The morning times., 1896-03-23

DR.. Talmage preached yesterday morn
ing oil the subject: Paul in IA basket, or
who held the rope?' The sermon was
heard by the usual large audience, which
attend the discourses OF this popular
preacher.
His text was / Corinthians Xi;33-
Through window, in u basket, was
let down by the wall"
Sermons on Paul in Jail, Paul Oh Mars
Hill, Paul in the shipwreck, Paul before
the Sanhedrim, Paul before Felix are
plentiful, but iii my text we have Paul III u
basket.
damascus is q city OF white and glisten-
ing architecture, sometimes called ''the
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 up
holstery of richest fabric called damaskS.
A horSeman by the name OF Paul, riding
toward tnlS CITY, mad been thrown from
the saddle.
The horse had dropped under flash
from the SKY, which at the same time was
so bright il blinded the rider for many
days, and, | think, so permanently injured
ms eycslght mat this dcIecU OF VISION be-
came the thorn in the flesh he afterward
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 until
the city was shaken TO its foundation.
The mayor gives authority for his arrest,
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 projected clear over
and hovcrcd 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 al the mOastery of
Mount Sinai are lifted up 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 i'll
another He is no coward, as fifty Incl
dents in his life demonstrate.
THE MOB AROUSED.
But he feels his work is not yet done. and
so he evades assass nation lis that
preacher here?" the foaming mob shout
at one house door is that fanatic here?'
he police shout at another house door.
Sometimes on the street, incognito, he
passes through n crowd of clenched fists,
ana sometimes he secretes himself on the
houSetop.
AT last the lnfuriated 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 ne isl
Here he iS!' The voCifcration and bias
phemy and bowling of the pursuers are
at the front door. They break iii. Fetch
out that gospelizer, and let US hang his
head on the city gate! Where is he?''
The emergency was terrible. Providen-
tally there was a good stout basket i'll the
house Paurs friends fastcn rope TO the
basket Paul steps into it. The basket
is lifted 10 the edge of the balcony on the
wall, ana then while PaGl holds on TO the
rope with both hands his friends lower
away, carefully and cautiously, slowly but
surely, farther down and farther down,
until the basket strikes the earth and the
apostle steps ont
Observe, first, on what slender tenure
great results hang The ropemaker who
twisted The cord fastened to that lowering
basket never knew how much would de-
pend on the strength OF it, How if ii had
been broken and the apostles life had
been dashed out? What would have be-
come OF the Christian church? All that
ma gniiiCent missionary work III Z Famphilia.
CappadoCia. Galatia, Macedonia would
never have been accomplished.
a PRACTICAL LESSON.
Practical Inference There are no in
signifiCanCeS in our lives. The minutest
tnng IS part OF a magnitude. Infinity is
made up of infinitesmals. Great things an
aggregation of small things. Bethlehem
manager pulling on a star in the Eastern
sky. one book in a drenched sailor mouth
the evangeliZation OF multitude.
one boat OF papyrus on the Nile frcighted
with events ofallases. Thcfatc ofChristen-
dom in ha sket let down from window on
the wall. What you do, do well. II you
make a rope, make 1t strong and true, for