Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1894-03-22
IiTllALMAGE'S SERMON.
SLENDER TENURE ON WHICH
( GREAT RESULTS HANG.
The story OF a shipwreckcd sailor
who Swan to Land With His Bi-
blc-The Rescue of John Wesley
On Raising n Child.

II DlC-VhG NGACue OF JOnn WeUAcS-
On Raising n Child.
Mobile Ala, Special-Rev. I. Dewitt
Talmage, d. D., who is now visiting the
south, selected as the subject Sof to-
days sermon, "unappreciated Ser
vices" the text being taken from II.
Corinthians ri, 11-33. Through Il
window in a basket was let down by
the WALL"
Damascus is city of white and glist-
ening architecture sometimes called
"thc 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 IA
brics called damasks. A horscman by
the name Of Paul, riding toward this
city, had been thrown from the saddle.
The horse had dropped under Il flash
from the sky, which at the same time
was so bright it blinded the rider for
many days, and think so permanently
injured his eyesight that this defect OF
vision became the thorn in the flesh he
afterwards speaks Of. He started for
Damascus to butcher Christians, but
after that hard fall from his horse he
was a changed man and preached
Christ in Damascus till the city was
shaken to it's foundation.
The mayor gives authority for his ar
rest and the popular cry is, Kill him!
Kill him.! The city is surrounded by
a high wall and the gates are watched
by the police lest the Cilician preacher
escape. Many Of the houses are built
on the wall, and their balconies project
ed clear over and lowered above the
gardens 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 another.
He is no coward, as fifty incidents in
his life demonstrate. But he feels his
work is not done yet, and so he evades
assassination. "Is that preacher here"
the foaming crowd shout at one house
door. 'Is that fanatic here?" the police
shout at another house door. Some
times on the street incognito he passes
through crowd of clinched fists, and
sometimes he secretes himself on the
housetop. At last the Infatuated popu-
lace get on 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 vocifera-
ton and blasphemy and bowling OF the
purSllers are at the front door. They
break in. "Fetch out that gospelizer,
and let us hang his head on the city
gate. Where is hep The emergency
was terrible. Providentially there was
a good stout basket in the house.
Paul's friends fasten rope to the bas-
ket. 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, further down and
further down, until the basket strikes
the earth and the apostle steps out and
afoot and alone, starts Oh that famous
missionary tour, the story Of which
has astonished earth and heaven. APP
propriate entry in Paups diary of trav-
els: Through a window in a basket
was I let down by the wall"
Observe, first, ON what a slender ten
ure great results hang. The ropemaker
who twisted that cord fastened to that
lowering basket never knew how much
would depend on the strength Of it.
How if it had broken and the apostles
life had been dashed out? What would
have become of the Christian Church?
All that magnificent missionary work
in Pamphylia, Cappadocia, Galatia,
Macedonia would never have been ac-
complished. All his writings that made
up so indispensable and enchanting a
part Of the New Testament would new
er have been written. The story Of
resurrection would never have been so
gloriously told as he told 1t. That ex-
ample Of heroic and triumphant endur-
ance at Philippi, in the Mediterranean
euroclylon. under lagellatiOn and at
the beheading would have kindled the
courage of 10000 martyrdoms. But the
rope holding the basket, how much de-
pended 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
passenger as had once boat of leaves,
from taffrail to stern, only 3 or 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 1t? What If some of the
cattle wading in for drink should sink
it? Vessels of war sometimes carry
forty guns looking through the port
holes, ready to open battle. But that
tiny craft on the Nile seems to be arm
ed with all the guns of thunder that
bombarded Sinai at the law-giving.
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. That
one wakes, and finding his bed on fire
lo,d thu 1,u;1d;nv orunh1inv onu,no IN