Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-02
HIS FIRST DISCOURSE
PASTOR OF EASTERN PREsBY-
TERRAIN CHURCH IN CHARGE.

Rev. Charles L. Neibel. the newly elect
ed pastor of the Eastern Presbyterian
| Church. at Stanton Park. corner 9Th
preached his first sermon as pastor Of the
morning. He chose as his text Philip
plans. ii:5: Let. this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus"
1t is only by humility. he said, that the
church people of today can win the ap-
! prevail of Christ. and unselfishness and
self-abnegation should be among the
virtues of every Christian people. He
made it clear that the surest way of OBJ
tanning eternal happiness was to strive
to lift I'D some fellow traveller also into
the kingdom of Christ. Some people will
fail to reach Heaven because they are so
Intent upon getting there themselves that
they fail to think Of others and to lend a
helping hand to their fellowmen. to try
to bring them also to the Savior.
Mr.. Neibel said that unselfishness char
acterizes the lives of many men of to-
day. Especially Is this true in the bust
ness world. The financial stringency that
has beset our country in the past weeks,
but which Is now much relieved, was,
however. due to the selfishness of certain
business men. He urged his hearers, as
members of the Church of God. to be un-
selfish. working not for their own ag-
grandizement nor for the mere physical
glory of the church with which they are
identified. but for the furtherance of
Christs kingdom.
The opening portions of the morning
service were conducted by the Rev. DIR.
Thomas Chalmers Easton. the former
was caused by a severe affection of the
throat. The music was under the drec-
ton of Mr.. Charles p. Stanley, leader of
the church choir.
In the evening Rev. Mr.. Neibel spoke
from Romans. yi:16. He said, among
other things: Our master is one Of two
persons. Paul means to say that there
IS absolutely no middle ground in regard
to. spiritual affairs. A man Is either the
servant Of the devil or he is the servant
Of Christ, and his life and the way he
conducts himself in the world and the
attitude he takes toward these masters
determine which one is his master. There
is common idea abroad that it is easier
to serve the devil than to resist him;
that it is easier to do wrong than it is to
in the paths that lead to destruction. and
that our hands fly more quickly to do the
things which are of evil than they do to
do the things which are right.
Now. sometimes men are unconscious
of the fact that they are really intend
ing to serve the devil, and think they are
simply choosing the easiest way. But
you and l know full we'll that experience
teaches otherwise-that the hardest thing
for a man to do in this world in the last
analysis is to yield himself up as the
bond servant to sin"
Many young people. he declared, are
prone to say that there are so many
things to be given up and it Is so diff
cult to live a Christian life. and this
feeling is not confined to young people
a lone "Jf we would onlv WELD ourselves
completely in our obedience and in our
allie glance to the man Christ Jesus" Mr.
Neibel continued, life would be SO much
sweeter. our ways would be so much
pleasanter. the difficulties that confront
US day by ray would SO much the more
quickly vanish. The war for our free
dom hath been waged between Satan and
Him who Is Satan's overload =.