The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-09-06
PAUL. RI IN "A BANEr
DR.. Talmage Draws His Sermon
from This Bible Incident.

0tofy Of tho Disoiplo's providentinI
s-s0"Do IRom tno Inruriated Mob
ana tho LesHon 1t
Teaches.
tCopyrlBhtsd, 1901, by Louis ISlopsch. N. VI
washington, Aug. %.
Biblo incident not often no t1ced /.
here used by Dr.. Talmage to set forth
practical and beautiful truth; text. II.
Corinthians 1132: Through d window
In q basket was let down by the wall.n
Sermons on Paul in jnil, Paul on
Mars hill, Paul in the shipwrecl1, Paul
before the sanhedrin, Paul before
Felix, are plentiful, but In my text we
have Paul in basket.
Damascus is city Of white and glis.
tening architecture, sometimes called
the eye Of tho east" sonnet times called
"a pearl surrounded by emoralds," al
ono time distinguished for swords Of
tho best material. called Damascus
blades, and upholstery of richest ia brio
called damask. A horseman Of the
name of Saul, ridiyg toward this city,
had been thrown from the saddle. The
horse had dropped under q fash from
the sky. which at the same timo was 5 0
bright It blinded tho rider for many
days, and, think, SO permanently in
Jured his cyasight that his defect Of
vision became the thorn In the flesh ho
afterward speaks Of. He started for
Damascus to butcher Christians, but
after that hard fall from his horse he
was changed man and prenohed
Christ in DamaHcus till tho city was
shaken to its foundation.
Tho mayor gives authority for his
arrest, and the popular cry is, "Kill
himi Kill himl" The oity is surround
ed by high wall and tho gates arc
watched by the police lest the Cilician
preacher escape. Many OF the houses
are built on the wall, and their balco-
MES projected clear over and hovered
above tho garden outside Itwas GUS
tomary to lower baskets out of these
balconies and pull up fruits and flow-
ors from tho gardens. 10 this day vis-
itors at the monastery Of Mount Sinai
are lifted and lot down in baskets. De-
teotives prowled. around from house
to house looking FOR Paul, but Ms
friends hid him, now in one place, Low
in another. lie is NO coward, us 90 in
cidents in his lifo demonstrate, but no
feels his work Is not dono yet, and SO
he avades assassination. "Is that
preacher hore?" tho foaming mob
shout at ono house door. "Is that fa-
nat!o hore?" the police shout at anoth-
or house door. Somatimes on the street
incognito hc passes through a cloud Of
clinched hsts and sometimes he Sc
cretes himself on tho house top.
Atlastthoinfuria populace get on
surc track Of him. They have positive
evidence that he Is in the house Of ono
Of tho Christians, tho balcony of whose
homo reaches over tho wall. "Hera ho
isl Here he isl" The vooiferation ana
blasphemy and howling Of the pursu-
ers are at tho front door. They breala
In. "Fetch out that gospelizer and let
us hang his head on tho city gate.
Who're is hep" The emergency was ter
rihle. Providentially there was good
stout basket in tho house. Paul's
friends fasten a ropo to tho basket.
Paul steps into it. The baske t Is lifted
to the edge Of tho balcony on tho wall,
and then, while Paul holds the rope
with both Glands his friends lower
away, carefully and cautiously, slowly
but surely, farther down and farther
down, until tho basket strikes tho
earth and tho apostlo steps out and
afoot and alone starts out on that fa-
nous missionary tour tho story Of
which has astonished earth and Hoav-
en-. Appropriate entry In Paul's diary
OF travels, Through o window in o
basket waa let down by tho wall"
observe first on what slender tom
ure great results hang. Tho rope
maker who twisted that cord fastened
60 that lowering basket never knew
how much would depend upon the
atrength of 1t. How if it had been brok-
en- and the apostles lIfo had been
dashed out? What would have become
OF the Christian church? Allthat mag
nificent missionary work in Pamphylia,
Galatia, Macod onla would
never have bean accomplished. All his
that make up so 1nddspensa-
BILE and enchanting part Of tho New
Testament would neror have been
written. Tho story Of the resurrection
would mover have been SO gloriously
told as DO told II. Thatexampleo hero.
10 and tfiumphan 1t endurance a Philip
pd, In tho Mediterranean Eur0olydon,
under hagellahon, and at HIS behead-
Ing would n OF haye kindlcd the courago
OF 10000 martyrdoms. But that ropo
holding that basket, how much depend
ed on It'll 30 again and again great re-
suits have hung on slender circum-
stances.
Did ever ship Of many thousand tons
crossing the SEQ have such an impor-
tant passenger rs had once a boat Of
leaves, from taffrail to stern only three
or four feet, the vessel being water
proof by coat Of bitumen and foating
on tho Milo with the infant la wgivcr OF
tho jews on board? Whatif some oroo.
odllo should crunch it2 What If some
Of the cattlo wading in for O drink
should sink 1t? Vessels Of war some-
times carry 40 guns looking through
tho portfolios ready to open battle, but
che tiny craft on tho Milo seems to bo
armed with ell the guns Of thunder
that bombarded Sinai al tho lawgiyinR.
On how fragile craft sailed how much
OF historical importanoei
The parsonage at Epworth, England,
Is on fire in the night, and tho father
rushed through the hallway for the
rescue Of his children. Seven children
arc out and aafe on the ground, but ono
romans in the consuming building.
That ono awakes. and, finding his bod
on fire and the building crumbling,
comes to tho window, and two peas
ants make o ladder OF their bodies, ono
peasant standing on tho shoulder OF
tho otheY, 0nd down the human ladder