The Penn's Grove record., 1894-03-16

not iOI ihe OnflSt1an Cnurcu tnhh ahJ
thousand Of us will ever accomplish. But
God knows and has made eternal record o.
ibelr undertaking. And they know.
How exultant they must have felt when
they read his letters to the Romans, to the
Corinthians, to the Galatians. to the Ephe-
slams, to the Philippians, to the Colosslans,
to the Thessalonians. to Timothy, to Titus,
to Philemon, 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 A%lexandrian corn ship
when the sailors were nearly scared to death
and prean'ied a sermon that nearly shook
Felx on ais Judgment seat l hearthe men
Bnl women who helped him down through
tne window and over the wall talking In
private over the matter, and saying, "How
glad am that we effected that rescue! In
coming times Others may get the glory oil
PauIs work, but no one shall rob us OF the
satisfaction OF knowing that we held the
rope"
There are said to be about 50, 900 ministers
OF religion In this country. About $4,000, .
warrant, came from early homes, which had
to struggle for the necessaries OF life. TIL
sons of rich bankers and merchants gener-
ally become bankers and merchants. The
most OF those who become ministers are the
sons OF those VINO had terrific struggle to get
their everyday bread. The collegiate and
theological education OF that son took every
luxury from the parental table for eight
years. Inc other children were more scant-
lily appareled. The son at college every lit
tie 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 1t was, and there also were some de-
licacies from the sisters hand for the yora.
clous appetite Of u hungry student.
The years go by and the son has been or
ualned and IS preaching the glorious gospel,
and a 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
5oh at the village parsonage, and at the close
OF q Sabbath of mighty blessing father and
mother retire to their room. the son lighting
the way and asking them il he can do any
thing to make them more comfortable, say
to knock on the wall.
And then all alone father and mother talk
over the gracious influences OF the day and
say: Wei, it was worth all we went through
to educ -,e that boy! 1t 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. tremu.
lous with joyful emotion, responds Eyes,
father we held the rope. l feel my work is
done. Now, Lord, lette5t Thou Thy servant
depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation" 'Pshaw p says the father. 81
never felt so much like living in my life as
now. L want to see what that fellow is going
IN to do, he has begun so WELL"
oh, men and women here assembled, you
brag sometimes how YOU have fought your
way in the world, but 1 think there have
been helpful influences that you have never
fully acknowledged. Has there not been
some influence in your early or present home
that the world cannot see? Does there not
reach to you from among the New England
hills, or from western p~rairies. or from south
ern plantation, or from English or Scottish
or Irish homes, a cord Of nfiue CO that has
kept you right when you would have gone
astray, and which. after you had made q
crooked track, recalled you? The rope NAV
have been as long as thirty years, or 500
miles long or 5000 miles long, but hands that
went out OF mortal sight long ago still hold
The rope.
You want a very swift horse, and you need
to rowel him with sharpest spurs, and to LET
the reins lie loose upon the neck and to give
shout TO a racer il You are going to ride out
OF reach OF your mothers prayers. Why. a
ship crossing the Atlantic in seven DAYS can't
sail away from them A sailor finds them
on the lookout as he takes his place, and
finds them on the mast as he climbs the rat
lines to disentangle a rope in the tempest,
and finds them swinging on the hammock
when he turns in. Why not be frank and ac-
NM" NASS ~ hO VI 10 WUuIu long
ago have been dashed to pieces had not
gracious and loving hands steadily and Low.
mgly and nightly held the rope.
But there must come a time when we shall
find out who these Damascenes were who
lowered Paut in the basket and greet them
and all those who have rendered to God and
the worii unrecognized and unrecorded
services. That is going to be one of the glad
excitements OF heaven-the hunting up and
picking out of those who did great good on
earth n got no credit for 1t. Here the
church has been going on nineteen cen.
turtles, and this is probably the first sermon
ever recognizing the services OF the people in
hat Damascus balcony. Charles G. Finney
said to a dying Christian, "Give my love ia
st. a when you meet him." When you
and | meet him, as we will, I shall ask him
to introduce me to those people who got him
out of the Damascene peril.
Once for thirty-six hours we expected
every moment to go to the bottom of the
ocean. The waves struck through the sky-
lights, and rushed down into the hold of the
ship, and Missed against the boilers. It was
an awful time, but by the blessing Of Ged
and the faithfulness Of the men in charge we
came out of the cyclone, and We arrived at
home. Each one, before leaving the shin.
thanked Captain Andrews. I do not think
there was a man or woman that went off
that ship without thanking Captain Andrews
anu WHICH, years dltbI L AGdIu VI HIS Qoutn L
was impelled to write a letter OF coincidence
to his family in Liverpool.
Everybody recognized the goodness, tn,
courage, the kindness Of Captain Andrews,
but it occurs to me now that We never
thanked the engineer. He stood away down
in the darkness amid the Kissing furnace:
doing his whole duty. Nobody thanked the
engineer, but God recognized his heroisnh,
and his continuance, and his fidelity, and
there will be Just as high reward for the EN-
glneer who worked out of sight as the cap.
tain who stood on the bridge Of the ship in
lhe midst of the bowling tempest.
A Christian woman was seen going alonf
the edge OF a wood every eventide, n the
neighbors in the country did not understand
how a mother with so many cares and ankle
ties should waste 50 much time as to be idIy
sauntering out evening by evening. 1t was
found out afterward that she went there to
pray for her household, and while there one
evening she wrote that beautiful hymn.
famous in all ages for cheering Christian
hearts:
Hove to steal awhile away
From every cumoering care