Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-08-31
: 2a!! !lI'j|
Sagesezaas@~@$M
(9I1l11(0)llsfI
A4E5:4|54E:.z=;HgEl1

hcautifuI truth, text, III COrlntuldhS
II. 50, Through window In basket
was let down by the wall"
Sermons on Paul in Jail, Paul on
Mars hill, Paul in the shipwreck, Paul
before the Sanhedr.l, Paul before Fe-
Tx, are plentiful, but in my text We
have Paul In basket.
Damascus is a city of white and
glistcning architecture, sometimes call
ed tine eye OF the east" sometimes
called "a pearl surrounded by emer-
aids" at one time distinguished for
swords of the best material called Da-
mascus blades and upholstery of rich
est fabric called damask. n horseman
of the name 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 1t blinded the rider for
many days and. | think, so perma-
nently injured his eyesight that this
defect of vision became the thorn in
the flesh he afterward speaks Of. He
started for Damascus to butcher Chris
tians, but after that hard fall from his
horse he was changed man and
preached Christ in Damascus till the
city was shaken to its foundation.
The mayor gives authority for his ar
rest and the popular cry is, xiii him.
kill himw The city is surrounded 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 balconies pro-
jected clear over and lowered above
the gardens outside. 1t was customary
to lower baskets out 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, bur his friends hid
him now In one place, now in another.
He is no coward, as so incidents in
his life demonstrate, but he feels his
work is not done yet, and so he evades
assassination. rs that preacher hereW
the foaming mob shout at one house
door. rs that fanatic here" the police
shout at another house door. Some
times on the street incognitO he passes
through a clowd of clinched fists, and
sometimes he Secretes himself on the
house top. At last the infuriate popu-
lace get on sure track Of him. They
have positive evidence that he IL IN the
house Of one Of the Christians, the bal
cony of whose home reaches over the
wall. Here he is. Here he isp' The
vociferation and blasphemy and howl
ing of the purSuers are at the front
door. They break In. Fetch out that
gOspelizer and let us hang his head on
the city gate. Where is he?" The
emergency was terrible. PrOvidentially
there was a good stout basket In the
house. Paups friends fasten a rope to
the basket. Paul steps into it. The bas-
ket is lifted to the edge of the 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 starts on that famous
missionary tour the story Of which has
astonished earth and heaven. Appropri-
ate entry in Paurs diary Of travels:
Through q window in basket was l
let down by the wall"
Hanging by "A Slender Rope.
observe first on what slender ten
ure great results hang. The ropemak-
er who twisted that cord fastened to
that lowering basket never knew how
much would depend upon the strength |
of it. How If II had been broken and |
the apostles life had been dashed out? |
What would have become of the Chris |
tian church? All that magnificent mis-
sionary work In Pamphylia, Cappado- |
cha, GalatIa. Macedonia. would never |
have been accomplished. All his writ |
ings that make up so indispensable |
and enchanting part Of the New Tes- |
lament would never have been written. |
The story of resurrection wOulc never |
have been so gloriOusly told as he told |
it. That example of heroic and trium-
Mediterranean Euroclydon, under flag
citation and at his beheading would
not have kindled the courage Of 10000
martyrdoms. But that rope holding
that basket. how much depended on it!
So again and again great results have
hung Oh slender circumstances.
Did ever ship Of many thousand tons
crossing the sea have such an impor-
tant passenger as had once boat Of
leaves from taffrail TO stern only three
or four feet, the vessel made water
proof by coat Of bitumen and floating
on the Nile with the infant lawgiyer Of
the Jews on board? What If some crOc-
odile should crunch it? What If some
of the cattle wading in for drink
should sink IL? Vessels Of war some
times carry 40 guns looking through
the portfolios, ready TO open battle.
But the tiny craft on the Nile seems to
be armed with all the guns of thunder
that bombarded Sinai at the lawgiving.
On how fragile a craft sailed how
much of historical Importance
The parsonage at Epworth, England,
is on fire in the night, and the father
rushed through the hallway for the
Rescue of his children. 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 building crumbling.
comes to the window. and two peas
ants make ladder Of their bodies, one
peasant standing on the shoulder of the
other and down the human ladder the
boy descends-John Wesley. II you
would know how much depended on
that ladder of peasants, ask the mil
lions Of Methodists on both sides Of the
sea. Ask their mission stations all
around the world. Ask their hundreds
of thousands already assembled to ioin