Connecticut western news., 1901-08-29


 struggle. We never heard the old peo
 pie say once that they Were dEnyin.
 themselves to effect this, but 1 remem
 Der now that my parents always looked tired. l don't think they ever got rested
 until they lay down in the Somervill
 cemetery. Mother would sit down II
 the evening and say, Well. 1 don't
 know what makes me feel so tired!
 Father would fall immediately to sleel
 seated by the evening stand, overcome
 with the days fatigues. About 3s
 years ago the one and about 37 years
 ago the other put down the burdens of
 this life but they still hold the rope.
 O men and women, you brag some
 times how you have fought your way
 in the world, but I think there have
 been helpful Influences that you have never fully acknowledged. Has there not been some influence in your early or present home that the world canno, see? Does there not reach you from among the New England hills. or from western prairie. or from southern plan. tation. or from English or Scottish oI Irish home cord of Influence that has kept you right when you would have gone astray and which after you had made a crooked track recalled youi The rope may be as long as 30 years or 500 miles long or 5000 miles long, but hands that went out of mortal sight long ago still hold the rope. You want a very swift horse, and you need to rowel him with sharpest spurs and to let the reins lie loose upon the neck and .b. ( going to ride out of reach of your moth
 CTS prayers. Why, ship crossing the Atlantic In six days can't sail away from that. A sailor finds them on the lookout as he takes his place and finds them on the mast as he climbs the rat lines to disentangle rope in the tenn pest and finds them swinging on the hammock when he turns In. Why not be frank and acknowledge 1t? The
 most of us would long ago have been dashed to pieces had not gracious and loving hands steadily and lovingly and
 nightly held the rope.
 An Unrecorded Service.
 But there must come time when we shall find out who these Damascenes were who lowered Paul in the basket and greet them and all those who have rendered to God and the world unrec- ognized and unrecorded services. That Is going to be one of the glad excite ments of heaven, the hunting up and picking out of those who did great good on earth and got no credit for 1t. Here the church has been going on 19 centuries. and yet the world has not opvfn of ha In the Damascus balcony. Charles c. Finney said to dying Christian, "Give | my love to St. Paul when you meet | him." When you and I meet him, as we will, I shall ask him to introduce
 me to those who got him out of the i Damascene peril.
 We go into long sermons to prove that we will be able to recognize people | in heaven when there is one reason we | fail to present, and that Is better than I all-God will introduce us. We shall have them all pointed out. You would not be guilty of the impoliteness of
 having friends In your parlor not intro iuced, and celestial politeness will de- | mand that we be made acquainted with all the heavenly household. What | rehearsal of old times and recital of ] stirring reminiscences! If others fail to give introduction, God will take us
 through, and before our first 24 hours | In heayen-if 1t were calculated by I earthly timepieces-have passed we
 shall meet and talk with more heaven | ly celebrities than in our entire mortal | state we met with earthly celebrities.
 Many who made great noise of useful
 ness will sit on the last seat by the front door of the heavenly temple, | while right up within arms reach of | the heavenly throne will be many who. | though they could not preach them l selves or do great exploits for God, | nevertheless held the rope.
 Come, let us go right up and accost those on the circle of heavenly thrones. Surely they must have killed in battle
 million men. Surely they must have been buried with all the cathedrals sounding dlrge and all the towers of
 all the cities tolling the national grief. | Who art thou, mighty one of heavenf ? 1 "I lived bY choice the unmarried | daughter In an humble home that
 might take care of my parents In their
 old age, and l endured without com
 plaint all their querulousness and ad-
 min.stered to all their wants for 20 | years" Let us pass on round the circle
 of thrones. Who art thou. mighty one | of heaven? "I was for S5 years a | Christian invalid and suffered all the
 while, occasionally writing a note of sympathy for those wo-se off than '.
 and was general confidap< of all those | who had trouble, and once in awhile
 was strong enough to make a garment
 for that poor family in the back lane." l Pass on to another throne. Who art
 thou, mighty one of heaven? 1T was
 the mother who raised a whole family
 of children for God, and they are out
 in the world Christian merchants, I Christian mechanics, Christian wives.
 and have had full reward for all my
 toll" Let us pass on in the circle of
 thrones. T had Sabbath school class,
 and they were always on my heart and
 they all entered the kingdom of God.
 and l am waiting for their arrival"
 But who art thou, the mighty one of
 heaven, on this other throne? Tn time
 of bitter persecution I owned a house
 in Damascus, house on the wall. A
 man who preached Christ was bounded
 from street to street, and I hid him
 from the assassins, and when I found
 them breaking Into my house and
 could no longer keep him safely ad-
 yised him to flee for his dear life, and
 basket was let down over the wall
 with the maltreated man in 1t, and
 was one who helped hold the rope"
 And l said, '.Is that allf" And he an
 swered, That Is all" And while 1 was
 lost In amazement I heard a strong
 voice that sounded as though 1t might
 once have been hoarse from many ex-
 posures and triumphant as though 1t
 might have belonged to one of the mar
 tyrs, and 1t said, Not many mighty, not
 many noble, are called, but God hath
 chosen the weak thinua of tho world to