The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-01-03
In The CITY CHURCHES.
Interesting Sermons by Leading Divines
Delivered Yesterday.

his text the words found in John Kill, 81
whittier goest thou2" and he said
part:
Between Rome aud Ostia there stands
small church called DONNA quo Vadis,
which. according to legendary tradition
marks the spot whore the Apostle Pete
fleeing from persecution at Rome, mot HI
Lord. He recognized the nail pierce
hands and feet, and standing in a3tonisl
ment, exclaimed: "Domine quo Vadis?
Jesus replied: "Igo to tho city to be cruc
fed again for thee" Peter accepted til
rebuko and returned to tho city, aud wa
one whom the bloody Nero caused to b
| crncified. 1t is this legend and the Churc
| which suggested tho popular novel, "Qu
| Vadis,' which Is at the present bein
| widely read, and which contains muc
valuable history Of the events Of thos
tragic times, even though its theologioa
accuracy is questioned.
1t was more likely that the question wa
asked by Peter just before the Lord wa
crusifIed. "Whither goest thou?" to whicI
reply comes"Whilher l CO. ye cannot nov
come" We know whittier Jesus went-tt
Gcthsomane, the Judgment hall, to scourl
ing, 10 tho cross, the tomb, to heaven
Many of HIS disciples followed each in hi;
own way; y;'Jamcs was beheaded, Peter wal
cruclled, and Paul rs a Roman citizer
died violent death. The question for Il!
ut the birth Of the New Year to determir,
conclusively each for himself is Quo Va
dis whittier goest thou, to what deJtina
tion? Every human being has before hin
two desiinies. either to or from God, to {
1lnat reward or punishment nc ;ording as
tine choice has been made No rational
Being who accepts the Scriptures doubts
The Immortality of the soul.
|, Hrifh itc farr iS l.
ways before us, and whilo we are all jour.
neying to the salne gate, there is double
destiny and two paths beynnd. What, on
this New Years Day, is your whitheri
The direction in which we travel is virtu-
ally our destiny. Conduct is tho souls
thermometer. While all are steering
toward the same gate, as ships putting cut
to scn clear for different ports, according
to their cargoes. we arc all moving III diff
terent directions and our destiny Is surely
determined by our character conduct and
spiritual equipment and cargo. What is
the purpose, the intention, that decides
important factorin shaping our destiny,
and giving answer to the Quo Vadis," P"
the WHITTIER goest thou?"- that confronts
every ono Of us?
Intelligence Is inseparable from lifo and
1t determines our dire ction or destiny. We
often speak OF Il person drifting like u
wateI-logsed vessel on the sea of life, but
there Is no such condition.
AsTUuY NJ. L. CHURCH.
The Rev. Ezra Tinker L. L. D., Of A.
bury Chu' ch preached a New Years SER
mon yesterday evening He took as his
text; Ephesians 9TH chapter, 18th verse,
"Redecming tho Time"
He said in part At the opening Of new
calendar year it may not he amis, to tarry
for few minutes viii. Il subjact which oc-
Gupied tho inspired thought OF the great
apostle in his letter to the Ephesian breth.
rem. 1t Is not an unusual practice, as the
old year passes away and /, buried from
sight, and rs the new year springs into
view to enter upon now schemes, form
new plans and make new resolves
apprehcnd that there are but few per-
sons who can look back upon single
year of their lives withouG the conscious.
ness Of having made many mistakes, or
having wasted many precious iGod-g, ven
moments or OF having dlrecscd their ener-
gies into unwi,e channels.
Il nced scarcely remind you that time
waits for no man. ana in Its onward
sweep regards neither rank mir age The
millionaire in his spalaoe Is no moro highly
regarded than the beggar in the streets;
the king npon his throne than the peasant
in the field.
What havoc time has wrought during
4 the os RastG Gia5n gifa5 ThS aa ss q tba %
The average life OF generation is thirty
three years. On an average forty mi lions
of people and moro die every year One-
third Of tho people dies in infancy! ona.
half before the age of 2l, two.thirds before
the age of 40, three-rourths by tho age Of
1,ryt ha ~ nj -tan bl
by the age of ~, while some linger to so.
II few to 90 and here and there one ill the
frosta OF hundred winters have touched
their locks.
WHAT various agencies time has em.
ployetl--wars, fumines, diseases, accidents.
the assassin, q thousand agencies. some
have died with tho consciousness that lifo
was failure; Others have died with the
that the past was under lie
"blood.' Tho ono took leap into the
dark, the other stepped into the light of
day with an eternal noon.
"First, the young should redeem the
time because of Tho possibility before
them.
"To my mind the most thrilling sight
on earth is u surging throng OF youths be-
fore whom lie great opportunities, and to
whose unwearied industry there will open
many doors of enlarged usefulness. You
have 3 ood again and again at tho scholas
tic graduation day. You have looked
with intense interest upon tho actors in
those scenes. In the faces of some you
linvo read industry, sObr!ety, persisency,
success in tho bearing of Others you have
seen hcedlessness, instability, s!oth, fall
tire.
''If we had the vision CT prophets we
might discover that tho blasted and fruit
less life of many IL person bad its origin
in those faro days when youthful indls-
cretions run rampant, and the hours days,
months and years were banded about rs
SO mauy useless periods in human exist
,ace.
"Thc youth who crushe5 his arm in
drunken debauch, though he may be ever
so sweetly saved in after years, will never
be able to look upon the mangled limb
without Il feeling of anguish at his folly
and sin. And the man who squandcrs his
possessions at the gambling table and in
haunts OF vico will never be able to think
Of his prOiligacy, or his former wealth,
Il blush of shame rcddening his
cheeks
Secondly. The old should redeem the
tine because of the rapidly diminishing
opportunities for usefulness. When we
stand in the presence OF certaintiej, when
we can easily read the handwriting upon
the wall, there can be no reasonable eX-
cuse for lettering by the wayside.
"What the aged do for the Church, for
.ociety, for the world, must b. done quick.
". Every moment should be crowded
with wise plans, with unceasing devotion
10 the right,
This year may be the last year that your
gradually falling strength will permit you
10 attend the house Of God; this year may
DO the last that your mental powers will
permit you 10 make u legal and wise dis.
jribution Of the possessions that God has
given YOU Redeem your time in lending
Ind where aid is needed, and when you
inns In high and holy sense, we are our
brothers. keeper. We have duties to per.
orm to him,
"rhirdly. All should redeem the time
because the present moment Is the only
me we can call our own.
UNION NJ f. CHURCH.
Revival services will begin tonight In
Union M. II. church. The discourse will
10 "The first things, or Sin or salvation"
)n Friday evening an address will be de-
iyered by Rev Harvey w. Ewing. Miss
Caroline Pierce will rccite "Ten Nights in
Bar.room. Stereopticon views will
Illustrate tho recitation.
The annual week of prayer will be OBJ.
rived by the Presbyterian churches.
West, Hunover, Central and First Presby
erian churches will unite in the services.
At st. Stephens Lutheran Church tho
Christmas music was repeated.
Todd b. Hall, tho noted detective talked
,efore the Y, NJ. Q. A..
Baptism was held at Delaware Avenue
3aptist Church last evening. In tho morn.
ng several new members were received.
Miss Pearla Smith and Mrs. U. S. Pier
on sang at Brandywine M. Il. Church
esterday. There was baptism at the |
morning service.