The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-09-06
y boy deaesnAs,-yohn Wesley. I,

you would know how much d doponded
on that ladder OF peasant Is, I, 5 X tho mil.
aons OF Methodists on both3sides OF
tho sea. Ask their mission ut ations oil
around tho world. Ask their hundreds
OF thousands already asoended to Join
their founder, who would have per-
ished but for tho living s stair Of peas-
ants shoulders.
An English ship stopped ut Pitcairn
Island, and right in tho midst Of sur
rounding cannibalism and squalor the
passengers discovered Christian col
ony Of churches and schools and beau
tiful homes and highest style Of reli-
gion and civilization. Fir 90 years no
missionary and no Christian influence
had landed there. Why this oasis OF
light amid q desert Of heathend ON ?
sixty years before ship had me- dis
aster. and ono Of the sailors, unable to
save anything elso, wcntto his trunk
and took out a Bible which his ther
had placed there and swan ashore. the
Bible In his teeth. The book was read
on all sides until the rough and vicious
| population were evangelized, and q
church was started and an enlightened
commonwealth established, and the
worlds history has no more brilliant
| page than that which tells of the trans
formation Of q nation by one book. 1t
| did not seem Of much Importance
whether the sailor continued to
hold the book in his teeth or let 1t fall
In the breakers, but upon what small
circumstances depended what mighty
| resultsI a
Practical inference: There are no
tnsignificances in life. The minutest
thing is part Of magnitude. Infin-
tty is made up Of innnitesimals; great
things an aggregation Of small
things. Bethlehem manger pulling on
q star In tho eastern sky. Ono book
IN drcnched sailors mouth the eyan-
gclization Of multitude. One boat
OF papyrus on the Nile frcighted with
events for oil ages. The fato Of
Christendom in basket lot down
from window on tho wall. What
you do, do we'll. If you mako rope,
mako 1T strong and true, for you
know not how much may depend on
your workmanship. If you fashion o
boat, let 1t be waterproof, for you
Know not who may sail in It. If you
put q Biblo in the trunk Of your 10Y
as he goes from home, let It be re-
membercd In your prayers, for 1t may
nave mission as farrcnching as tho
book which tho sailor carried In his
leeth &c tho Pitcairn bcucil. Tho
plainest mans life Is an island be-
tween two ternities-cternity past
ripping against his shoulders, eter-
nifty to como touching his brow. The
"A nj Al -
merely happened so. are parts Of q
great plan, and tho rope that let's tho
fugitive apostle from the Damascus
wall Is the cable that holds to it's
mooring tho ship Of the church in tho
storm Of tho oenturies.
Again, notice unreeognized and un-
recorded service. Who spun that
roPe9 Who tried it to the basket9
Who steadied the illustrious proaoher
as ho stopped into it? Who relaxed
not a muscle Of tho arm or dismissed
an anxious look from his face until
tho basket touched tho ground and
discharged it's magnificent cargo :?
Not one of their names has come to
us. But there was no work done that
day in Damascus or in all the earth
compared with tho Importance Of
their work. What II thoy had in their
agitation tied knot that could slip?
What If tho sound Of the mob at tho
door had led them to say: paul
must tako care Of himself, and we
will take caro- Of ourselyAs,2 No, no!
They hold tho rope and ins doing so
did moro for the Christian church,
than any thousand Of us}will ever ao-
complish. But God knows and has
made record Of their undertaking.
And they know. !,
How exultant 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 Colossians, to the
Thessalonians, and when they heard
how he walked out Of prison, with
the earthquake unlocking the door
for him, and took command Of tho
Alexandrian corn chip when tho
sailors syero nearly SCARED to death
and preached sermon that nearly
shook Folk off his judgments seat. I
hear tho mon and women who helped
him down through tho window and
over tho wall talking in private over
the matter and saying; "How glad
am that we effected that rescued In
coming times others may get tho
glory Of Pauls work, but no ono shall
rob us OF tho satisfaction Of knowing
that we held the rope"
Something occurs to nae quito per-
aonal. I was tho youngest OF a largo
family OF children. My parents wore
mother rich nor poor. -Four of the
sons wanted collegiate education.
and four obtained it, but not without
great homo struggle. We never heard
tho old people say once that they
were denying themselves to eject
this, but I remember now that my
parents always looked tired. I don't
think they over got rested until they
lay down in tho Somerville cemetery.
Mother would sit down in the eyen~
ing and Say: "Well, don't know
what makcs mo feel 80 tired" Fa-
thor would fall Immediately to sleep,
seated by tho evening stand, over
como with the days fatigues. About
as years ago the ono and about 81
years ego tho other put down tho
burdens of this life, but they still
hold the rope.
But there must come q time whom
we shall find out who theso
Darnascenes were who lowered Paul
In tho basket, and groes them end oil
those who have rendered to God and
tho world unraoognized and unrecord-
ed services. That Is going to be ono
of tho glad excitements Of Heaven,
the hunting IN and picking nut of