The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-09-04
PAUL. IN A BASKET.
Dr. TaInage Draws Ills Sermon
from This Bible Incident
Story OF the Disciples Provddential
Escape from tho Infuriated Mob
and the Lesson It
Teaches.

Teaches.
lCopyrighte6, 1901, by Louis Klopsch. n. u
Washington. Aug. q.
A Bible incident not often noticed is
here used by Dr.. Talmage to set forth
practical and beautiful truth; text, II.
Corin Through a window
in a basket was let down by the wall"
Sermons on Paul in jail, Paul Oh
Mars hill, Paul in the shipwreck, Paul
before the sanhedrin, Peul before
Felix, are plentiful, but in my text We
have Paul in basket
Damascus is a city of white and glis'
tening architecture, sometimes called
''the eye Of the east" sometimes called
"a pearl surrounded by emerslds," at
one time distinguished for swords OF
the best material, called Damascus
blades, and pholstery of richest abric
called damask. A horseman OF the
name Of Saul, ridiIg toward this city,
had been thrown from the saddle. Ine
horse had dropped under fash from
the sky, which at the same time was so
bright it blinded the rider for many
days, and, think, so permanently IN
jured his eyesight that his defect OF
vision became the thorn in the flesh he
nfterward 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 its foundation.
The mayor gives authority for his
arrest, and the popular cry is: Kill
him! Kill hin!" The cityis surround
ed by high wall and the gates are
watched by the police lest the Cillclan
preacher escape. Many Of the houses
are built OF the wall, and their balco-
nies projected clear over and hovereo
above the garden outside. twas Gus
tomary to lower baskets out Of these
balconies and pull up fruits and flow
ers from the gardens. To this day vis-
itors at the monastery of Mount Sinai
are lifted and let down in baskets. De-
tectiTes 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 so in
cidents in his life demonstrate, but he
feels his work is not done yet, and Sc
he evades ssassinatiou. us that
preacher here?" the foamirg mob
shout at one house door. els that IA
natic bere?" the police shout az anoth-
er house door. Sometimes on the street
incognite he passes through cloud OF
cIincbed fsts and sometimes he Sc
cretes himself on the house top.
Atlasttheinfuriated pspulace getoa
sure track of him. They have positive
evidence that be is in the house Of one
of the Christians, the balcony Of whose
home reaches over the wall. "Here no
Is! Here he isl" The vociferatioo ana
blaspheny and howling Of the Pursu-
ers are at the front 6oer. They break
in. Fetch out that gospeGzer and let
US hang his head OF the city gate.
Where is hep" The emergency was ter
yibie. Providentially there was good
stout basket in the house. Pauls
friends fasten q Topo to the basket.
Paul steps into it. The basket il lifted
to the edge of the balcony on the wall,
and then, while Paul holds 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 out and
eioet and alone starts out on that "a
nous missionary tour the story OF
which has astonished earth and 8eav-
en-. Appropriate entry in Paul's diary
of travels: Through 3 window in 3
basket was let down by the wall"
Iebserve frst On what 8 slender ten
uro great results hang. The rope
maker who twisted that cord fastened
to that lowering basket never knew
how much would depend upon the
strength of it. Eowifit had been brok-
en- and the apostles life had been
dashed out? What would have become
of the Christian church? All that mag
ni6oe1t missionary work in Panphyla,
Cappadooia, Galatia, Macedonia would
never have been accomplished. AL his
writings that make up SO in6ispensa-
BILE and enchanting part OF the New
Testament would never have been
written. The story OF the resurrection
would never have been SO gloriously
told as be told it. ThateIampleof of hero
ic and Triumphant endurance at Philip.
pi, in the Mediterranean Euroolydon,
under aagellation, and at his behead-
ing would not have kindled the courage
Of Io,ese nartyrdoRs. But that rope
holding shat basket, how much depend.
ed On iii So again and again great ze-
suits bavo hung On slender circum-
stances.
Did ever ship Of many thousand tons
crossing the sea have such an in1por-
eant passenger as had once boat Of
leaves, from tafrail to stem only .bree
or four feet, the vessel being water
proof by coat Of bitun4u and floating
on the Nile with the infant lawgiver of
the Jews on board? Whatif some croc-
odile should crunch it? What If some
of the cattle wading in for q drink
| should sink it? Vessels Of war some
times carry 40 guns looking through
| the portfolios ready to open battle, but
the tiny craft on the Nile seems to be
armed with all the guns OF thunder
that bombar6ed Sinai at the lewgiving.
On how fragile craft sailed how much
Of historical importance!
The parsonage at Epworth, gland,
! Is on fire IN the night, and the father
rushed through the hallway for the
rescue Of his children. Seven children
are out and safe on the ground, but one
remains in the consuming building.
That one awakes, and, 6Dcing his bed
on Ere and the building crunbEng,
comes to the window, and two peas
ants make ladder Of their bodies, one
peasant standing on the shoulder OF
&he other, and down the human Ladder
question: Did you hesr the trial, have
: 1e 49, ~