The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-04-26
VISITOR FROM WALES.
Filled the Pulpit Of the Welsh Baptist
Church Neutrality-suspicious. at the
Morning Service.

Rev. Vyrnwy Morgan, of Swansea,
Wales. filled the pulpit of the Welsh
Baptist church yesterday. He is now
paying visit to this country and is
an eloquent and SCHOLARLY speaker.
As the church is without pastor,
owing to the resignation Of Rev. w.
s. Jones, who preached his farewell
sermon last Sunday, Rev. Mr.. Morgan
was invited to fill the pulpit yester-
day. At the morning service he chose
for his text the works in Joshua vii:
26, Wherefore the name of that place
was called the valley of Achor to this
day." Mr.. Morgan, during his dis
course, spoke I'm part as follows:
Achor had coveted the Babylonish gar
ment, and two hundred shekels OF silver
and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels'
weight; and took them, and hid them IN
his tent. lie was stoned with stones and
burned all he possessed with fire, and
they raised over him great heap OF
stones unto this day; wherefore the name
of that place was called "the Valley OF
AChor to this day.
The narrative shows how men OF Drill
liant talents and great possibilities by
misusing them have been buried in dis
grace / see in this valley many men OF
high position buried. Judas said OF Anna
Mas and Saphra, his wife, "Sin brought
them and many others down to the valley
of Achor, where they were buried in dls-
grace. under pile of stone. | see many
tombstorcs in this valley. They bear the
name. date of their birth and of death
The first name l notice is the gambler
lie had been well born. had kind parclts
and was surrounded with good influences.
He became ambitious TO make money.
He left home, hut he went too soon ana
too far He went too soon to judge right
~ for himself; too far from his mother 5
prayers and the influence of his home.
He referred to experiments made as
to the temperature of the ocean, show
ing how life can exist in different en-
tremes of heat and cold; but there is
a limit beyond which life cannot he
maintained. So with young men,
there is limit in the moral temner
ature beyond which young men dare
not go with safety.
Gambling is not a recent t&ing," he
said "The soldiers gambled N Cal
vary for the garments of Jesus hrist.
He gave a grarn'c and impressive de-
scrlption of the downfall of n young
man who had missll his way. The
difficulties in the way of young man
who had wandered from the path Oi
[.
possibility for him to regain himself
lie spoke of a gamblers death, who
said he had never thought he would
have broken his mothers heart.
Mr.. Morgan described the downfall
Of q young woman, the belle of the
tcwn. She started out with defective
ideas. He showed the steps she trod
that led to her ruin and death. She
ha Mo 1
lost consciousness, until she awoke one
day and found all her friends had gone
Her character gone, she too found a
tomb of disgrace in the valley OF
Achor.
He saw in this valley the grave OF
the unbelever. There are unbeliever!
and unbelievers. There are the AFRO
CANT and blatant unbeievers of tn,
Tom Paine class; but there are alsC
honest men Of cultured minds who can.
not believe. He spoke of ministci
buried in disgrace. through unbelef, In
the valley of Achor, and on his tomb
stone were the words, 80 fallen. 81
lost" etc. Some churches by thei
cynicism and coldness, SOW the seed.
of infidelity in many a preacher:
heart.
The drunkard's grave he saw in the
valley of Achor, a grave OF disgrace
II am not" he said, going to give you
sermon ON drunkenness to-day, bu
] would not be afraid to do so wer,
II necessary. Drunkenness is an Gle
ment of weakness in this great Repub
lic." He described in a few sentences
the drunkard on he downward grade
his fall his death, his burial in tn,
valley of Achor.
"N nat is it," he asked, that car
keep a man from this vaney of death