Democratic messenger., 1894-03-17
Taimage's Sermon Con. from 1t page

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
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 prairies, or from
southern plantation, or from English or
Scottish or Irish home, cord of infiu-
snce that has kept you right when you
would have gone astray, and which, aft
er you had made a crooked track. re-
called you? The rope may be as long as
80 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
you are going to ride out of reach of
your mothers prayers. Why. 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 ratlines to disentangle a rope
in the tempest. and finds them swinging
on the hammock when he turns in. Why
not be frank and acknowledge it? The
most of us would long ago have been
dashed TO pieces had not gracious and
loving hands steadily and lovingly and
nightly held the rope.
TINE OF PERIL.
But there must come time when we
shall find out who these Damascenes
were who lowered Paul in the basket
and greet them and all those who have
rendered TO God and the world unrecog-
nized and unrecorded services. That il
going TO be one of the glad excitements
Of heaven-the hunting up and picking
out Of those WHO did great good on earth
and got no credit for it. Here the
church has been going on 10 centuries,
and this is probably the first sermon ever
recognizing the services of the people in
that Damascus balcony. Charles G. Fin
ney said to dying Christian. Give my
love to st. Paul when you meet him. F"
When you and meet him, as we will. !
shall ask him to introduce me to those
people who got him out Of the Damas-
Gene peril.
Once for 80 hours We expected every
moment to 20 to the bottom Of the ocean.
The waves struck through the skylights,
and rushed down into the hold of the
ship. and Missed against the boilers. 1t
was an awful time. but by the blessing
Of God and the faithfulness Of the men
in charge We came out Of the cyclone,
and we arrived at home. Each one, be.
fore leaving the ship, thanked Captain
Andrews. / do not think there was a
man or woman that went off that ship
without thanking Captain Andrews. and
when years after heard of his death
was impelled to write letter of condo.
lence to his family in Liverpool.
Everybody recognized the goodness,
the courage. the kindness of Captain An
drews, but it occurs to me now that we
never thanked the engineer. He stood
away down In the darkness amid the
Kissing furnaces doing his whole duty.
Nobody thanked the engineer. but God
recognized his heroism, and his continu.
ance, and his fidelity, and there will be
just as high reward for the engineer who
worked out of sight as the captain who
stood ON the bridge Of the ship in the
midst Of the bowling tempest.
ALL POINTED OUT.
A Christian woman was seen going
along the edge of a wood every eventide
and the neighbors IN the country did no,
understand how q mother with SO many
cares and anxieties should waste Sc
much time as to be idly 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:
love TO steal awhile away
From every cumbering care
And spend the hours OF setting day
In humble. grateful prayer.
Shall there be no reward for such un.
pretending yet everlasting service?
We go into long sermon TO prove that
we will be able to recognize people in
heaven, when there is one reason we fail
to present, and that is better than all
God will introduce us. We shall have
them all pointed out. You would not
be guilty of the impoliteness of having
friends in your parlor not introduced,
and celestial politeness will demand that
we be made acquainted with all the
heavenly household. What rehearsal OF
old times and recital of stirring reininis-
cences.
If others fail to give introduction, God
will take us through, and before our first
"a hours in heaven-if it were calculat-
ed by earthly timepieces-have passed
we shall meet and talk with more heav-
enly celebrities than in our entire mortal
state we met with earthly celebrities.
Many who made great noise of useful
ness will sit on the last seat by the front
door of the heavenly temple. while right
up within arms reach of the heavenly
throne will be many who, though they
could not preach themselves or do great
exploits for God, nevertheless held the
rope.
Come, let us go right up and accost
those on this circle OF heavenly thrones.
Surely, they must have killed in battle a
million men. Surely they must have
been buried with all the cathedrals
sounding dirge and all the towers of all
the cities tolling the national grief. Who
art thou, mighty one Of heaven? II lived
by choice the unmarried daughter in q
humble home that might take care ol
my parents in their old age. and ! en-
dured without complaints all their quer
ulousness and ministered to all theil
wants for 20 years"
BEFORE THE THRONES.
Let us pass on round the circle ol
thrones. Who art thou. mighty one ol
heaven: a was for 30 years n Christian
invalid and suffered all the while. occa
sionally writing u note of sympathy fol
those worse off than !. and was genera
confidant of all those who had trouble
| and once in awhile WAS strong enough