Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-11

years Thomas Chapel was on Camden
Circuit.
And this is my story Of Thomas
Chapel A simple story simply told,
Great events sometimes result from small
beginnings. The SavIourof men, centuries
ago, after his brief life among men, in
which he went about doing good, left q
parting injunction TO those whom he had
brought into closest touch with his life,
saving, eco We into all the world and
preach my gospel to every creature
Two hundred years and more ago John
Wesley, inspired by the same message and
following the teaching Of the valiant
st. Paul, who triumphantly announced II
preach Christ crucihed," went into the
highways and hedges and bid men accept
the Gospel of Christ, his watchword being
"The world is my parish"
Having awakened England, Wesley
called for volunteers To come to America
The first man To volunteer was Francis
Asbury, youth of 26 One Of the plain
people of small means, limited education,
but with the love Of God deeply rooted in
his breats. On his tedious voyage on the
slow-sailing boat that brought him to
America, Asbury asked himself the q,ies-
tion, Why am crossing the ocean, Is il
to benefit myself, TO make money! Have
any selfish end in view? No ! am intent
upon doing the will of my Master, and my
one object in life shall be the effort 10 save
human souls.
What he accomplished, how many souls
were saved no man can tell nor will the
record be revealed until in the last day
we all stand face 20 face, with God, and
the great reckoning is made of the deeds
done in the body.
This man Asbury had no home. He
always said that Delaware came nearer
being his home than any other place.
Here il was that during the stormy days
Of the Revolution he was befriended and
sheltered When danger threatened be
cause of his alleged sympathy with the
English cause, he was protected and
guarded by the friends whom he had
made through his preaching of Method
ism The task looked hopeless when in
1878 Asbury FIRST put foot upon Delaware
soil, but if God bc for us who can be
against us?
And 50 for more than 40 years, in spite
Of hardships and privatlons, IN new
country, preaching the old gospel in n
new way, through swamp and forest, IN
the daylight and in the dark, he per
slstentlv and heroically carried the banner
of Methodism, and planted Il victoriously
on the outskirts Of America and to Asb,lry
as 10 no other man belongs the high honor
for the establishment and maintenance Of
the great Methodist Church. the greatest
factor for good in the Christian world
today
Gathered as this goodly company is
today in celebrating the l4lst anniversary
Of this modest little chapel. so thoroughly
+ Al I.FL, .t.se,.,
of the Peninsula. | wish had time to tell
YOU the godly men and women whom
Asburv enlisted in his cause, Of the
sanity lives they lived. Of the influence
of their religious lives. for it is To- them
that we are indebted for the magnificent
Methodist church Of today which is the
militant factor in the religious life OF the
Peninsula to day.
Freehorn Garrottson, Ezekiel Cooper,
Bishop Scott, all men Of our blood and
bone, whose names will be ever remem-
bered as representing the best there was
and is in Methodsm.
Just a hundred years after this church
was founded, country lad, with be
coming modestv, but fired with an am
bition 10 work for the Master and to give
his life 10 the Christian ministry, entered
the ranks of the Wilmington Conference
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He
had been n boy In this community. In
boyhood DAYS he heard the gospel preached
in this chapel and maybe some of the
inspiration to preach came to him from
the words that were uttered from this
pulpit. He has been true, and steady and
faithful. He has the respect of everybody.
As a minister he has preached with loyalty
the doctrine OF Christ crucihed. His
ministry has been successful and there
will be stars in his crown. That man is
Rev. Alfred Smith, who preached SO
acceptably the anniversary gospel sermon
this morning in this chapel
We are living today in an age that can
boast of great accomplishments. II
money Is the be ALL and the end all, then
this age is pre-emlnently the great age