Democratic messenger., 1894-03-17

would have persisted but tor the hvlng
stair of peasants shoulders.
An English ship stopped at Pitcairn
island. and right III the midst of sur
rounding cannlbalism and squalor the
Passengers discovered IA Christian colony
of churches and schools and beautiful
homes and highest style Of religion and
civilization. For 80 wears no missionary
and no Christian influence had landed
there. Why this oasis of light amid
desert of heathendom: Sixty wears before
ship had met disaster. and one of the
sailors, unable to save anything else,
Went to his trunk and took out a Bible
which his mother had placed there and
swan ashore, the Bible held III his teeth.
The book was read on all sides until
the rough and vici"us population weis
evangelical. and u church was started,
and an enlightened commonwealth es-
tablished. and the worlds history has no
more brilliant page than that which tells
of the transformation of nation by one
book. IL did not seem of much imPOr-
tance whether the sailor continued to
hold the book III his teeth or let II fall III
the breakers. but upon what small cir
cumstance depended what mighty re-
suits.
Practical inference-there are no in
significances i'll our lives. The ninutest
thing is part of magnitude. lntinity
is made up of infinitesimals; great things
an aggregation of small things. Bethle-
helm manger pulling ON a star i'll the east
ern sky. One book in "A drenched sailors
mouth the evangelization of IA multitude.
One boat of papyrns on the Nile freight
ed with events for all ages. The fate Of
Christendom i'll u basket let down from
n window on the wall. What YOU do, do
well. If you make rope. make il strong
and true, for YOU know not how much
may depend on YOUR workmanship. If
you fashion boat. let il he waterproof,
for you know not who may sail in it.
IT you put Bib.e in the trunk Of your
boy as he goes from home, let II be heard
in your prayers. for 1t may have mis-
sion as farreaching as the book which
the sailor carried in his teeth to the Pit
cairn beach. The plainest 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 merely
happened So, are parts of a great plan,
and the rope that let's the fugitive apostle
from the Damascus wall Is the cable that
holds to IT'S mooring the ship of the
church i'll the northeast storm of the CEN
turies.
THEY HELD THE ROPE.
Again, notice unrecogniZrd and unre-
corded services. Who spun that rope:
Who tied it to the basket: Who steadied
the illustriOus preacher as he stepped i'll
to il: Who relaxed not Il muscle Of the
arm or dismissed all anxious look from
his face until the basket touched the
ground and discharged its magnificent
cargo: Not one of their names has come
10 US, but there was no work done that
day III Damascus or i'll all the earth COM
pared with the Importance of their work.
What if they had III their agitation tied
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 care of ourselves.
No, no. They held the rope, and in do
ing 50 did more for the Christian church
than any thousand of us will ever ac-
complish. But God knows and has made
eternal record of their undertaking. And
they know.
How exultant they must have felt
mans, to the Corinthians. to the Gala
tians, To the Ephesians. TO the Philip
plans, To the Colossians, To the Thessa-
lonians, to Timothy to Titus, to Phile-
mon, to the Hebrews, and when they
heard how lie walked out of prison with
the earthquake unlocking the door for
him and took command of the Alexan-
drian corn ship when the sailors We're
nearly scared To death and preached
sermon that nearly shook Felix off his
Judgment seat, hear the men and
women who helped him down through
the 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 of Paul's work, but no one
shall rob us of the satisfaction of know
ing that we held the rope"
There are said to be about SO. 900 min-
listers of religion i'll this country. About
81, 100, Warrant. came from early homes,
which had to struggle for the necessaries
of life. The SONS of rich bankers and
merchants generally become bankers and
merchants The most of those who be-
come ministers are the sons of those 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
wears, The other children were more
scantily appareled. The son at college
every little while got bundle from
home. In it We're 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 hungry student.
HARD PULL
The years 90 by, and the son has been
ordained and is preaching the glorious
gospel, and great revival comes, and
souls by scores and hundreds accept the
gospel from the lips of that young
preacher, ana Iather anu ulothsr, quite
old now, are visiting the son at the vii
lage parsonage, and at the.close of Sab
bath of mighty blessing father and moth
er retire to their room, the son lighting
the way and asking them if he can do
anything to make them more comforta-
ble. saying if they want anything in the
night Just To knock ON the wall
Aud then all alone father and mother
talk over the gracious influences of the
day and say: We'll, it was worth all we
went through to educate that boy! 1t
was 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, tremulous
with joyful emotion, responds: Yes. fa-
fh.r. W.. held Ih,. rnI.. | feel my work