The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-11-20
THANKSGIVING SERMON
DR.. CHAPMAN UTTERS A MESSAGE
. APPROPRIATE TO THE DAY.
ATimely Discourse Entitled "Three Meet.
inss OF the Sayiour'-Render Thanks
TO God For the Greatest of Gifts, HIS
Son, Jesus Christ.

ings OF the sayiour"-Render Thanks
TO God For thc Greatest of Gifts His
Son, Jesus Christ.
NEW YORK CITY.-Thc Eev. DR.. ]. vii:
bur Chapman, who has recently resigned
the pastorate CT the Fourth Presbyterian
Church in this city in order to de"ote him.
self to evan2elistic work, has prepared the
following Thanksgiving sermon for the
Sess. 1t is entitled Three Meetings OF
the Saviour" and is founded on the text,
Evening, and morning, and at noon, Will
l pray" Psalm IS: II.
1t is quite the custom on Thanksgiving
Day to render thanks and praise unto God
for material gifts and material prosperity.
We are accustomed to measure the har-
vests and to try to count out earthly bless
ings, and then make an effort to put into
language some adequate expression of our
appreciation of Gods goodness. leave
this task to other ministers, while l II
their name and behalf express my grateful
thanks to God for the greatest OF all gifts,
my hope that l may present Him in such
a way in this message that all may see that
it is their privilege 10 come in closest fel-
lowship with Him. With this thought in
mind / use the text. Evening, and at
morning, and at noon, will l pray" The
Psalmisi determines to pray frequently, at
least three times he will be on his knees:
he determines to pray fervently, for be will
cry aloud unto God. The text does not
run as we would like it to, for we always
reverse the order and say at morning, at
noon. and at evening, but the Hebrews be-
gan the day with the evening and Closed
it with noon. We always begin it with the
morning, and one dav we shall reach a
morning which shall never end. The
Psalmist means that he will pray more
than three times. He is simply saying that
he will BEGIN and continue and end the
day with God. He takes the natural d.
vision OF the day and at each point he de-
! termines to set up an altar. Mr.. Spurgeon
says he lays 4 line straight through the day
and tracks the sun with his petitions. 1t
used to be said in oiden times that we
should pray three times at least, at even
ing, because Christ was on the cross, in
the morning because He rose from the
dead. and at noon because then He ascend
ed. If our bodies need nourishing three
times. why not our souls? We have fire.
ouent Old Testament illustrations of this
habit. notably Daniel. "Now. when Daniel
knew that the writing was signed he went
into his house, and, his windows being
open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he
kneeled upon his knees three times a day
and prayed, and gave thanks before his
God as he did aforetime." Daniel 8: 10.
We have the early members OF the church
in the New Testament presenting US an ex-
ample. and if we study the Acts Of the
Apostles we find the disciples many times
in prayer. but always morning, noon and
night. For Jesus to be with US is one
thing. and we are all the time in His
thought; He has promised never to leave
us and never to forsake US, but for us to
be with Him in our contemplation is quite
another thing, and it ia that we may learn
this lesson that | speak the words of the
text. The result Of this fellowship will be
cause for thanksgiving. These three times
are suggested because the morning is the
time Of feasting, the noon is the time OF
questioning or resting, while the evening
IL the time for the settling of accounts,
and 7 have changed the order OF the text
for the reason that we are living in the
new dispensation.
The morning. "But when the morning
might properly have closed with the Goth
chapter. The 3lst verse of that chapter is
most significant and gives the object and
aim of the gospel. "But these are written,
that We might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that believing
We might have life through His name"
But John adds this 2lst chapter because
he gives us another beautiful picture of the
Lord, and records the only miracle worked
after the resurrection. May this not be
typical and did we but live in touch with
our Lord might it not be possible in these
! days to have filled nets and a multitude
about us of the saved.
The disciples had returned to their
homes in Galilee after the events men,
toned in the previous chapter. They were
were doubtless talking of the past. They
might have called to mind their first meet
ing with the Saviour and dwelt lovingly
on the glory of His life. They might have
spoken in whispers of the disappointment
OF His death, and then with shining faces
have recalled the account OF His resurrec-
ton and His personal appearing to them.
| Doubtless Peter was of the company once
again. They are back amid the familiar
scenes OF their old life; the boats are lying
on the beach, the fishermen are mendlng
their nets and these seven, five OF whom
are named and two unnamed, doubtless
stand together. There is a boat pushing
out from the shore, and the women are
wishing their husbands and boys good
speed, while the men answer with words
VI cheer. Fishing is always fascinating,
and so l can imagine Peter with flashing
Eye and twitching nerves and quick beat
ing heart looking about the busy scene I'M
I'll he can stand it no longer, and then he
says, II go a~-fshing." Instantly they are
all ready to go and they push of from the
shore. 1t is a most beautiful sea in itself:
and as their oars flashed in the light OF
the setting sun as they are away to the
old scenes of other days, the vision Is fas,
cinating. But it really was a perilous pIo-
sition, for though the sea is always treach;;
erous, the boat might have been old, and
here are these representative leaders OF
the cause of Christ. What if they had
been lost in the night? The same question
might be asked concerning Moses when a
child in the ark. What if one Of the waves
of the Nile should submerge the little ark
or the crocodile should crunch it? But such
questions are idle and useless. Moses IS
not safer to-day than then, and so these
early disciples were safe. because their
hone was centred upon One whose eyes
are ever upon His own by night. They
toiled and took nothing. Every old de-
vice was used to charm the fish. but every
time the net was drawn up they knew by
the tug of it that they had failed. AS the
light is breaking they are about 100 yards
from the shore. They hear a voice saying,