ Ne started for Damascus to butcher Chris
/ tians. but after that hard fall from his horse
| he was changed man and preached Christ
in Damascus till the city was shaken to its
] foundation.
The mayor gives authority for his arrest.
/ pui the popular cry l. "kill him Kill
/ him The city il surrounded by high
/ wall. and the gates are watched 10y the police
| lost the Cilirinn preacher escape. Many Of
/ the houses are built on the wall and their
| balconies projected clear over aud lowered
/ above the gardens outside. II was customary
. 10 lower baskets ou' Of these balconies and
| pull up fruits aui flowers from the garden.
/ TO this day visitors nt thr monastery OF
Mount sinai are lifted and let down in bas-
| kets.
Detectives prowied around from house TO
/ house looking for Paul. but his friends hid
him. now in ono place. now in another. He
is no coward. aS Gfty incidents OF his life
| demonstrate. but he feels his work Is not
I done vet. aud so he cyades assassnatiob.
/ "is that preacher hcrey' the foaming mob
| shout At one house door. "ls shat fanatic
here the police shout at another house
/ door, Sometimes ON the street incognito he
| oh n pF lnf ttlp nan M
| sometimes he secretos himself on the hous,,-
tons. ~ last the iniuriatel people get on
. sura track OF him.
They have positive evidence that he is N
the hous1 Of one of the Christians. ths bal
. cpuy o. whose home relcHes over the walt
Here he is Here he Is" The vocilers-
tiou and blssphrmy und bowling OF the pur-
suers mr., al the front door. They break I'd.
Fetch out that gosprlizar and let us harg
his heal on The city gate. Where il her
The emergency was terrible. ProvidentialS
there was good stout basket in tue hous,.
paul's friends iasten a rope 10 the basket
Paul steps into H. The basket is lifted 10
the edge o. the balcony on the wall. AMI
then while Paul holds on to the rope with
both hands his friends lower away. carefully
aud cautiously. slowly. but surely. farther
down ami farther down, until the baskk
strikes the earth and the apostle steps out
and afooi and alone starts on that famous
missionary tour. the story OF whcn has re-
tonishsd earth ana heaven. Appropriate ea.
try In pauIs diary of travels, Through n
window, In basket was let down by tbe
wall"
Observe first on what n slender Tenure
great results hang. Tho ropemaker who
twisted that cord fastened to that lowering
basket never knew how much would depphd
on the strength Of IL. How II II had been
broken. aui the apostles life had been dashed
out? What wouldha become OF the Chris
ga.... A II
AIRY work IN Pnmpnylia, Capadocia GalA,ia,
Macedonia. would never have been accom-
piishel. All his writings that make up so
Indispensable aud enchanting part OF the
New Testament would never have been
written. The story OF resurrection would
.!ever save hsRn - gloric sl- 'oii rs he' -
II. That example OF heroic and triumpuan
endurance at Phiiippi. in tho Mediterranean
euroclydon. under hagellaton and at bis be
heading would not have kindled the courag,
Of 10000 matyrdoms. But ,herope holdin,
that h1ssct, how much depended on II Z \,
} again and again great results have hung OF
, what seemed slender circumstances
Did ever ship OF many thousand ton
crossing the sea have such important pas
, senger ~ had once "A boat OF leaves from
talrail 20 stern only three or four feet III,
vessel made waterproof by a coat OF bi,umel
and floating On the Nile with the infant law
giyer Of the Jews on board? What IL som,
c o, the cattle waiinc in for a drink shoulC
p sink II? Vessels of war sometimes carr,
! forty guns looking through the portholes
ready TO open battle But that tiny craft OF
the Nile seems to be arme with all the gun
i OF thunder that bombardel Sinai at the law
= g'vlng. On how ircgIle craft sailed HOY
, much OF historical importance.
!, The parsonage ut Epworth, England, is oi
u lre in tho night, and the father rushs,
: through the hallway for the rescue OF hi
, children. Seven children ARE out and SAT
p on the ground. but one remains in the con
suming building That one wakes. aud lind
u lng his bed on fire and the building crumh
ling, comes TO the window. and two peasant
4 make a ladder of their bodies, one psasan
=, standing on the shoulder of the other. an
: down the human ladder the boy descends
- John Wesley. IL you would know how muc
o depended en- that ladder OF peasants, ask tn
:. millions OF Methodlsts on both sides OF tn
~ soa. Ask their mission stations all roun
- ths world. Ask the hun lreds OF Thousand
already asceuded To join their founder. VIII
Nc would have pershed but Tor the living stai
IL oil peasants shoulders.
~ An English ship stopped at Pitcairn islam,
ami right in the midst of surrounding cam
y balism and squnlor the passengers disco
II cred Christian colony OF churches an
is schools and beautiful homes and hghe
# style Of religion and civilization. For fift
- years no missionary ana no Christian inlil
" fEff nNu ldnuel luerb Why iuh OASiS
'e light amid - desert Of heathendom2 Six
II years before "a snip had met disaster, aud OF
- OF the sniors, unable to sayo anything els
went to his trunk anltook out "a Bible whiC
"a his mother had placed there and swa
| ashore, the Bible held in his teeth
in The book was read on all sides until Il
| rough and vicious population were evangs
90 lied, and "a church was started, AMI an g
'V lchtened commonwealth established, and II
le worlds history has no more brilliant pa
~ than tnat which tells OF the trnnsformstiC
{p OF a nation by one book. II jid not seem
- much importance whether the sailor 60
Inued TO mold the book in his teeth or let
sc iall in the breakers. but upon what small ci
e. cumstance depended what mighty results
~ Practical inference there are no insight
=, cnnces in our lives The minutest thing
uu part OF magnitude. Inhnity is made up
OF inhnitesimals great things an aggregate
10 OF small things. Bethlehem manger pullii
no on 4 star IN the eastern sky. One book in
-, drenched sailors mouth the evangelIzati,
o' OF multitude. One boat OF papyrus on /
no Nile fraiuhted with eysntS Tor all AGES II