Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-09-26

ers, for it may have mission as far-reach.
ing as the book which the sailor carried
in his teeth to the Pitcairn beach.
The plainest mans life is an island be-
pling against his shoulders, eternity to
come touching his brow. The casual, the
accidental, that which merely happened
so, are parts OF great plan. and the rope
that lets the fugitive apostle from the Da-
mascus wall is the cable that holds to it's
mooring the shin of the church in the
storm of the centuries.
Again, notice unrecognized and unre-
corded service. Who spun that rope?
Who tied it to the basket? Who steadied
the illustrious preacher as he stepped into
it? Who relaxed not muscle of the arm
or dismissed an anxious look from his
face until the basket touched the ground
and discharged its magnificent cargo?
Not one of their names has come to us,
but there was no work done that day in
Damascus or in all earth compared with
the importance of their work. What if
they had in their agitation tied knot
that could slip? What if the sound of
the mob at the door had led then to say,
paul must take care of himself and we
will take care of ourselves No, mol
more for the Christian church than any
thousand of us will ever accomplish. But
| God knows and has made record OF their
undertaking. And they know.
| How eXutant they must have felt when
| they read his letters to the Romans, to
| the Corinthians. to the Galatians, to the
| Ephesians. to the Philippians, to the CO.
| lossans to the Thessa 1onians. and when
| they heard how he walked out of prison.
| with the earthquake unlocking the door
| for him, and took command of the Alex
| andrian corn shin when the sailors were
| nearly scared to death and preached a
| sermon that nearly shook Felix off his
| Judgment seat! | hear the men and wom-
en- who helped him down through the win
| dow and over the wall talking in private
over the matter and saving: Glow glad |
am that we effected that rescue! In com
ing times others may get the glory of
| Pauls work. but no one shall rob us OF
| the satisfaction of knowing that we held
the rope
Once for thirty-six hours we expected
| every moment to 20 to the bottom of the
ocean. The waves struck through the
| sllyights and rushed down into the hold
of the ship and Kissed 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 before
leaving the ship thanked Captain An.
drews. | do not think there was man
| or woman that went off that shin without
thanking CAPTAIN Andrews. and when
years after heard of his death was i'm
pelled to write a letter of coincidence to
ognized the eoodness. the courage, the
kindness of CAPTAIN Andrews, but it oc-
ours 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 en-,
| gineer. but God recognized his heroism
and his continuance and his fidelity, and
there will he just as high reward for the
engineer, who worked out of sight, as for
the captain, who stood on the bridge of
the ship in the midst of the howling tenn.
pest.
| Come, let us 60 right up and accost
those on the 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 a
| drCe 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 of an humble
home that l might take care of my par
ents in their old age and | endured with.
out complaint all their querulousness and
administered to all their wants for twenty
years" Let us pass on round the circle
heaven? Il was for thrtv-ive years
Christian Invalid and suffered all the
while, occasionally writing a note of sym.
pathy for those worse off than /, and was
general confdant of all those who had
trouble, and once in awhile was strong
family in the back lane" Pass on to an
other throne. Who art thou, mighty one
of heaven? II was the mother who raised
whole family OF children for God, and
they are out in the world Christian mer.
chants, Christian mechanics. Christian
wives. and have had full reward for all
my toll Let us pass on in the circle of
thrones Il had a Sabbath-schoo class,
and they were always on my heart and
they all entered the kingdom of God, and
am waiting for their arrival" But who
art thou. mighty one of heaven, on this
other throne? in time of bitter persecu-
ton / owned house in Damascus, a
house on the wall. A man who preached
Christ was bounded from street to street,
and l hid him from the assassins, and
when | found them breaking into my
house and | could no longer keep him safe.
ly, advised him to flee for his dear life,
and basket was let down over the wall
with the maltreated man in it. and | was
one who helped hold the rope" And I
said, as that all?" And he answered,
That is ALL" And while I was lost in
| am,zement T hoard strong voice that