The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-07

buried love, the average CHRISTIAN SuHerS
with him. but the grief of the stranger
does not touch a chord in his bosom. But
that was not the way with Jesus. HIS
heart was quick TO respond TO the sorrow
of the stranger. His compassion went out
toward the fallen and the needy every
where.
SYMPATHY OF THE GOSPEL.
Now put these three things together, an
experience and abiding sense of the power
OF the Gospel salvation, the blessedness or
salvation and the compassion and sympa-
thy of the Gospel of Christ and you kindle
iire OF moral earnestness that must glow
ana burn with an almost divine Intensity
in the soul that possesses them. That nre
Is kindled by the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. 1t Is in this matter that am per-
suaded our blessed fellowship is making
substantial progress Should we not say
hallelujah! Should not this very thought
lift us up and inspire us to renewed and
more energetic and glorious endeaVorE
should not every soul here thrill with new
desire and respond with the earnest prayer
''Oh. God. let this be true. and If 1t be not
true IN my particular case then for Jesus
Christs sake make 1t true ana just now
baptize me with the Holy Spirit and send
me on thy endeavor with the flaming zeal
of the Son of God"
III. Let me now very briefly give my
reasons for believing there is this deep
eninS OF moral earnestness, this practical
baptism by the Holy Ghost. For this pur-
pose permit me to turn reporter for Il few
minutes. 1t has been my happy lot to
take part in an unusual number or En-
deavor conventions within the last four
months. This is the sixth state conven-
tion, besides local and county conventions,
the annual national Institute of my own
denomination and the glorious internation-
al convention at the capital of our great
republic. These state conventions have
stretched in Il line from the pacific coast
to our Keystone commonwealth: Wash
inSton, ldaho, Colorado. Iowa. Ohio and
pennsylvania. In every one of them the
same spirit has manifested itself. If any
thing, our brothers and sisters in the less
favored parts Of the country manifest the
deeper conservation and intenser moral
earpestness. out in ldaho where the few
endeavorers are scattered over a vast ter
ritory with inconvenienceS of travel that
would utterly discourage persons in the
older settlements they get almost one
fourth of their entire membership to their
convention and enter into the proceedings
ana discuss forward movements with Il
heartiness that must make the very an
gels cheer There where one Christian is
face to face with thirty-iive persons who
are enemies of the Gross of Christ and
where the enmity Is not covert nor re-
fined but bold, braggart and blasphemouS
and defiant, nothing but the Spirit of God
could inspire and sustain such noble un-
dertakings. So with Washington and
Colorado. Think of young men and wo-
men riding in an open wagon across a
rough country 40 miles and back again to
meet and confer with their fellows con-
cerning the things that belong to the ad-
vancement of the kingdom of the Master.
j met one minister of the Gospel who was
not able to pay the railroad fare but who
was fortunate enough to have a wheel
which he rode 13O and when it broke down
picked 1T up and carried it the other
thirty miles of the hundred and sixty
which lay between his home and North
Yakima, the meeting place of the WASH
inston convention. And then the inten-
sity of interest manifested by these peo-
pie in the proceedings of the convention.
E, NOT ALL IN THE SOUL.
And the mre practical and spiritual the
subject under discussion the more enthu-
siastic they We're and absorbed. Oh!
said. when saw such things as these the
sand out there is not all in the soil. If
ever the Spirit moved men and women to
follow the Master he is moving these hosts
of endeavorers. They are manifeStng the
moral earnestness that characteriZes all
their efforts. What else is 1t that Is driv
ing us into evangelstic effort into work
on behalf of Christian Citizenship and is
stirring our hearts with new concern
for the salvation of the heather world? Is
not this the Spirit that came upon Jesus
at Jordan and drove him into the wilder
ness to begin the battle there for world su-
premacy over the despotism of the devil?
May we not hope that 1t will so possess us
that like our Master we will by and by be-
come literally on fire with zeal for His
glory and the final conquest of the world.
Let us seek to have that moral earnest
ness that will not flag until Jesus Christ is
crowned Lord of all. Recently | attended
an endeavOr rally at which an old SOL
der, who is an elder in the church, was
called on for a word to the society. The
meeting was a hearty one. The reports
had brought somewhat of the enthusiasm
that characterized the con S4ntion reported
along with them. The old soldier, soldier
of the Lord and soldier of his country,
arose and said he remembered when the
call went forth for volunteers for the de-
fence of the old flag. He recalled the en-
thusiasm with which they hurried to the
front. He remembered the day President
Lincoln came out to review the troops.
His face was anxious and careworn as he
rode up and down the lines. He said Mr..
Lincoln was not anxious about the enthu-
siasm but he was anxious about the pur-
pose and courage of the soldier boys. He
was wanting fighters just then. So he
said the enthusiasm did not count for as
much in the Lords service just now as the
deep purpose to do His blessed WILL How
true that is. And yet may it not be true
that this enthusiasm We see i'm the great
cndeavor host revealeS the slumberng
fires of divine moral earnestnes that
promises victory for Christ and the
church? Let ii be so. Amen.
An unusual growth was indicated in
Secretary McDonald's report which
was as follows:
SECRETARY'S REPORT.
To tho Officers and Mpmbp Pan sylvia nio