The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-25

kew, Df. Z, NJ. Gltflln delivered DILL
liant sermon at Elm Park church yes
terday morning from the text in Deut.
1912 80 the Lord Alone Did Lead
Him." the central thought Of the dis
course was the divine care and guidance
which ever are provided for Gods
children and that in small things no
less thar great they have a right to
be conscious OF this protection. TOO
often they only expect help or realize
their need of it IN an external crisis.
Everybody SAYS that Abraham Lincoln
was under divine guidance when his
hand signed the Emancipation Proc
lamation. 1t may not be generally con-
sidered that he was under divine guild
ance when steering a raft on the MISS
issipDi.
Victor Hugo who if he was anything
was an atheist declared that at the bat
tie of Waterloo he had to find God. we
should realize that God maJestlcally
controls our every day of existence
and that his grasp on our affairs is
like the grasp of gravitation that Keeps
the planets in their places we may
say that we never saw God, but the
truth is we never get out of his sight'
If God only comes when we are in
mourning or in peril there Will be little
of us left for Him to care for.
The speaker then said that he should
shrek with fear and distress II 1t were
intlusted to him to run affairs IN gen"
eral. To conduct a successful admin
istration would mean that he must
know everything about everything. II
is the custom to consider that Coo
dwells more in the pulpit than in the
pew when it is not thus for He is equal
ly everywhere.
CAPTAINS OF THE PAST.
In these last few days facing a great
and serious conflict, perhaps the
thought has come that if we only had
the immortal captains of the Civil war
another Grant, another sherman
we could be more composed. We don
know about these men who have not
been tried in the testing, but we can
be comfortable in remembering thal
| Great God is always to the front ol MS
people leading to triumph.
1t is not easy sometimes to admit that
God is leading, but it is more to our
credit to confess His leadership when
we recognize it by faith than to be COM
PEELED some day by the force of ter
| rible crisis to give Him his rightfu
honor. Out of the same experience We
can gather pain or pleasure, the dltfer'
ence in leaving God in or out OF 1t
The Journey through the wilderness
was an education of Israel for Canaan
| We have been long time arriving &c
our Promised Land. there is tendency
among ministers and people to leave
| God out of the small matters of life. Ar
| insult to God and an injury to our
| selves.
| The speaker then said that in the
| nresence of a mighty whirlwind HI
would be desperate with fear and Woulc
feel that there was nowhere to go II
If were not for the thought of Gods
nrntection. but that he could be i'm
bued with the spirit of hero Wher
remembering that over all was tii
power of the Almighty.
THE RECENT CONFERENCE.
There were ministers at the recen
| conference who were showed off to
5000 appointment who felt the con
| sciousness that they We're capable o
filing the top place, and that withou
| effort, Perhaps they would hesitate L
believe that they were not as big a
they thought. Possibly they would no
entertain the thought that the deterior
ating influence Of enlargement of spher
might not be to their souls good. IN
lesson taught by Joseph is hard to learl
that God has way of His own to per
form His works. 1t is a comfort 70
heart to realize that it is some othe
heart and not a vast machine That l
directing affairs. otherwise we shout
go mad with our own uncertainty.
Too often when we ask God for Hi
will we tell Him our way when W
should surrender entirely. In closing
Dr. Giflin said:
Now when a nation stands fronting
a great crisis, when some little soul
in affairs of state have been biting AM
devouring each other in the presenc
of the world and our enemies, we ca
remember that the Lord that led lsrae
is with us. | have seen hand stretch
ing forth and a voice speaking, Il wi
lead you if you mean to aid the op
pressed" Let our future be surrend
cred TO His management"