Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-08-29

WASHINGTON, Aug. "a Bible Incl.
dent not often noticed is here used by Dr.
Talmage to set forth practical and beau
tiful truth; text, II Corinthians ri, 80,
Through window in basket was let
down by the wall"
sermons on Paul in Jail, Paul on Mars
hill, Paul in the shipwrcc'j, Paul before
the sanhcdrn, Paul before FcliN, are
plentiful, but in my text we have Paul in
II basket.
Damascus is a city of white and rls-
tcnlng architecture, sometimes called the
eye Of the east sometimes called "A
pearl surrounded by emcraldS," at one
time distinguished for swords Of the best
material, called Damascus blades, and
upholstery of richest fabric called dam
ask. \ horseman of the namc Of Saul,
riding toward this city. had been thrown
from the saddle. The horse had dropped
under flash from the Sky, which at the
same time was SO bright it blinded the
rider for many days and. think. so per-
mauoutly injured his eyosght tAat this
defect of vision became the thorn in the
I'Nu ut bliAl " 'lN NItdhN VI. I1' NlIII-
ed for Damascus to butcher Christians.
but after that hard fall from his horse he
was n changed man and preached Christ
in Damascus till the city was shaken to
its foundation.
The mayor gives authority for his ar
Nst, and the popular cry is: xiii himi
Kill him" The city is surrounded by II
high wall and the gates are watched 10y
the police lest the Cilician preacher es-
cape. Many OF the houses are built on
the wall, and their balconies projected
clear oyer and lowered above the gardens
outside. 1t was customary to lower
baskets ont of these balconies and pull up
fruits and flowers from the gardens. To
this day visitors at the monastery Of
Mount Sinai are lifted and let down in
baskets. Detectives 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 30 Incl
dents in his life demonstrate, but he feels
his work is not done yet and so he evados
assassination. rs that preacher here
the foaminG mob shout at one house door.
us that fanatic here?' the police shout
Mt another house door, Sometimes on the
street iucoEnito he passes through a cloud
of clinched fists and sometimes he Sc
cretes himself on the house top.
Pnui's Providential Escape.
At last the infurate populace get on
sure track of him. They have positive
evidence that he is in the house of one
OF the Christians. the balcony Of whose
home reaches over the wall. Here he is,
Here he isl" The vociferation and bias
phemy and bowling of the pursuers
are Mt the front door. They break in.
Fetch out that gospelizer and let us hang
bis head on the city gate. Where is he?"
The emergency was terrible. Providen-
italy there was n good stout basket in
the house. paul's friends fasten a rope
to the basket. Paul steps into it. The
basket is lifted to the edge of the bal
cony on the wall, and then while
Paul holds the rope with both hands his
friends lower away, carefully and eau
tiously, slowly but surely, farther down
and farther down, until the basket strikes
the earth and the apostle steps out and
afoOt and alone starts on that famous
missionary tour the story of which has
astouished earth and heaven. Appro-
pirate entry in PauPs diary OF travels:
Through Il window in q basket was
let down by the wall"
] observe first on what q slender tenure
Erent results hang. The ropemakcr who
twisted that cord fastened to that lower
ing basket never knew how much would
depend upon The strength Of it. How il
it had been broken and the apostles life
had been dashed ont? What would have
become Of the Christian church? All
that magnificent missionary work in
Iamphylia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Mace
donia would never have been accom-
plished. All his writings that make up
so Indispensable and enchanting part
Of the New Testament would never have
been written. The story of resurrection
would never have been SO gloriously told
as he told it. That example of heroic and
endurance at Phillppi, in the
Mediterranean Euroclydon, under flag
citation. and mt his behoading, would not
have kudlcd the courage of 10000 mar
tyrdoms But that rope holding that bas
ket, how much depended on ii! So again
and again great results have hung On
slender circumstances.
Did ever ship OF many thousand tons
crossing the sea have such an important
passenger as had once a boat of leaves
from tafrail to stern only three or four
feet, the vessel made waterproof by a
coat Of hitumcn and floating on the Nile
with the infant lawgiver Of the Jews on
board? What If some crocodile should
crunch it? What if some of the cattle
wadinc in for n drink should sink it?
Vessels of war sometimes carry 40 guns
looking through the portfolios ready to
open battle hut the tiny craft on the
Nile seems to he armed with all the guns
of thunder that hOmharded Sinai at the
lawgiyiug. On how fragile craft sailed
how much of historical importance.
John Wesley WINS saved.
The parsonage at Epworth, England. is
on fire in the night, and the father rushed
through the hallway for the rescue of his
Seven children are out and
safe on the ground but one remains in
the consuming building. That one awakes
and, finding his bed on fire and the build
ing crumblinE, comes TO the window, and
two peasants make ladder Of their bod
les, one peasant standing on the shoulder
of the other, and down the human ladder
the boy desceI. ls-John Wesley. If you
would know how much depended on that
ladder Of peasants, ask the millions Of
Mcthodists on both sides of the sea. Ask
their mission stations all around the
world Ask their hundreds of thousands
already assembled to join their founder,
who would have persisted but for the liy-
ing stairs of peasants shoulders.
An English ship stopped mt Pitcairn is
land, and right in the midst OF surround
Ing cannibaism and squalor the passen-
churches and schools and beautiful homes
upI Ii,,hnct trlo q nd ,;,.ilt