News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-03-15
MOMENTOUS TRIPLES.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE breaches AN IN
TERESTlNG SERMON IN MOBILE.

"UnappreGiated Services Taken as the
Subject of the Text-Little Things of
Great ResuIts-Nothing Is Insignificant.
The Escape In Basket.
MOBILE, March 11.-Rev. T. De Witt
Talmage, D. D., who is now visiting the
south, selected as the subject of today's
sermon "Unappreciated Services" the
text being taken from II Corinthians xi,
80, Through window, in basket, was
] let down by the WALL
Damascus is q city of white and glis-
tening architecture sometimes called
ssthe eye of the east" sometimes called
ga pearl surrounded by emeralds, y at one
time distinguished for swords of the best
material, called Damascus blades, and
upholstery of richest fabric, called dam
asks.
A horseman of the name of Paul, rid
ing toward this city, had been thrown
from the saddle The horse had dropped
under flash from the sky, which at the
same time was so bright it blinded the
rider for many days, and I think so per-
manently injured his eyesight that this
defect of vision became the thorn in the
flesh he afterward speaks of. He started
for Damascus to butcher Christians, but
after that hard fail from his horse he
was changed man and preached Christ
in Damascus till the city was shaken to
its foundation.
: CRY OF THE MOB.
The mayor gives authority for his ar
rest, and the popular cry is: ''Kill him!
Kill him" The city is surrounded by
high 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 their balconies projected
clear over and lowered above the gar
dens outside 1t was customary to
lower baskets out of these balconies
and pull up fruits and flowers from the
gardens. To this day visitors at the
monastery of Mount Sinai are lifted and
let down in baskets.
Detectives prowled around from house
to house looking for Paul, but his friends
hid him, now in one place, now IN an
other. He is no coward, as 80 incidents
in his life demonstrate. But he feels his
work is not done yet, and so he evades
assassination. rs that preacher here?
the foaming mob shout at one house
door. is that fanatic here" the police
shout at another house door. Sometimes
on the street incognito he passes through
a crowd of clinched fists, and sometimes
he secretes himself on the hOusetops. AT
last the Infatuated populace 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 ISL The vo-
ciferation and blasphemy and bowling
of the pursuers are at the front door.
They break in. Fetch out that gospel
izer and let us hang his head on the city
gate. Where is he?" The emergency was
terrible. Providentially there was a good
stout basket in the house. Paurs friends
fasten rope to the basket. Paul steps
into it. 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 cautiously, slowly. but surely, far
ther down and farther down, until the
basket strikes the earth and the apostle
steps out, and afoot and alone starts on
that famous missionary tour, the story
of which has astonished earth and heaven.
Appropriate entry in Paurs diary of trav-
els, Through window, in a basket, was
let down by the WALL
SLENDER THREADS.
Observe first ON what q slender tenure
great results hang. The ropemaker who
twisted that cord fastened to that lower
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 out? What would have
become of the Christian church? All
that magnificent missionary work in
Pamphylia. Capadocia, Galatia, Mace
donia. would never have been accom-
plished. All his writings that make up
so indispensable and enchanting a part
of the New Testament would never have
been written. The story of resurrection
would never have been so gloriously told
as he told it. That example Of heroic
and triumphant endurance at Philippi,
in the Mediterranean euroclydon, under
facellation and at his beheading would
not have kindled the courage of 10000
martyrdoms. But the rope holding that
basket, how much depended on it! So
again and again great results have hung
on what seemed slender circumstances.
Did ever ship of many thousand tons
crossing the sea have such important pas
sepger as had once boat of leaves, from
taffraiI to stern only three or four feet,
the vessel made waterproof by coat OF
bitumen and floating on the Nile with
the infant lawgiver of the Jews on board!
What If some crocodile should crunch it!
What If some of the cattle wading III
for a drink should sink it? Vessels OF
war sometimes carry 40 guns locking
through the portfolios, ready to open bat
tie. Bnt that tiny craft on the Nile
seems to be armed with all the guns Of
thunder that bombarded Sinai at the
lawgiving. On how fragile craft sailed
how much of historical Importance!
The parsonage at Epworth, England
is on fire in the night, and the father
rushed through the hallway for the res
cue of his children. Seven children are
out and safe on the ground, but one re
mains in the consuming building. Thai
one wakes, and finding his bed on fire
and the building crumbling, comes tC
fhe window. and two peasants make 6
ladder of their bodies, one peasant stand
ing en- the shoulder of the other, and
down the human ladder the boy de
scends-John Wesley. If you would
know how much depended on that lad
der of peasants, ask the millions of Meth
odists on both sides of the sea. Ask Their
mission stations all round the world
Ask the hundreds of thousands already
assembled to join their founder, who
would have persisted but for the living
stair OF peasants shoulders.
An English ship stopped at Pitcairn
island, and right in the midst of sur
rounding cannibalism and squalor tn
passengers discovered Christian colon
of churches and schools and beautiful
homes and highest style of religion an
civilization. For 80 years no missionar
and no Christian influence had lande
there. Why this oasis of light amid
desert of heathendom? Sixty years befor
ship had met disaster. and one of tn
sailors. unable to save anything elst
went to his trunk and took out Bib
which his mother had placed there an
SWAN ashore, the Bible held in aais teetl
The book was read on all sides unit
the rough and vicious population wer
evangelical, and church was started
and an enlightened commonwealth e.
tablished, and the worlds history has II
more brilliant page than that which tel
of the transformation of nation by on
book. 1t did not seem of much impo.
lance whether the sailor continued
anoil tho hoolx II, his foot h On. Let II fall j