The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-27

trunk and took out q Bible which his
mother had placed there and SWAN
ashore, the Bible held in his teeth. The
o was read on all sides until the
rough and vicious population were evan
geliZed, and a church was started and an
enlightened commonwealth established.
and the worlds history has no more bril-
liant page than that which tells of the
transformation Of Z nation by one book.
1t did not seem of much importance
whether the sailor continued tn hold the
book IN his teeth or let it fall in the
breakers, but upon what small circum-
stance depended what mighty results!
Practical Inference: There are no in
signifcances in life. The minutest hin
is part Of n magnitude. Infnity is made
up Of infinitesimais; great things an ag-
gregation Of small things. Bethlehem
manger pulling on a star in the eastern
sky. One book in a drenched sailors
mouth the evangelization of a multitude.
One boat of papyrus OF the Nile freight
ed with events for all ages. The fate OF
Ch~ristendom in q basket let down from
4 window o. the wall. What you do, do
well. If you make 4 rope, make it
strong and true, for o know not how
much may depend OF your workmanship.
If you fashion a boat, let it be water
proof, for YOU know not who may sail
in il. If you put a Bible in the trunk Of
your boy as he zoe from home, let it be
remembered in your prayers, for it nay
have 4 mission as farreaching as the
book which the sailor carried in his teeth
to the Pitcairn beach. The plainest mans
life is an island between two eternities
eternity past ripping against bis
shoulders. eternity to come touching his
brow. The casual, the accidental, that
which merely happened so, are parts Of
a great plan, and the rope that lets the
fugitive apostle from the Damascus
wall is the cable that holds to its MGR
ing the ship of the church in the Storm Of
the centuries.
The umb
Again, notice u~nrecognized and unre-
corded service. WHO spun that rope?
Who tied it to the basket? Who stead
led the illustrious preacher as he stepped
into it? WHO relaxed not a muscle of
the arm or dismissed an anxious hook
from his face until the basket touched
the ground and discharged its magnifi-
cent 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 the Importance of their
work. What if they had in their agita-
ton tied a knot that could slip? What if
the sound Of the mob at the door had led
them to say. PAU! must take care Of
himself. and we vii! take care OF our
selves" No. no! They held the rope,
and il doi-= 50 Id more for the Chris
tisn church than any thousand OF Us will
ever accomplish. But God knows and
has made record of their undertaking.
And they know.
How ;~xuitaGt they mast have felt when
they rod his Aetc-s 20 the Romans, to
the Corinthians, to the G2istians, to the
Ephvsians, 20 tie Philippians. TO the Co
l~OssianS. to thc TAeSsal0nians. and when
they heard how he walked ont Of prison,
with the earthquake unlocking the door
for him. and tool; command Of the Alex
anJrian corn ship when the sailors were
ncn4y scared to death and preached a
sermon hat nearly shook Felix of his
Judgment seat. l hear the men and
women who helped him down through the
window and over the wall talking in pri-
vatc over the matter and saying: How
glad | am that we effected hat rescue!
In coming times others may get the glory
of PauPs work, but no one shall rob us
of the satisfaction OF knowing that we
held the rope"
ObSC " W u We SApCIlGu lively
moment to go to the bottom of the ocean.
The waves struck through the ~skylights
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 ar
rived at home. Each one before leaving
the ship thanked Captain Andrews. l do
not think there was a man OF woman
that went off that ship without thanking
Captain Andrews, and when years after |
heard Of his death / was iInpelled 20 write
q letter of coincidence to his family il Liv-
erpOol. Everybody recognized the good
ness, the courage, the kindness Of Captain
Andrews; but it occurs TO me now that
we never thanked the engineer. He stood
away down in the darkness anh the hiss
ing furnaces doing his whole duty. No
body thanked the engineer, but God recog-
nized his heroism and his continuance and
his fidelity, and there will be 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
bowling tempest.
Early Struggles and Sacrifices.
There are said to be about q hundred
M fifty thousand ministers of religion in
this country. About $4,000, I warrant,
came from early homes which had to
struggle for the necessaries Of life. The
sons Of rich bankers and merchants gener.
ally become bankers and merchants The
most of those who become ministers are
the sons of those who had terrific strug.
gle to get their everyday bread. The
collegiate and theological education OF
that son took every luxury from the Pc.
rental table for eight years TIKI other
children were more scanuly apparelled,
The sen at college every little while got
a bundle from home. In it were the
socks that mother had knit sitting VI
late at night, her sight not as good rs
once it was. And there also were som
delicacies from the sisters hand for the
voracious appetite of a hungry student
The father swung the heavy cradle
through the wheat, the sweat rolling from
his chin believing every step of the way,
and then sitting down under the cherry
tree at noon thinking TO himself, Il an
fearfully tired, but it will pay if l car
once see that boy through college, and