The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-03-14


ing the South. selected as the subject OF
today's sermon ''Unappreciated Serv-
ices" the text being taken from IL Corin-
thians ri, IS. Through a window, in a
basket was I let down by the wall
Damascus is a city of white and glis-
tening architecture sometimes called
1.-The eye Of the east" sometimes called
"a pearl surrounded by emeralds," at
one time distinguished for swords of the
best material. called Damascus blades,
and upholstery Of richest fabric, called
damasks
horsenan Of the name of Paul rid
ing toward this city, had been thrown
from the saddle. The horse had dropped
under u flash from the sky. which at the
same time was So bright it blinded The
rider for many DAYS, and, I think, 50
permanently injured his eyesight that
this defect of vision became the thorn
in the flesh ne afterward speaks Of Tie
started for Damascus To- butcher Chris
tians. but after that hard fall from his
horse he was "a changed man and
preached Christ in Damascus till the
city was shaken 10 its foundation.
The mayor gives authority FOR his ar
rest. and the popular cry IS: XIII him.
KnI him The city is surrounded by
a high wall, and the gates are watched
Icy the police lest the Cilician preacher
escape Many Of the houses are built
ON the wall and their balconies pro-
jectCd clear over and lowered above the
gardens outside II was customary to
lower baskets out of these balconies and
pull up fruits and flowers from the gar
dens. To this day visitors "A the monas-
terry of Mount Sinai are lifted and let
down IN baskets.
Detectives prowIed around from house
10 house looking for Paul, but his
friends hid him now in one place. now in
another. he is no coward. fifty in
cideDts in his life demonstrate. But
he feels his work is not done yet, and
50 he eVades assassination. Is that
preacher here" the fDaming mob shout
At one house door is that fanatic
here" the police shout at another house
door. Sometinlcs the street he passes
ineOgnitO through "A crowd Of clinched
fists. and sometimes he secretes himself
ON the house top. At last the infuriated
populace get on sure track Of him.
PauI'S Escape.
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 - Here he is"
The moderation and blasphemy and
bowling Of the pursuers are at the front
door. They break i'm. Fetch out thai
gospelizer. and let us hang his head ON
the city gate, Where is he" The
emergency was terrible. Providentially
there was a good stout basket I'm the
house. Paul's friends fasten rope -
the basket Paul steps into it. The
basket is lifted TO the edge of the bal
cony on the wall. and then while Paul
holds onto the rope with both hands his
friends lower away. carefully and
cautiously slowly. but surely, farther
down and farther down. uEtil the basket
strikes the earth. ard the apostle steps
out and afOOt ana alone starts on that
famous missionary tour the story IF
which has astonished earth and heaven.
Appropriate entry in PauIs diary of
travels-"Thr0ugh window. in basket.
was 1 let down by the wall
Observe first on what a 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 il. How If
ii 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. Capp2dCcia. Galatia, Mace
dOnia. would never have been accom-
plished. All his writings that make up
80 Indispensable and enchanting a part
of the new teStimeut 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 a Philippi.
IN the Mediterranean eu1oclydon, under
hagellati0n and at his beheading. would
not have kindled the courage of 10000
martyTdoms. But the rope holding that
basket-hOw much depended on it, So
again and again great results have hung
on what seemed slender circumstances.
The Boat Moses Lay In.
Did ever ship of many thousand tons
crossing the sea have such important
passenger as had once a boat of leaves,
from taffraii to stern only three or four
feet. the vessel made waterproof by a
coat Of bitumen and floating on the Nile
with the infant lawgiver Of the Jews on
board? What if some crocodile should
crunch il? What if some of the cattle
wading in for a drink should sink it,
Vessels of war sometimes carry forty
guns looking through the port holes
ready 10 open battle But that tiny
craft on the Nile seems to be armed
with all the guns of thunder that bonn
barded Sinai at the laWgiving On how
fragile craft sailed how much of his
torfcai Importance
The parsonage at Epworth England
IS on fire in the night and the father
PUSHES through the hallway for the res
cue or his children. Seven children are
out and safe on the ground. but one re-
mains in the consuming building That
one wakes, and finding his bed on fire
and the building cTumbling comes to the
window, and two peasants make a lad
der Of their bodies. one peasant stand
ing on 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 ladder
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 I'm the midst of sur
sounding cannibalism and squalor the
passengers discovered a Christian colony
IF churches and schools and beautiful
homes and highest style of religion and
civilization. For fifty years no mission
airy and no Christian influence had
landed there. Why this oasis Of light
amid a desert of heathendom? sixty
years before a ship had met disaster
and one Of the sailors. unable TO save
anything else. went to his trunk and
took out a bible which his mother had
placed there and swan ashore the bible
held in his teeth.
The book was read on all sides until
the rough and vicious population were
evangelical, and a church was started
tablished, and the worlds history has
brill