Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1894-03-17

the rough and VICIOUS pOpulat1On were
evangelical, and church was started,
and an enlightened commonwealth es-
tablished, and the worlds history has no
more brilliant page than that which tells
of the transformation Of nation by one
book. It did not seem of much impor-
lance whether the sailor continued to
hold the book in his teeth or let it fall in
the breakers, but upon what small cir
cumstance depended what mighty re-
suits!
Practical aforementioned are no in
signi6cances in our lives. The minutest
thing is part Of magnitude. Infinity
is made up of infnitesimals; great things
an aggregation Of small things. Bethle-
hem manger pulling on astar in the east
ern sky. One book in drenched 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 basket let down from
window on the wall. What you do, do
well. If you make rope, make 1t strong
and true, for you know not how much
may depend on your workmanship. II
you fashion boat, let it be waterproof,
for you know not who may sail in it.
If you put a 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 farreaching 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, that which merely
happened so, are parts Of great plan,
and the rope that lets the fugitive apostle
from the Damascus wallis the cable that
holds to its mooring the ship of the
church in the northeast storm Of the CEN
turies
THEY HELD THE ROPE.
Again, notice unrecognized and unre-
corded services. Who spun that rope?
Who tied it to the basket? Who steadied
the illustrious preacher as he stepped in
to it? 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
cargo2 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
knot that could slip2 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. J"
No, no! They held the rope. and In do
ing so 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 Phile-
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
sermon that nearly shook Felix off 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:
"How glad I am that we effected that
rescue! 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 $4,000 min
listers of religion in this country. About
80 900, 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 hungry student.
HARD PULL.
The years go by, and the son has been
ordained and is preaching the glorious
gospel, and 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 vii
lage parsonage, and at the close of Sab
bath of mighty blessing father and moth
or retire to their room, the son lighting
the way and asking them if he can do
anything to make them more comforta-
BILE, 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 boyl 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: eyes, ia
Their; 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" "Pshaw" says
the father. II 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 l
think there have been helpful influences
c--1 y1a6rr