Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1901-09-07
PAUL IN A BASKET.
DR.. Talmage Drsws His Sermon
from This Bible Incident.
story 80 the Disciples rrevtdentiaf
Escape from she Infatuated Mob
asd the Lesson It
Teaches.

-"
Washington. Aug Is.
A Bible iDcideu ut not often noticed 10
here used by DIR. Tslmsge 10 set forth
practical and beautiful truth; text. III.
CORN hans 1:3S: Through q window
IN q be sket was let down by the wall"
Sermons on Paul in Jail, Paul on
Mars hill. Paul in the shipwreck. Paul
before the ssnhsdrin. Paul before
Felix. are plentiful. but in my text we
have Paul in basket.
Damascus is city OF white and glis
tsning architecture, sometimes called
"the eye OF the east" sometimes csllec
"a pearl surrounded by emeralds." at
one time distinguished for swords Of
tho best material called Damascus
blades, and upholstery Of richest fabric
called damsSk. A hOrseman OF the
name OF Saul. riding toward this city,
had been thrown from the saddle. The
horse had dropped under fash from
the sky. which at rhe same time was so
J bright 10 blinded the rider for many
days. and, I think. SO permanently in
| Jured his eyesight that his defect of
vision became the thorn in the flesh he
sfterwsrd speaks Of He started for
| Damascus 20 butcher Christians. but
after that hard fall from his horse he
was q changed man and preached
Christ in Damascus till the city was
shaken TO its foundation.
The mayor gives authority for his
srrest, and the popular cry is: Kill
himl XIII himi" The city Is surround
ed by high wall and the gates are
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 lowered
above the garden outside. Il was Gus
tomary 70 lower baskets out OF these
balconies sno pull up fruits and flow
ers from the gardens To this day Wis
itors al the monastery Of Mount Sinai
sre lifted and let down in baskets. De-
/ tectives prowlsd around from house
20 house looking for Paul, but his
friends hid him. now IN one place, now
IN another. lie l. no coward, 80 in
cidents in his life demonstrate. but be
feels HIS work is not done yet, and SO
he evades assa>sination. as that
| preacher here2" the foaming mob
shout at one house door. rs that IA
matte here2" the police shout al anoth-
CT house door. Sometimes on the street
incognit0 he passes through d cloud OF
cinched fsts and sometimes he se-
crsteS himself on the house top.
Atlast the Infatuated popuiace 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
ISL Here he isl" The vociferstion and
blAsphemy and bowling Of the pursu-
srs are az the front door. They break
IN. Fetch out that gospelizer and let
Us hang his head on the city gate.
Where Is he7" The emergency was ter
rible. Providentially there was good
stout basket IN the house. PaUrS
friends fazten a rope 10 the basket.
Paul steps into 81 The basket is lifted
10 the edge OF tbe balcony on the wall.
and then. while Paul holds the rope
With both hands his friends lower
away. carefully and cautiously. slowly
but surely. farther down and farther
down. until the basket strikes the
earth and the apostle steps out and
afoot and alone starta out on that IA
mous missionary tour the story Of
which has astonished earth and Heav-
en- Appropriate entry in Paurs diary
Of travels; Through 8 window In q
basket vac let down by the wall"
/
urs great results hang. The rope
maker who twisted that cord fastened
TO that lowering basket hever knew
how much would depend upon the
strength Of 81. How hit had been brok-
en- and the apostles Mfe had been
dashed out2 What woule have become
Of the Christian church, AL thatmag-
nifcent missionary work in Pamphy iia.
CapPs6ocia. Galasia. Macedonia would
never have beer accomplished. All his
writings that make up so indiSpensa
bic and enchanting @ part of the New
Testament would never have been
written The story OF the resurrection
would never have been so gloriouxly
told as be told H., Thatsxamplsof hero
ie and triumphant endurance at Philip
pi, IN the Mediterranean Euroclydon on.
under hssellstion. and at his bshesd-
ing would not have klndled the courage
Of 10000 mArtyrdsms. But that rope
holding that basket. how much depend
sd on it! So again and again great re-
suits have hung On slender circum-
STAGES.
Did ever ship Of many thousand tons
! crossing the sea nave such al imp0r-
tsnt passenger g. had once q boat Of
leaves. from "a Rrail 70 stsrn only three
or four feet. the vessel being water,
proof BY eeet Of bitumsx aad Goa tins
sn the Nile with the infant Ia wgiver oi
the jews 90 board? What ~ some croo
odile should crunch it7 What IL soms
; Of the cattle wsdiDg Ia fer q orinb
should sink it2 vesseis of var some
times carry 20 guns looking through
the porthoiss ready 20 open battle, bu,
l afu. e 81 al. 4