The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-07
West Side and City Suburban


stored in Christ in behalf of every
man that has a wish to take hold OF
salvation in the Lord
The minister of Christ stands be-
tween God and the people and has to
be faithful to his calling by his Mas
ter to deliver the full message OF the
gospel so that his hands may be clean
from the blood of the unbelievers. BY
so doing, sometimes people are offend
ed, being that the preachers endeav-
ors to expose their misdoings before
the congregation. Such things should
not be the aim of any minister in the
pulpit of Christ
But guilty conscience may be
touched by a sermon that the minister
had no thought of any exact person in
the congregation to bear upon. The
power of the gospel, as it is the word
of God, cannot but disturb guilty
conscience when they come in contact
with each other Yet have not heard
word from our young people grumb-
ling about the ministry; they are Will
ing to their pastor to preach the whole
gospel as it is in Christ. This is to
your credit, my dear young people, and
for my encouragement as your pastor
in the Lord. / thank you for the at
tention given to my sermons and eX-
hortations, trusting that all shall be
for our everlasting happiness.
THEY ARE ADVANCING.
Allow me to say that you are ad-
vancing in Christian life and in the
knowledge of your duties towards God
and man. 1t seems to me that you
comprehend the difference between life
and death in a spiritual sense, be-
cause you are working in the church
of God, and work signifies the power
that moves man to love God and to do
His will The pulpit that breaches a
| living Christ, the people that are be-
lieving in living Saviour, are always
pressing onward and are blessed by
God and good humanity.
In regard to the future we cannot
say but a little. The future is an un-
known continent to the present, and
| yet we have to prepare for the future
by doing the best of the present and its
| opportunities.
1 have a few thoughts; I wish you
! to keep them in mind during your
| time on earth:
| Christian church and be faithful to the
| end of your days WheresOever the
! hand of Providence may lead you in
! this world, keep in the love of God and
| in touch with His people. We are
! talking of fortune in this world: it is
the greatest fortune that a young man
| may obtain in this world to be a life
| worker in the house of the Lord. The
young person that has made a start
| to be q Christian has the key of for
| tune in his hand, the temple of knowl-
! edge is open before him, and he has a.
right to take hold of life everlasting,
which the world cannot give him.
| Therefore keep yourselves in the love
of God and in His work to the end of
| your days.
Second-Think not that even the
| church of God in this world II without
| it's troubles and trials. God Is always
faithful to His word and promises.
| But we are sinners, and 1t is from our
| Misunderstanding of things and mis-
doings that the the trouble comes now
and then to the church. But as the
| church grows more and more in the
| truths of the Bible and in the love of
! its heavenly Father those same things
| are falling away, and the time shall
come when the unity of saints on earth
| will be more like unto the one above.
| You young Christians should know
this and trust always in doing your
duties to God and your fellow men,
| whatever the difficulties may be
| among the children OF God in His
church in the present time.
THE HIGHEST MOTIVES.
Third-May we all, young and old.
feel it an honor to do our best for God
and to save souls. All that has been
done her during the past years. with
an eye upon the glory of God, it will
be for our benefit at the last judg-
| ment. All we may have the oppOrtun-
ity of doing in the future upon the
| same principle ii shall be gem in
the crown of life given by God to the
faithful. The glory of God should be
the highest motive of every act of
| Christian people, and the society that
riseth for the glory of God must pros
per- must be a blessing to the commun-
itY, and it must be a branch of the
true church Of Christ that keeps the
| salvation of the Lord before the peo-
pie. Days should speak and multi
tude of years should teach wisdom" "
| Let them speak we'll of our doings as
| long as God may spare us in the land
OF the living. Multitude of years
| should not go by without teaching
wisdom to our souls. My dear young
| brothers and sisters in Christ, at the
close of ten years of labor together,
may we renew our VOWS to the Lord,
"Forasmuch as ye know that YOUR
labor is not in vain in the Lord"