The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-11-14
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
POWER or A GREAT IDEAL"

POWER Or a GREAT IDEAL"
fho Rev. DIR. J Wilbur Chapman Delivers
hrautiful Sermon on the Comfort and
Helpfulness Of Having an Ideal 20
Anchor One Ia tho Better Things OF Life
NEw YoRK CRY. The Rev. Dr.J. vii.
bur Chapman, who has recently resigned
the pasturate of the Fourth Presbyterian
Church IN this city In order to devote hIm-
sell TO cydnge,lstc work, has prepared the
following sermon for the press. 1t is enti-
tied The Power of n Great Ideal and was
preached from the text, Il have set the
Lord always before me; because He is at
my right hand, / shall not be moved"
Psalm l6. 8
u you lool, at the top Of this Psalm yen
will rad the Michtam of David. There
are differences of opinion as to the mean
ing OF this expression. Some have said
that 1t means victory, and this would seem
% be true. since there Is particular
Psalm bearing the same title, whose sub
lect matter is on various themes, but all of
which end in triumph. Psalm SO, Chou
hast delivered my soul from DEATH"
Psalm 81, MY heart is fixed. / will sing
and give praise" Psalm So. "There is a re-
ward for the righteous" Psalm 80, "God
is my defense and the God Of my mercy"
Psalm 60, Through God we shall do va
lantly."
There are others who saw that the ex.
preston means golden, and so we might
infer from the margin, which means that
It IS worthy of being written in letters of
gold, and may have been in some conspicu-
Gus place in the temple. At any rate we
know that its truth is better than gold:
yea, than much fine gold. There are still
others who declare that its meaning is
precious, and certain it is that it is a pre-
cious privilege to walk with Christ ever
before us.
$50 on I 90, not knowing,
| would not if / might,
I'd rather walk in the dark with God,
Than 60 alone in the light.
I'd rather walk by faith with Him,
Than 90 alone by sight"
Some teachers say that the meaning On
the expression is secret, and what follows
it is hidden truth. Certainly it is true
that the Secret Of the Lord is with them
that fear Him." and there is a secret place
of the Most High The first is learned
when we walk with Him. the second is
reached at the end of the journey. But if
you put all these interpretations together
you have the golden Psalm Of the precious
secret, which would seem to be a fitting
introduction to all that follows. This
Psalm is about Christ. We know it, be-
cause Peter said, For David speaketh con-
corning Him, | foresaw the Lord always
before my face; for He is on nv right
hand, that I should not be moved" Acts
2: %. If David could have strength by
looking forward to Christ, what may I not
have as | look back at His history and life
in the power of His presence by the Holy
Spirit
1t is the instinct of a human soul to have
an ideal. Every child has. The boy longs
to be like his father. The girl has desire
to resemble her mother. What a response
bility rests upon each Men and women
have whether they viii acknowledge it or
not. They long to be like some one else
The musician has his Mendelssohn the
poet his Shakespeare the artist his Da
Vanei, the preacher his Spurgeon. David
knew this and so he said. II have set the
Lord always before me; because He is Mt
my right hand, I shall not be moved" To
Initiate any one else in the world is to be-
| come ridiculous but it is remarkable that
people all over the world may seek to lmi-
tate Christ and be the better for it. Let
it De noted that this is a definite expe-
rience o. conclusion which David has
reached / insist upon the definition of ii
bN~'ll-N ~ 10 oNA lIluL Ill 4NOblCC lNUuduS u
ID, Neither yield We your members as in.
| struments of unrighteousness unto sin, but
| yield yourselves unto God. as those that
are alive from the dead. and your members
| as instruments of righteousness unto God .
| And also Romans y: ]. 81 beseech you
| therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God
that We present your bodies a living sacri
! flee, holy, acceptable unto God, which i;
| your reasonable service" The tense Of the
! verbs il both verses indicate definite &C
| ton. 1t is really putting ones self ovel
into the keeping and control of Christ.
! A man has threefold nature. spirit. sou
| and body, and in this order. I Cor 6: 90
| For We are bought with a price: therefor,
| glorify God in your body and in you1
spirit, which are Gods" Romans l3: l
Let every soul be subject to the highel
! powers. For there is no power but of God
the powers that he are ordained Of God.
! Romans y: !. 81 beseech YOU, therefore
brethren, by the .mercies Of God. that V,
! present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy
acceptable unto God. which is your reason
able service" All of which indicate tina
| He will fill the shirt, insnire the soul anC
control the body if given the right to do it
Then everything has become sacred in on
lives and living itself Is a sacrament I d,
not much believe in the worlds division
of all things into sacred and secular, fo
all things ought to be sacred to the chill,
of God, and all days ought to be holy ant
they would be did we but live in the spiri
of the text. Some people meet temptation
and fly to Him. 1t is infinitely better t
fly to Him and then meet trial in whateve
form it may come. There is great powe
in the word "because" in the text. Thi
is not Just flash Of an experience, it j
the deliberate outcome of long and va
ried retrospect, and will not in any tru
sense be before our face until we set Hin
there. 1t is first decision and then praC
tice, and the text must become the habit G
our lives. 1t certainly was in the expe
rience of David, for he said, 81 have Sc
the Lord always before me-" There ar
certain Old Testament characters whic
furnish us an illustration Of this text.
First. Abraham. Christ said it, John s
SO, "Your father, Abraham, rejoiced to Sc
| NV daw and he sa1u "A and ruaa nlnd