The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-02-21

Rev John Robertson yesterday morn
ing addressed the pastors of the city
ana last night he conducted the first
Of the series of revivals in the Penn
Avenue Baptist church.
Probably never in the church history
of Scranton have so many clcrgymen
been present at a Monday morning
ministerial meeting as yesterday at the
Penn avenue Baptist church, when they
were addressed by Rev. DR.. John Rob
crtson. the Scotch evangelist. All the
prominent pastors of the city were pre-
sent. He was gracefully introduced by
Rev. Mr.. Pierce, of the Penn avenue
Baptist church. Rev. Mr.. De Gruchy
presided. At the conclusion of the ad-
dress John y. Watkins sang a beautiful
| solo
| DR.. Robertson said he was always
pleased to have the privilege of speak
! ing to ministers, as he was sure TO
| have an attentive audience. His first
! experience was not in filling kirk, but
! in efnptying It. His earliest charge
was a fishing village in the north or
Scotland. In the summer, however. it
was a swell resort. He found it hard
! TO be fisherman in the winter and q
| swell in the summer. His most prom
inent parishioner was q man who SAT
| day after day in the church with his
fingers in his ears and who at the close
| of the sermon was wont to remark on
| the church steps damned bosh."
HAD EXPERIENCE.
It was q hard experience, but at that
time the young minister met c. II.
! Spurgeon. beginning a friendship that
will extend beyond the grave. one
day in a drive when he was heart-sore
and discouraged, DR.. Robertson told
Mr. Spurgeon of his great trial. The
other listened and then said "and you
really have man who sits through the
sermon with his fingers in his ears"
The young pastor assured him again
on this point and added: What would
you do?" Again and again the great
preacher repeated his query land you
really have n man who sits with his
fingers in his ears through the SER
mOn?'
The distressed young man, on the
point of breaking down, continued to
ask almost with a sob: But Mr.. Spur
geon what would you do?" Suddenly
the latter grew grave and with great
deliberation answered solemnly IT
should pray that a fly might light on
his nose" The spectacle of the great
man of the parish removing his OBJ
stinate fingers from his ears to brush
away the fly relieved the tension un-
der which the young minister had lab
ored and he laughed long and heartily.
Il haven't been visited by ministerial
blues since" he added in telling the
incident.
4. Fl11 oh e
ly in the way of an earnest sugges-
ton that the ministers take some time
from the busy day to be alone with
God His remarks were drawn from
the Pentecostal history in Acts ,.
MUST BE RE-ENACTED.
The speaker said that the cructiXion
of the Son of God has TO take place
in each experience. SO must PentecOst
be re-enacted in the present Of every
individual life The principal requisite
for this is waiting on God. There was
never such need OF working as in the
stupendous work OF today in this time
of rush and hurry. 1t has been said
by Il greater thinker that the minister
saddles himself with engagements ana
the devil rides him TO useleSSneSs. The
rafting machinery of meetings, socie-
ties and associations in the church and
society rob him Of his waiting upon
God, and the tired, fretted nerves be-
come exhausted by this rush.
The cure is to shut the door upon
God and ones self and have IA time OF
waiting that no one may disturb.
4 learned doctor once graVely eX-
pressed his alarm in u wcighty paper
in which he stated that the iniquitous
proposed method of whirling peoplt
over the country by means of steam
would produce all sorts of evils and
that as chief Of these the people would
suffer from "delirium furiOusism." Thi:
dire affliction hasn't appeared anywhere
except in the church of God. The doc
trine of quietism in vogue in the mid
die ages is not be be lightly flung aside
He urged a spirit of unsclfshnos.
among the clergy, a willingness to SEE
their brethren succeed and declared
, that the work of God cannot reach it,
, true development until the biting, bit
, ter spirit of jealousy is dug up by III,
$ roots. 1t is evident that Dr. Robert
I son is not an advocate of dcnOmina
o tionalsm.
THE EVENING MEETING,
n Last evening there was a very larg
a congregation at the opening of the re
= vival services at the Penn Avenue Bap
. tist church. Many out-of-town pastolt
a were present. The devotional exercise
;, were led by the pastor, Rev. r. +. Y
, Pierce John II. Watkins sang "A solo
- Rev Or. Robertson in his discours
:, drew the lesson of the evening from
Xaccheus. He began by saying Their