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I. THE PERSONAL AND FREE CHARACTER OF THE CHOICE TO BE MADE. The religion of the Bible is the religion of liberty. I know of no bolder affirmation of the free will than that which is contained in my text. But the Bible never separates the idea of liberty from that of responsibility; the liberty of which it speaks is that which takes the law of God as its rule, not coercive but obligatory, and of which we shall have to give an account on the judgment day.

II. FREE AND PERSONAL CHOICE IS BETWEEN TWO PARTIES, BETWEEN TWO OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. Two, said I; not three, nor a greater number. "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing." Thus also the Lord Jesus speaks of two ways, the narrow way and the broad way; and in the picture He draws of the last judgment He calls some "blessed," and the others "cursed"; nowhere does He speak of an intermediate class. This moral dualism runs through the whole of Scripture.

III. NOW IS THE TIME TO CHOOSE. Would you know how much an hour of blindness, of impiety, may involve of malediction for an individual, a family, a nation? — Remember Esau selling his birthright, and afterwards shedding useless and bitter tears on the consequences of his shameful bargain; the Jews crying in blind fury, "Not this man, but Barabbas"; the governor Felix, placed by providence in contact with St. Paul, and putting a stop to conversation which troubles him, by the plea in bar so common and fatal, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will call for thee." Would you know, on the contrary, how fruitful in blessings may be one hour of fidelity, one generous and heroic choice? — Remember Abraham, obedient to the Divine calling and deserving to be called "the father of the faithful"; Moses, "choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." The decisive hour has come.

IV. THE WITNESSES OF THE CHOICE. Our text tells us of witnesses, sublime though speechless, heaven and earth: "I call heaven and earth to record against you," says the Lord. Faithful to the Spirit of the New Covenant, we shall tell you that the witnesses you are surrounded by are not against you, but for you. Those witnesses are, in the first place, parents who ardently desire to see their children walk faithfully in the ways of the Lord; ministers, whose greatest joy would be to see you walking in the ways of piety and truth; the Church that presents you to God as its fondest hope; the holy angels who rejoice over every sinner who repents and gives himself truly to God.

V. THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CHOICE. "Blessing or cursing; life or death." If you choose life you shall be blessed. You shall be blessed in your youth and in your manhood; blessed in your career, be it long or short, obscure or brilliant; blessed in your family, present and future; blessed in your successes and in your reverses; blessed in your joys and in your griefs. At the end Christ will place you amongst those to whom He will say, "Come, ye blessed of My Father," etc. If you do not choose life, I know not what may be your lot on earth. One thing is certain — you shall not be blessed. What will you do when, to all those who will not have done the will of His Father, He will say, "I know you not"? It does not behove me to decide what will be the end of such a way, the result of such a choice, but you have heard those two words of my text, "Cursing! Death!" Choose life!

(C. Babut, B. D.)

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KJV: See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

WEB: Behold, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil;