The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-06-14
DIR. CHAPMAN'S SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
PASToR.EVANCELIST.
Subject: why Men Should Attend Church
Motives Which Should Not Influence
the Worshiper-Nation Would Relapse
Into Barbarian without Gods Temple.

| the Fourth Presbyterian Church OF tins
city, has delivered a sermon in which ne
set forth the reasons why men should at
! tend church. He preached from the text,
"And He said unto them, Come We your
! selves apart into a desert place and rest
awhile" Mark 6: 81.
! John the Baptist had been beheaded
| and his disciples were in confusion. They
were truly as sheep without a shepherds
| The apostles had heard of the disaster,
and came to Jesus to tell Him of all the
things that had come to pass, and then 1t
| was that He spoke to them in the words
of the text, "And He said unto them,
Come We yourselves apart into desert
place and rest awhile; for there were
many coming and going, and they had no
| leisure so much as to eat" | am very well
aware that to some of you this may seem
an inappropriate text, for if the church IS
a desert then in itself it presents to us the
reason why SO many men are away from
! it, and why there seems to be a growing
! indifference to its claims. Alas, it is true
too often the church is a desert place. 1t
| Will not help us any in our efforts to lead
men to attempt to blind our eyes to the
condition of things. A desert is a spot
| without water without habitation, a place
| of death and despair, and this is true of
every church where anything is substituted
+. for the gospel, where the whole truth is
not preached. and where Christ is not pre-
| be perfect so far as their literary excellence
is concerned. but without the gospel, as
| the heart they are sounding brass and tipk-
ling symbol in the estimation of Him who
is the great head Of the church Then again
the verse in which the text is found pre-
sents us a picture of the world. The Mas
| ter called the apostles aside to rest, for
there were many coming and going, and
! they had no leisure much as to eat.
| This is indeed a representation of the kusi-
ness life of the most of men. The pace IS
terrific. and if any man fails to keep step
| with his competitor in business he is soon
left behind and is counted out of the race.
One of the greatest needs of the day for
men in all departments of life, whether it
be in the shop, with the ordinary day la
| borer or with the great merchant in his
business, or the famous lawyer at the
court, one of the greatest needs of the day
is for rest Rest does not necessarily mean
| idleness: when men rest as | have 1t in
mind they get their best conception of God,
they work out their greatest plans for the
future. they become in the truest sense as
God would have them.
Leonardo da Vinci, the great painter,
! was once employed by the Emperor to pro
duce picture. which was to be finished
by certain date. After working some
time at his task, however, the artist alb
| sented himself from his studio for week
completing the picture. The Emperor hear
ing of this sent a courtier to demonstrate
| with the painter. and when the latter did
not meet the remonstrance commanded
| him to come to the royal presence. why
have YOU neglected the painting of the mic
ture we have ordered?" was the question
sternly put to the artist. 81 have not neg
lected it, sir" was the answer. But we
know that you have not had the brush in
hand for these eight days" said the Won
dering Emperor. True, sir" said the art
list. "but nevertheless the picture has
grown, the work Of the brush is the least "a;
to be done in producing a painting. The
last week / have been awav from my studio
it is true, but wherever I went that pic
ture has been in my mind, and slowly and
steadily have been getting into place the
figures to be put upon the canvas. The
picture, scr, will be done at the stated
time" and it was. and this picture is to-
day regarded as the greatest work of the
famous painter.
Men cannot carelessly approach a great
work For the disciples it was ''Iarry We, !"
before the going forth to service. and this
is necessary not only in religious life. but in
all departments of life. In paper not long
ago under the caption "Why do we 60 to
church," the following was suggested:
Because it is the fashion.
Because it has become habit.
Because it is respectable.
Because we like the minister.
Because we enjoy the music and other at
| fractions.
Because we feel lonesome when we do
not go.
Because we sing IN the choir or are Off
cials and must go.
Because parental authority enjons it.
Because it helps business.
Are any of these the motives that move
You to attend church? Some of them may
have a subordinate place in ones actions,
but they should never become prominent
or dominant force. Why should we go to
church? For a hundred legitimate reasons,
chief among which are these
Because the church is the tabernacle OF
the Most High.
Because it has always been the symbol
and centre of worship.
Because He plainly promises to meet US
there.
Because we need the help the church af-
| fords.
Because others need the force of our ex-
ample
Because of the joy we find in public and
social worship.
Because without the church the commu-
nifty and nation would soon lapse into bar
/ barism.
Because close fellowship with Gods PEG,
pie here is the truest road to the life here
after
1t is a fact that men are not attending
cf urch, and it cannot be true that this Is
altogether the fault of the non-attendants
themselves. This is a cold world in which
we live, and naturally the world wants
warm words, warm smiles, warm welcomes,
warm hearts, warm prayers and the warm
spirit of brotherhood, and men have right
to expect that the church which represents
| Christ upon earth shall exhibit all OF these
things The man of the world does not
stay away from the church because there is
too much of the Spirit OF God in it, but
rather because there is too little. The
church must be united if the unsaved world
J is to be drawn to it.
The following reasons for church at
tendance have been presented to me by
men of great renown throughout the coun-
try, great business men, great philanthro-
pists, great leaders of men generally, and
there is not one who has written to me
but whose name is known throughout the
whole world.
First-Man needs the church, Tempta-
tons assail him on every side; there is no
man that lives without temptation. The