The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-03-21

passengers discovered a Christian colony
of churches and schools and beautiful
homes and highest style Of religion and
civilization. For 80 years nc missionary
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 o 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,
and an enlightened commonwealth es-
tablished, and the worlds history has no
more brilliant pagethan that which tells
Of the Transformation Of q nation by n
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 inference-there are no in
s~ignifcances in our lives. The minutest
thing is part Of a magnitude. Infnity
is madeu up of infnitesimals; great things
an aggregation of small things. Betnle-
hem manger pulling on astar in the east
ern sky. One book in a drenched sailors
mouth the evangelization Of multitude.
One boat Of papyrus on the Nile freight
ed with events for all ages. The fate OF
C~hristendom in q basket let down from
q window ON the wall. What you do, 40
well. If you make a rope, make it strong
and true, for you know not how much
may depend on your workmanship. If
you fashion q 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 a mis-
sion as ~farreaching as the book which
the sailor carried in his teeth to the Pit
cairn beach. The p%lainest 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 mercy;
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
turtles.
THEY HELD THE ROPE
Again, notice unrecognized and unre-
corded services. Who spun that rope:
Who tied it to the basket? Who stea1ied
the ilustrious preacher as he stepped IN
to it? Who relaxed not a muscle OF the
arm or dismissed an anxious look from
his face until the basket touched the
ground and discharged its magnificent
cargo? Not one of their names has ONE
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
a knot that could slip? 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 careof ourselves"
No, no! They held the rope, and in do
ing so did more for the Christian church
than any thousand Of US will over &C
complish. But Godknows 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 Thessar
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 Ale1an-
drian corn ship when the sailors were
nearly scared to death and preached a
sermon that nearly shook Felix off his
Judgment seatl I hear the men and
women who helped him down through
the window and owe the wall talking
in private ovef 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 n
shall rob us of the satisfaction Of know
ing that we held the rope"
There are said to be about 69,OO0 min
listers of religion in this country. About
$4,000, Warrant, came from early homes,
which had to struggle for the necessaries
Of life. The IONS Of rich bankers and
merchants generally become bankers and
merchants. The most of those who be-
come ministers are the sons Of these 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 sol at college
every little while got a 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 q hungry student.
A HARD Pull.
The Years 90 bv. and the son has been