Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1902-05-08
DIR. CHAPMAN'S SERMON
a SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THE Noted
PkSTOR.EVANCELlS

Subject: Discouraged Man-Most People
Dissatisfied Because They Lead Too
Artificial n Life-No Room in the King
dom Of God For Pessimism.
IThe Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D. D., is
now the most distinguished and best
known evangelist in the country. He was
second only to DR.. Talmage, but since the
death of that famous preacher DR.. Chap
man has the undisputed possession Of the
Pulpit as the preacher to influence the
plain people. His services as an evangel-
ist are in constant demand. His sermons
have stirred the hearts OF men and women
to degree unapproached by any latter
day divine. j. Wilbur Chapman was born
in Richmond, Ind, June II, 1859. His
years of age, and his father died seven
years afterward. Consequently he was
not only deprived of a mothers care at
the formative age Of boyhood, but he was
thrown upon his own resources before ne
had reached early manhood He was edu-
Gated at Oberlin College and Lake Forest
University, and graduated for the ministry
from the Lane Theological Seminary, Gin
cinnati, Ohio, in 1882. While there he
manifested the character and the spirit
which have followed him as an evangelist
all over the country. They have made his
as revivaEst. His sermons are simple
and direct, that their influence is not
so much due TO exciting the emotions as
to winning tie hearts and convincing the
minds OF these who hear MIN. DR.. Chap
man is now in charge of the Fourth Pres
NEW YoRK CITy.-The Rev. DR.. j. Viii
bur Chapman, Americas most famous pas
tor-evangelisc who took charge Of a 1aori-
bund church in this city several years ago,
and is now preaching to an overAowing
congregation, has furnished the following
eloquent sermon to the press. 1t was
preached from the text: Kings, Ic: 4,
''But he himself went a days journey into
the wilderness, and came and sat down
under a juniper tree, and he requested Tor
himself that he might die
The history Of Elijah begins with the
seventeenth chapter Of / Kings and starts
with the word '5and." The preceding
chapter tells Us of the ido,atry Of the peo-
pie of the reign o. lawlessness and the
apparent triumph OF iniquity. It seemed
as if the end of all things had come, and
suppose everybody living in that time
thought So but if this was the impression,
God is left out of all consideration. It is
well for Us to remember that He is never
at loss. The land may be overrun with
iniquity, His witnesses may be silenced,
but all the time He is preparing a man in
some quiet village as He prepared Elijah,
and at the right time lie viii send him
forth with no uncertain testimony! There
is really no place for pesslnisIn in the
kingdom Of God. He has never made a
failure in the past, He never win IN the
future. I'll God be for us, who can be
against u.s. It is literally true that when
the enemy comes in like flood this spirit
of the Lord shall lift up standard against
him.
The story of Elijah is most interesting,
and we trace him from his sudden appear
ance here flashing like a meteor upon the
scene OF action, down to Cherith, where
he is fed by the ravens, over to Zarephath,
where ne relieves the distress of the wom-
an who meets him, but the most remark
able scene in his life is on Mt. Carmel,
where, facing the prophets Of Baal, after
their inability to call down fire from heav-
en- he produces the fire from the very
hand Of God, which consumed the sacri-
ice, licks up the water in the trenches
and gives him victory Of a most re1narka-
bic Kind. The prophets Of Baal are dis
tressed, and the news concerning their de
feat is carried to Jezebel She is intensely
Engry, and declares that Elijah shall be as
Ter prophets are at a certain hour of the
day. Instead of looking up to God and
trlumphlng over this wicked woman Eli
jan does quite the opposite, and thus it is
fall.
How are the mighty fallen? It woulc
be difficult to imagine man in whose life
there was more of real contrast; now ne i
master IN prayer and the pendulum which
swings one way toward glory swings il
his life in the other direction toward de
SPAR, and the prayer for, victory becomes
the heavens and holding the key and ap
parently at his own will the rain tarries O
falls, and now utterly dismayed he is rush
1ng to the wilderness and wishing that b.
might die, but Elijah is not alone in thi
desire. The most Of men have at one tim.
or another wished that they might end all
Moses did, ':And if Thou deal thus will
me, kill me, | pray Thee, out of hand, if
have found favor in Thy sight, and let M
not see my wretchedness Numbers IL
t. SO also did Jonah, Therefore now, {
Lore take. [ beseech Thee, my. life from
n2e; for it is better for me to die than t,
ave" Jonah 4: 5. And even the grea
Apostle Paul said, "I am in a strait be
twixe two, having desire to depart and t.
be with Christ" but the trouble with tn
most of us is we want to die our own way
Eli}ah was not willing to die at the ham
himself away into insensibility under tn
juniper tree in the desert. Elijah made
great mistake in running away. If he ha
stood his ground he might have saved hi
country, prevented the captivity of tn
people, for I doubt not the 1000 that ha
come forth, and they would have rushe
11orw9rd 1SI:! conquering and to conquer, bu
5EllJah is a picture Of ourselves, and we a
like him have been times without numbe
under the juniper tree. The object OF thi
sermon is to ask the question, 'Why W
are thus discouraged" and then to dete
mine II possible what the difficulty We
with Elijah.
Why are We? There are thousands {
people to-day who are utterly dissatisfe
MlTh life because they are living too artif
clai li an experience. We have very man
Tl STnllngs that our ancestors did not posses
pne possession of these things ought |
ppllng to us great blessings in every wa,
put as a matter of fact it is true thu
neither neither happiness, nor brotherly love, nj
power nor good have been increased ]
sne least: We have indeed gone in the o.
p19slte direction, and many of us are
all 4anle, men most miserable. We are disco1