The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-09-09
METHODIST CHURCH'S
DAY OF FELICITATION
Fitting Observance of the Seventy
third Anniversary of the Establish
ment of the Church-The Most
Significant of the Days Doings
Was the Burning of the Bonds
Which Represented the Church's
Debt-Sermon by Rev. DR.. Wyatt.

Yesterday was a day Of feliCtating
and jubiating among the members of
the congregation of the First Metho-
dist church.
1t was the seventy third anniversary
of the establishing Of the church, an
event which was observed in the spirit
to which the occasion gave rise. But
as important as was the anniversary
and as interesting was its Celebra-
tion, more significant by far was the
celebration of the fact that the
Chur2h's freedom from debt The
struggle which the congregation bat
tied with for the past few years. the
sacrifices which they made during that
time, crdcd last night, when the pas
tor, Rev 4. +. Chaffee announced
with glowing pride that the church
debt had been lifted; the handsome
sacred edifce, which is credit to the
Jealous and energetic flock, was free
of its peCuniary obligations This
gratifying announcement was fol-
lowed by the triumpha burning by the
justly proud pastor of the bonds which
Icpdesented the church Indebtedness
The services Of yesterday, morning
and evening, were particularly inter
esting and impressive, and were
marked by the spirit of the occasion.
The speaker chosen for the day was
Rev. DR.. A. II. Wyatt, of Huntington,
y, j. The choice was happy one,
for it was Or. Wyatts father who was
pastor of the church in 1852. when he
fought SO successfully against the
spread of the craze Of spiritualism.
At the morning service DIR. Wyatt's
theme was The Ascension His text
was from Luke "a; 5l-52. The points
OF his sermonu were four. as follows:
The ascension as viewed from
heaven.
The ascension as viewed by man.
The light the ascension threw in the
life of Christ.
The light the ascension gives con-
cerninG the kingdom and coming of
Christ
In the evening Or. Wyatts force and
eloquenCe were shown i'm his sermon
on THE Christian Work" His text
was from James /; 25-"A doer OF the
work, this man is blest in the doing" "
DR.. Wyatt drew a comparison OF
James and Christ, They had many
things in common; they had family
traits that were natural to both OF
them; they We're epigrammatic in
speech they drew their parallels from
nature and they gave expression tn
the greatest common sense and truth.
So prominent was the last character
istic in James that his teachings are
called the gospel of common sense.
James looked upon the practical side
of everything. He defined the Chris
tian as the doer of work: not the
Christian in belief, in experiences and
emotions, but in doing the work of the
Christian.
We are in an age when no man lives
to himself; he is a part of the great
brotherhood of man, If a man stands
up and says Il enjoy religion" hi,
answer is not to the point, the oucs.
tion is, Does the community. docs hi.
church enjoy his religion. The gospo
of Christ is so great that no man, nC
age, can emphasize any one principle
more than another.
DR.. Wyatt pointed out the doctrine,
that Martin Luther and John Wesley
taught and emphasized and suggested
that ! was not a question of whicl
was the more practical, it was
question Of what good and for who's,
good. Every doctrine must stand a
fall as it answers to what benefit /
may be.
There was splendid music at botl
services. w. d. Evans prepared a pro
gramme Of singing that was in lin
with the spirit of the occasion Th
organ numbers were also especial,
fine.
The congregation now moves alonJ
the course towards the diamond iubie