The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-11
Preached Yesterday 10 the Fenn
Avenue Baptist Church.
DIX. DIXON'S ELOQUENT SERMON
lie Drew Lesson from the Street That Is
Called Straight ht-COngrc.atian I'm
pressed BY His Magnetism
and Versatility.

account of i'll health. Those who heard
him yesterday agree that he is one or
the most impressive pulpit orators
heard in the Penn Avenue church since
it has been without pastor.
DIR. Dixon while pastor of the Epiph-
any church succeeded in increasing
its membership to a marvellous NUM-
ber and in erecting a chapel in which
the Sunday school rooms alone cost
$4,000. His successor there was Rev.
Or. Waylard Hoyt, n Baptist divine Of
wide reputation. During the past year
DR.. Dixon has Travelled in the West and
incidentally lectured and done not n
little newspaper writing. He regained
his health and is sought Ey many
churches that are without pastors. He
is stopping at the Hotel Jermyn and
leaves here tonight or tomorrow morn
ing
In the pulpit or out of it DIR. Dixon
appears to be one of the latter day d.
vines, alive to the necessity of, procti-
cal things and d believer in eXpaunGing
A-E-C religion His Illustrations are
most trite and eminently applicable
and he has a new and interesting way
of putting old truths. He is an elo-
quent word painter and has a brilliant
command of language and deep ap-
probation of any romance or poety
that may surround the matter in hand.
Such man would. if secured as n pas
tor. put the Penn avenue church in the
first rank of churches of the city.
LAST EVENINGS SERMON
His subject last night was 1.-THE
Straight Street" suggested by the text
And the Lord said unto him. arise and
20 into the street which Is called
Straight" Acts iX:11. Introductory to
his theme he described Damascus. the
city containing the street called
Straight, as enchanting Mohammed to
the extent that he would not enter II.
saying there was but one Heaven for
man and he was determined not to
have his on earth. He occupied IA con-
siderable period in telling an entranc-
ing story of how Saul was led blind and
helpless into the city to preach Gods
word. of the upheaval that followed
and of his escape in a basket over the
city's walls to escape the assassin's
knife. He then said:
Behold He prayeth." That, then, Is
one thing we find in the street called
Straight-thc Spirit of Prayer. Saul had
been prayerful young man. He mad
been taught 10 pray-he had been Il devout
attendant upon the services of the syna-
man may be ever so devout and get
never utter a true prayer to heaven-he
may go to church ten times in the year
and still be full of the spirit Of the man
man may have the Ten Commandments
written all over his face and still not pray.
The praying man Is the man who wins.
Prayer is mightier than battering rams
back the arm of God-prayer melts away
the blindness of men. Behold he pray>
eth"
You can meet any man on such grounds.
But there are some. men You have to met
whom you wish were always on their
knees, and there are Others of the race
whom you are willing to give a wide
berth-mcn who pray on their knees IN
Sunday and prey on other people all the
rest Of the week.
What were the first words uttered in
that home of Judas? There: Words Of
brotherhood" And so you find the spirit
of brotherhood in the Straight street. II Is
said that when William Penn entered upon
his duties as chief magistrate be said 70
the chiefs gathered about him: my
friends: We have met on the broad pa;h-
way of good faith; we are all one flesh
and blood. Being brethren. no ADVANTAGE
shall be taken on either side. When dis
putes arise we will settle them IN counsel.
Between us there shall be nothing but
optnness and love-. And II Is related by
a competent historian that during the sew
enty years of this treaty. not single war
whoop was heard in the state of Pennsyl-
vana. The Quaker hat and coat proved
to be IA better defense for the wearer than
d coat of mail.
BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE.
Cathaec may boast of her mighty gem
eral who stripped from the perfumed tin-
gers of Roman kn.ghthood three bushels
of golden rings but the laurels that adorn
the brow of Hannibal pale and wither when
compared with the matchless mmortciles
that blossom In the crown of the self
trained nurse of the Crmea.
This love of man as brother man, is the
silver chord that binds humanity togcth-
er in its heart aches and disasters. The
Ohio floods cannot rush with such mad
ness and velocity, but the spirit of brother,
hood viii Overtake the foremost wave, and
where the wave has left destruction and
want, philanthropy drops her contribu.
ton and the sufferers are cared for.
Upon the sunny mountain brow,
Among the busy throng,
Proclaim the day for which our hearts
Have prayed and waited long;
The srandest words that men have heard
Since ere the world began.
Are the Fatherhood of God
And the brotherhood of man.
In the street called Straight blind eyes
are opened. Hath sent me that thou
mghtest receive thy sight" God depends
upon instrumentality. We have no right
to suppose thar Saul would have had Ills
eyes opened unit! some man came with
just such ministry as is here recorded.
Was 1t not worth while to be blinded once
that yut might see twice? Ii was worth
while oe led into the city that YOU
might h. .hlde a free man in Christ Jesus
God chooses the weak things Of this
world to confound the mighty, and the
the things that are not to bring down the
things that are. For one little moment
this man flashes out here in this history,
and then is lost TO sight. But the man
on whose head he lays his hands towers
above the ages as the divnest genius since
the Savior of men stepped from Olivet into
the skies
RESCUE OF WESLEY.
Who knows the worth and destiny of
any action that comes from his hands,
We may be ordaining priests after the or
der of Saint Paul when we so to the house
of Judas. The parsonage at Epworth.
England, is on fire in the night and the
father rushed through the hallway to save
safe on the ground. but one Is still ex-
posed to those awful flames. That child
awakens to find his bed on fire and the
house crumbling beneath him-he com IS
ladder out Of their bodies, one peasan,
standing on the shoulder of the other
down that human ladder the boy de.
scends--John Wesley.
If you would know how much depends
on that ladder of peasants ask the mil
lions of Alethodists.
want to meet Paul after have seen
Jesus; i want to see Judas who kept that
house in the Straight street: I want tc
see Ananias who ordained Saul and helped
tian ministry the world has ever known
But what of you? Are you in the
Straight street tonight-the street where
prayer is heard-the street where there
the street where brotherhood utters Its
voice, the street where the scales fall