The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-13

Rev. S. @. Reading. d. D., the new
pastor of the North Main Avenue Bap-
tist church. preached an interesting
sermon to the members of his congre-
cation last evening, taking as his theme
"Thc Prodgals Resolve" He took as
his text Luke, 15:1S-19, II will arise and
go to my father, and will say unto him,
Father. / have sinned against heaven
and before thee, and am no more
worthy to BE- called thy son: make me
as one of thy hired servants" DR..
Reading spoke, in part, as follows:
"The context tells of mans two
sons who when they were of age went
to their father and demanded their por-
tions. The one son prospercd and the
other saent his portion i'm riotous liv-
ing and became penniless.
I'm the land where he lived there
came great famine and he was re-
duced to such an extent that he was
obliged to accept the most menial oc-
cupation that it was possible for Jew
to engage in, that of feeding swine.
While performing this work his better
self took possession of him and he
spoke the words of the text.
FRIENDS LEFT HIM.
"When he had his money, he had any
number of friends, but when his money
was gone he was left alone and de-
serted. How true this Is in our own
day; how many men there are in every
community who hang about a man with
money Ike a pack of leeches and who
are his fast friends as long as his
money lasts. The true friend, however,
is the one who stands by one in the
days OF adversely.
''Hata has many herds of swine for
those who wish to tend them. He al
ways promises a good time, but he ia
an unprincipled liar and always has
been. How many boys there are now
who go out from their good homes into
the cities and who go down and down
to the lowest DEPTHS all through their
own fault. There are thousands OF
homeless men wandering today who
are cursing God and the country for
their misfOrtunes, when the fault lies
with themselves.
There is no need for any man In this
country to be in hard luck: there is
room on the unner shelf for everyone.
The majority of our leading mon today
are self-made men; men who nave
built themselves up by their own in
dustry.
There are too many men who are
too much clothed in what they believe
to he their own self Righteousness to
make a resolve to become true Chris
tiana to repe0t and go home like the
young man. to the father They give
too much time to the question. Is II
right to go home or not They wait
and wait and are finally lost. because
thew think thew 1O,1't mood Cod
WHY THEY WAIT.
"They decide to wait until they feel
! they need Christ and they are firally
/ cternally damned. Most people want
to go back home. but they are not de-
string enough. IF these are to be saved
they must come back to Him only as
wrctched sinners, realizing their own
| DISGRACE.
"'Tha idea that we don't need God is
not a Christian idea. We do need Him
and were it not for Him we could not
live a moment. Aren't you ever home
sick for heaven? Aren't you ever anx-
ioua to be able to again grasp the
hands Of those OF your dear ones who
, have gone before?
"The particular lesson wish to draw
from the story of this young man i,
that he nut into practice at once his
! resolution to go home. He followed
/ ont the maxim that whatever is>w1rtf
doing at all IS worth doing immedi-
ately, There is too much procrastina-
tion, too much putting things off till
tomorrow practicod among Christians
in the present day.
HAS NET MANY SUCH.
81 have met many, many men since
| entered the ministry who have prom
ised when they were in close quarter.
TO make their neace with God, if they
could be given their life. or whatever
it was that was threatened. once more
These Xxi d of promises TO God are no
kept in 999 cases out of ! 600. and when
the man breaks the promise he is al
most invariably worse than before he
made IT,
"rharcfOre, ! say to those who have
not yet come home to make a resolu
tinn to do so and to act unon this reso.
luton at once, in order that they may
assure for themselves a harpv here
after with those of their friends who
have gone before"