Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1913-01-04

lDl false religion or
the true one that
we have in mind SO far as the abb
stract question OF service is con-
cerned, one neither loses nor gains
by accepting Christianity. Know ye
not" says the apostle Paul that to
whom ye yield yourselves servants TO
obey his servants ye are TO whom ye
obey. whether OF sin unto death or OF
obedience unto righteousness? There
may be q change OF masters or
change in the character and the re-
wards OF service. but so far as serv-
ice itself ia concerned there is ne
change. When. therefore. one Is en-
treated to take Christ's yoke upon
him Il Is not as II he had never worn
a yoke before. but only a question as
to whether he would remain In the
bonds OF iniquity or obey one In the
keeping OF whose commands there 70
great reward.
(2) Let US lay emphasis upof.
"choose" Religion is matter OF
choice. for men may serve God or
not as they please. OF course he may
compel a man to serve him. but ordi'
narily he does not do this. man
would be merely machine II he did.
This liberty OF choice Is mans glory
and also his peril. As Whittier says:
Though God he good. and free be heaven.
No force divine can love compel:
And though the song OF sins forgiven
May sound through lowest he'll;
The sweet persuasion OF his voice
Respects thy sanctity Of will.
He givsth day: thou hast thy choice
To walk In darkness stili.
(3) Let us lay emphasis upon
you" Judge therefore yourselves.
brethren. that We be not judged OF the
Lord" Let every other personality
fade from your consideration and
consciousness. and think only OF your
own solitariness In the Divine pres
ence when Every one OF us shall
give an account OF himself to God
In every congregation where the Cos
pei Is preached Satan entraps indi'
yiduais In the snare OF self-dcception
by helping them 70 lose themselves
IN the mass. How Is II with you!
You may have attended church all
your life and yet never personally.
consciously. definitely and irreyersi'
bly, made choice to serve God
through Jesus Christ. VIII you do
Il now?
ca Let us lay emphasis on this
day" There is peril In delay The
young prince. Napoleon. In the Zulu
war, was one day riding at the head
OF a squad outside the camp IL was
dangerous position and some one
said: I'VE had better return or we
shall fall into the hands OF the enc
N.Y." oh" said the prince. Let us
stay here ten minutes and drink our
coffee" Before the ten minutes
elapsed the Zulus were upon them
and the prince lost his life. When
his sorrow-stricken mother heard II.
she exclaimed: "Ah. that was his
mistake from babyhood: he was ever
pleading for ten minutes more. ON
this account sometimes called him
Mr.. Ten Minutes" How many have
lost their souls II not their bodies by
a like procrastination?
What 10 Meant by Serving ood7
What. indeed. but to yield our
wills to him that he may have his
will In us In all things? That will Is
revealed in his word. and as we read
and mediate upon II. as II Is preach
ed and expounded unto us In the pow
er OF his Holy Spirit. It is for us to
follow where II leads His grace 10
promised to enable us to do this.
The first step. however, is TO con-
sess his son Jesus Christ as Saviour
ana Lord. No man is soldier until
no has enlisted. subscribed the oath
and donned the uniform. and so In
the army OF the Lord. he who would
belong TO Il must comply with SINH
lar conditions when the countrymen
az Jesus said to him. What must we
do that we may work the works OF
Cod" Jesus answered. This is the
work Of God that We believe on him
whom he hath sent" To believe on
him IL not merely TO admit that he
once lived on .-'s earth and that he
was crucifed. ana iied and rose
again from the dead The
h~la.v. fhia as tremble But "