Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1900-02-05
SERMON ON
DAY OF CHOICE
Strong Discourse Of Rev. F. B
Short at EpwOrtb NJ. E.
Church Last Night.
TWENTY-FIVE JOINED CHURCH

ON PROBATION AT THE coNcLU-
SION OF THE sERMoN-NoT-
wITHsTANDNG THE STORMY
NIGHT THE CHURCH WAS
CROWDED.
Despite the heavy downpour Of rain
and heavy winds OF last night Epworth
NJ. E. Church was filled. After the SER
mon the pastor. Rev Francis Burgette
Short. received twenty persons into
the church as probationers.
MIR. Shorts sermon was deeply in
terestlng. and was aB follows:
Joshua, xiv l5: Choose you this
day whom We will gerve" 1t was at
Shechem that Joshua assembled the
Israelitish tribes before whom here
hearsed the patient dealings Of God
with them from the, days OF Terah. the
father Of Abraham, until then. Here
in this historic old city, he ADVISES
them to fear the Lord and sincerely
serve him by putting away their false
gods and choosing the God OF Abra-
ham but. IL It should seem evil for
them to serve the only and true God, he
advises them to make a decision that
day, saying: Choose you this day
whom ye will serve"
These decisive days. Days that tell
for veal or for woel Days that Affect
our lives for time and for eternity!
Days that lift us to honor and fame, OF
throw us down to dishonor and dis
gracel Days In which we become rich,
or lose all our wealth and become
poorl Days that decide our Immortality
with Jesus and all the saints; or days
that seal our fate-away from
God o, my friend, l beseech You this
night be careful, be careful how you
make your daily decisions, and be wise
in making your deeision tonight.
AS / look out upon this great ccngro-
gation 1 most humbly pray Almighty
God to help me preach this sermon Sc
that / may help you all this night 70
make a wise choice. Some Of you will
do so. and as result will one day
walk through the streets OF gold In the
paradise of God. But. alas! alas.
fear some others will go out OF this
church, after having made an unwise
choice and shall go down TO sorrow
and death. Choose you this day whom
We will serve"
FREEDOM Or CHOICE.
i. There was nothing to compel tn,
lIsraelites to choose God. Neither man
the church, not God can force an indi'
vidual to become a Christian. Thos'
who walk humbly before God In th'
steps OF the Lord and Master do Sc
because they chose to do 80. The. bod,
may at times be forced TO act, but th'
heart and will are supreme. Thes'
must be operated upon by persuasive
forces. and II they yield Il 10 becaps'
they choose to yield. Hence, the ten
der pleading: Give Me thy heart
Come unto Me all We that labor anC
are heavy laden and Will give yo'
rest" Hence, il is that the Gospel per
suades more than It obliges.
You are here tonight because yol
choose to conner and you are listening
because you choose to listen. You
body could have been brought her
against your will but your heart ant
Will would have been elsewhere. Man
will is under his own control. and a
a result he is responsible for his acts
Therefore, when be does evil, II Is be
cause he wills" 70 do evil. He VIII
goes into wrong paths Wills to 60 o
else goes because Of force Of habit
which is the result OF willing to go &
long until it seems a part OF his yer
self
Our first parents sinned because, the
chose to disObey God. Cain slew Abe
because he chose to. The rich yOun
/. ruler refused to follow Jesus becaus
he chose his possessions instead. Ana
, MAS came to an untimely and sad deaf
+, because he chose to lie. Napoleon lei
his beautiful and devoted wife, JOSEPH
inc, because he chose TO leave he
Some heartless scoundrel a few day
u ago shot Senator Goebel because
l chose to; and nine hundred and pinet,
4 nine acts out OF every thousand 4
= which we are responsible we do becaul
= We choose TO.
} Abraham chose 10 believe Gcd. Dai
a lei, purposed, determined, chose ia b
o heart that he would not eat the me
70 that had been offered to idols. He cou
y have Jared sumptuously every day al
need not have been cast into the d.
OF lions. But he chose 10 DO rigt
y Matthew preferred following Jesus
J. the collecting OF taxes; and eve
10 Christian IS such because OF chois
ar What is your relation TO God tonigh
l. What shall II be? Whatever you d
m sire. wish. choose, Il shall be- ] tru
10 your choice shall be a wise one. Folk
To the prOmptinga Of your better self Il
r. night. end men and angels shall ]
~ joice at the wisdom shown Ia 20
d. choice. r...
IL There Is an old legend which repi
10. sents that Ironaneus one Of the chur
fathers was one day placed betwe
cross aud an idol and Obliged
w choose between them. To select
.ze idol meant protection and life
FL choose the cross meant death.
I'D chose the cross. and in the year 202
OIL suffered death upon H. But who gu
ID tons the wisdom u his cboice2
he me urge upon you tonight 20 cho'
mt between the world and the cross y
he will not have 10 do on the cross.
aaHIN al A..