The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-09-25

tion and Preaching the Gospel.
Rev. Thomas de Gruchy, pastor OF
the Jackson street Baptist church de-
livered a powerful sermon yesterday
morning on "The World, the Message
and the Man" His text was taken
from Romans 1915, $50 as much as
in me is | am ready to preach the
gospel to you that are in Rome also. !
The sermon was as follows:
one bright morning 1884 years ago, n
vessel pushed out from the beautiful ha"-
Dor of Syracuse, passed northward
through the straits Of Sicily, halted
little at the old fortress of Rhegium ana
then moved on across the open sea to-
wards the shores of Italy. 1t was a Ro-
man vessel differed by Roman soldiers,
and carrying Roman prisoners to answer
at Roman tribunal. There was moth
ing uncommon In the sight. Such ves-
sells at that time feckCd the Aegean and
the Adriatic sea. And yet the eyes OF
the world may well be upon that boat.
IL the historian points out with tragic
interest the flagship of Columbus when
1t neared a new world, or the vessel OF
CorteZ floating to the shores of the Yucca
tan, this Roman boat with its freight
of human lives pushing from the shores
of Sicily to Italy, may well hold the eyes
of the world. For before that vessel is
new world to be conquered; and chained
TO one OF its benches comes the conquer
or
The new world is Europe, and the con-
queror is Paul. The vessel landed at Pu-
toll, and guards and prisoners take up
their journey along the famous highway
that leads to the eternal city. OFTEN
along that same road the feet of con-
| Ia
dust had been rolled upward by the
wheels of triumphal chariots The air
had been filled with the shouts of the
people and the clash of instruments.
Along this road a Caesar had marched
his prisoners under triumphal arches.
NO CROWDS NOW.
Today, as we look along that way, we
see only a few Roman guards, a few
barefoot and heartsore prisoners tied in
| punches. There is no gathering of people
| to look upon them and no shouts to ill
| the air. the spectacle is common and
seems insignificant. AS the struggling
| company push along tired and weary they
are met by a small band of people, not
the great, not the noble, but obscure
men and women who have come as
friends to greet one of the prisoners.
| That is all. See them straggle along till
| the gates of the city receives them. And
yet this was triumphal march.
| Paul, prisoner, captured the city,
| When he enters, Christianity has foot in
| Europe. Some men are really more than
| they seem. Paul brings the dawn of a
new era, IL was TIE same road travelled
by Cicero, the matchless Roman orator
| when he was returning from exile ther
| 1t was thronged with the populace tC
greet the man with a silver tongue.
But Paul, manacled to a soldier, is by
confession of thoughtrul people today
more than the peer of Cicero even as ar
orator. He comes to capture Rome, moi
by force or grace of human speech bu
by the dignity and power of divine mes
| sage.
| Two years before his coming he haC
written a letter to a few friends in tina
capital, in which he expressed a strong
desire to see them and the hope
would prosper him on his way. He de
clared himself ready to preach the Cos
pei in Rome. He shielded himself from
the charge of audacity by hiding hinsel
behind his message. saying with Grant
modesty. 81 am not ashamed of the Cos
pei Of Christ, for 1t Is the wisdom o
God and the power of God to every on
that believoth."
| The great desire of his heart Is nos
realized. He has come to Rome with tn
Gospel on his lips, and with the clam
expected to come. for he comes to appca
his case to Caesar. But he is so eminentl
the ambassador of Christ that we almos
forget his chains Paul Is summoned t
the bar of Caesar when the case wa
called, Caesar is at the bar of Paul.
PAUL AT ROME.
What thoughts rush through the mem
ory as those words are spoken! What
rise from obscurity to power the nam
of Paul suggests! What a decline rroI
glory to shame the mention of Rome re
calls. The one is the abiding greatnes
of a great personality: the other III
vanishing glory of an empire, gre1
chiefly in military pomp and splendor.
| The world has now definite opiEio
of Rome and of Paul. Each word ha
been weighed. Rome stood on her seve
hills the queen of pride and paganisn
Paul is rot blind to the splendor {
Rome. But sin and judgment hold h
vision. Within it's cloud-capped tower
| and gorgeous palaces. he sees corruption
and over them the storm OF justice gatl
ers. To him the whole world Is reelir
guilty onward toward the Judgment Sc;
of Christ.
If | were to reduce to theme tn
picture of Paul in Rome, / would call
the audacity of the Gospel. Some one hi
called the Gospel a great impertinenc
1t is not that for it has a right to Il
world. The Gospel IL never impertincl
for it goes to its own. But 1t is gre,
I'm daring. Uncon,cl jusresS OF its divil
right and power IL enters every donr.
is the citizen of the world So Paul Il
prisoner of Rome, stood up lr his chat
to say: "As much as in me is. I n
ready to preach the Gospel u you tn
are at Rome also"
when we look at this piCirire there n
in IT, three commanding elements: II
world, the Gospel and the man. The wOr
Paul preached i'm was Rome As | res
his account of the people, as to their |
dividual character, I perceive they we
all comprehended in two words-Gre
and barians-cultured and unculture