Democratic messenger., 1894-03-17
DR.. TALMACE,
He breaches an Interesting
Sermon in Mobile Ala.
"UNApPRECIATED SERVICES"
Taken as the Subject al the
Text Little Things Of
Great Results.

Great Results.
MOBILE. Marci. II. Rev. I. De Witt
Talmage, ID. d.. who Is now visiting the
south, selected as the subject of today's
sermon Cnappreciated Services"
Damascus is Il city OF white ana gns-
tening architecture sometimes called
1.-THE eye of the east" sometimes called
"a pearl surrounded 10y elneralis, at one
time distinguished for swords of the best
material. called Damascus blades, and
upholstery of richest fabric, called dam.
asks.
A horseman of the name Of Paul, rid
ing toward this city. had been thrown
from the saddle. The hors.. had dropped
under flash from the sky. which at the
same time was so bright it blinded the
rider for many days, and think SCI per
manently injured his eyesight that this
defect of vision became the thorn in the
flesh he afterward speaks of. He started
for Damascus IL butcher Christians, but
after that hard fall from his horse he
was IA changed man and preached Christ
in Damascus till the city was shaken IL
its foundation.
CRY OF THE MOB.
The mavor gives authority for his ar
rest, and the popular cry is: Kill him.
Kill him!' The city is surrounded by
high wall, and the gates are watched by
the police lest the Cilician preacher es-
cape. Many of the houses are built on
the wall, and their balconies projected
clear over and hovered above the gar
dens outside. Ii 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 i'll one place, now i'll an
other. He is no coward, as 80 incidents
In his life demonstrate. But he feels his
work is not done yet, and So he evades
assassination. lis that preacher here
the foaming mob shout at one house
door. is that fanatic here" the police
shout at another house door. Sometimes
on the street incognito he passes through
a crowd of clinched fists, and sometimes
he secretes himself on the housetops. At
last the infuriated populace get On sure
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 il. Here he is.' The vo-
ciferation and blasphemy and bowling
of the pursuers are at the front door.
They break i'll. Fetch out that gospel
izer and let us hang his head OH the city
gate. Where is he:' The emergency was
terrible Providentially there was IA good
stout basket in the house. Paul's friends
fasten "A rope to the basket. 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, far
ther down and farther down, until the
basket strikes the earth and the apostle
steps out, and afoot and alone starts on
that famous missionary tour the story
of which has astonished earth and heaven.
Appropriate entry i'll Paurs diary of trav
els, Through window, i'll basket, was
let down by the wall"
SLENDER THREADS
Observe first ON what slender tenure
great results hang. The ropemaker who
twisted that cord fastened 10 that lower
ing basket never knew how much would
depend ON the strength of it. How if it
had been broken, and the apostles life
had been dashed ont! What would have
become of the Christian church: All
that magnificent missionary work in
Pamphylia. Capadocia, Galatia, Mace
donia, would never have been accom-
plishe,t. All his writings that make up
go indispensable and enchanting part
of the New Testament would never have
been written. The story of resurrection
would never have been so gloriously told
as he told it, That example of heroic
and triumphant endurance at Philippi,
in the Mediterranean euroclydOn, under
fiagellation and at his beheading would
not have kindled the courage of 10000
martyrdoms. But the rope holding that
basket, how much depended 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 pas
senger as had once IA boat of leaves, from
taffrail to stern only three or four feet.
tl,a x-.ea..l t,Ra1.a far ~ hV "a cont saf
bitumen and floating on the Nile with
the infant lawgiver of the Jews on board?
What if some crocodile should crunch It:
What if some of the cattle wading III
for IA drink should sink il: Vessels Of
war sometimes carry ~ guns locking
the portfolios, ready To open bat
tie. But that tiny craft ON the Nile
seems to be armed with all the guns Of
thunder that bombarded Sinai at the
lawgiving On how fragile craft sailed
how much of historical importance.
The parsonage at Epworth, England,
is OH fire III the night. and the father
rushed throngh 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
and the building crumbling. comes 10
the window. and two peasants make
ladder of their bodies. one peasant stand
ing on the shoulder of the other, and
down the human ladder the boy de-
scends s-John Wesley. II you would
know how much depended on that lad
der of peasants. ask the millions of Meth
odists on both sides of the sea. Ask their
mission stations all round the world.
ASK the hundreds of thousands already
sscended to Join their founder. who