The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-16

eaching a five minute sermon 10 the
little people previous to his regular
Sunday morning discourse. These brief
addresses are always upon some prac-
tical topic that has a distinct incen-
tive in strengthening the young lives
in Christian work. Yesterday morn
ing he spoke from Ps. SO, applying the
thought TO singing from the heart and
making every day and very deed happy
praise to Goa.
The sermon of the morning was char
acteriled with the simplicity and di-
rectness always employed by this pas
tor and was an inspiration to more
determined service. The text was from
Matt. 2O-6: why stand ye here all
the day idle" The speaker referred to
this as one of the Kingdom parallels"
in each of which is some distinct truth
connected with heaven in it's spiritual
state. The day of work in the vine
yard is plainly the day of salvation
which has extended now for nearly
nineteen centuries. Particularly was
treated the thought OF the eleventh
hour laborers, whose task was to toll
but an hour before the work was fin
ished Here Is illustrated the urgent
need of the eleventh hour The mas
| ter of the vineyard knows that un-
| less other laborers are brought in the
| work will not be completed, and hence
| he goes forth to secure help to finish
| the task before the day closes. Thus
| our Lord emphasizes the need of active
effort in the closing days, weeks,
| or perhaps months that remain. The
call is intensified today upon the earth.
REPEATED WITH EMPHASIS.
The cry of the early days are reiter-
ated with such emphasis that we cam
not be deaf to the insistence. Unless
our ears are stopped we cannot but
hear the bitter, bitter cry of unsaved
souls in the home field. At right and
left men and women, young and old,
are on the broad road to ruin. The
words of our Lord come with renewed
force, "the harvest is plenteous, the
laborers are few"
In the foreign field the same condi-
ton is evident. Not only are the doors
opened by the Lords hand still held
wide with a worker here and there,
struggling on in the vast field. but
new doors are continually being thrown
open, while the mission boards are cry
ing "retrench, retrench!" We have not
the money to send forth men and wom-
en- into the harvest" Never was the
urgent need so impressive as now.
Again there is the cry of the new
born babes, the little children of Christ
who need the subsistence whereupor
to grow in grace. Side by side witt
the urgent need of the eleventh houl
is the dreadful sin of the eleventh
hour-and that sin is idleness. 1t is
one of the most intensely active ages
the world has ever known, and yet
strange paradox, it is the most intense
ly idle age ever recorded. 1t is written
She that liveth in pleasure is deaC
while she liveth."
The world is dead in trespass and sin
most active in everything pertaining
to this life, but idle in everything per
tanning to God and heaven. The plac,
for activity is the vineyard, not tn,
market place, although from tn,
worlds standpoint, that is the station
for business and the intense activity {
life. Yet there are men idle. The!
say: I'VE have been busy all the day.
What about?
HAVE INDEED BEEN IDLE.
The concerns of this life. Thel
indeed have they been but idle. TIL
very spirit of this respect has entere'
, the church. They are active intensel,
active, but not in preaching the sim
F. pie gospel of soul saving and tryin
to upbuild Gods children. Activity o
attention and things of that sort
not the real activity meant. 1t may b
that l am sent to work in a mere lit
Y tie corner of earth. Perhaps to ten
I but one small plant of the vineyard
D 1t may be that a Sunday school elias
is my task, but / must fill every
nook and Granny of my life with tn
active service of the Lord.
Perhaps you have not been idle bu
| have we been as busy as we might 70
. | Him?
1t makes the heart ache it make
the heart sick, that they whom Go
has blessed with eternal joy should b
:, busted about everything but the wor
> of God. Pauls life was an illustratio
of this He had been oneof the buses
l of busy men in his own way, but whe
. the Lord met him on the road to Da
mascus, he felt that his years had bee
> wasted and the first question he aske
was What wilt Thou Have me to do.
The call of the eleventh hour Lahore
is the same as that of the first: &c
ye into all the earth" The Lord {
the vineyard did not sent his servaT
into the market place-he came OF
himself. Paul recognized this in h
own call, which is said was not frol
man, but from God.
Today there is the direct call of Coz
Today God is asking of every believe
no matter how little may be his valu
> no matter how unskilled his hands.
HAVE ALL HEARD THE CALL.
A few years back the work was /
the hands of the church, the minister
a the Sunday school teachers, but no
every individual believer is called t.
I day. God has been going out In II
= eleventh hour, and the Y. NJ. c. A., II
Y. w. c. A, the Salvation Army, II
American Volunteers have all heal
the call urging every one to servic
You may say II am too busy" but +
says Go ye also" l am untitled
i go ye also" comes the command
every child of God. At the risk
= losing our reward we dare not say n
\ Those who went into the vinegar
were equipped with tools by the ma
ter. They simply went to do the
work Today my God will supply a
your needs. All He wants is yol
ready assent to work.
Every indication points to the ia
\ that 1t is past the opening of the ele
| enth hour and is fast drawing on
4 quitting time. What next? Then W
Il He call the laborers and give the