The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-07-30
DIR. CHAPMAN'S SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE 81 THE NOTED
PASToR.cvANceuST.
Suhseet: A Novel Eaee-Seif the Greatest
Enemy OF Most Ssn-Two Ways Into
Hesven-weslth and Power Will Not
Av~il the Sinner on Judgment Day.

Enemy OF Most Men-Two Ways Into
Hesven-weslth and Power VIII Not
Avail tho sinner on Judgment Day.
New YORK CIry.-The Rev. J. Wilbur
Chapman, the popular pastor OF the Fourth
| Presbyterian Church, whose reputation as
an evangelist is second to none, has pre-
pared an interesting sermon upon the sub.
, iect, "a Novel Race" which is preached
from, the text, Proverbs IL: l2. There Is
a way which seemeth right unto man !;
but the end thereof are the ways OF
death"
Some time during last summer the Rev.
Joseph Parker. the pastor OF the City
Temple in Boston. was asked to take the
, editors chair of the London Sun. He was
given full liberty to print just what he
wished in the paper or to keep out OF the
columns what in his judgment was not
conducive to make an ideal paper. One day
f; in the place OF the racing news which the
readers Of the Sun had been accustomed
to pe.use he printed under the caption OF
"a Novel Race Record" q description OF
the race of life, and for each point made
: emphatic in the lives Of those who fire.
auent the race course and follow racing as
a business he presented a passage OF Scrip
ture This was. to say the least, startling.
One OF our New York papers. quoting
from ms uttetlnSo III tuC A<ouooh Sehs
printed the following:
A NOVEL RACE RECORD.
London.-The Rev. Joseph Parker prints
in the Sun to-day in place OF the usual rae.
ing column what he calls corrected race
record. as follows:
The Eternity Sta kes.
The Start-Born in sin. etc: Psalm L.: 5.
The R1ss-All re AZ gone out OF the way etc.
The Finish-After death the judgment,
etc. Hebrews TX: g. ,
The Weighing Room-Thou are weighed
in the balances and art found wanting.
Daniel ": q.
Settling Day-Fo, what shall it profit a
man If he shall gain the whole world and
lose his own so,l Mark WILL: IS:
This outline for a sermon has been IN
my mind since first ny eyes lighted upon
It, and to the great London preacher l
am indebted for the suggestions OF this
sermon. and yet am quite free to confess
that the only reason ! hare chosen the
preach the sermon is that I have great
desire that those OF you who are running
the race OF life should lay hold upon eter.
nal life. 1t is q great mistake for men to
preach without giving their hearers an op.
portunity to confess Christ. When Mr..
Moody 6rst began his public ministry in
Chicago he went through course OF SER
mons on the life of Christ. and came at
last to the cruci6xion. when the most PRO
found impression had been made. He felt
as II he ought to give an invitation, but
neglected to do so. The audience was dis.
missed never to come together again, tor
that night the great consaGration in Chi.
cago was upon the city. and many OF his
hearers were quickly ushered into eternity,
and so while I present this novel race rec.
ord I present it only that you may run the
race with Christ. ,
II I had the time in this connection !
might say some words concerning the book
in which the text is found. II has been
said by some one that there 10 no part OF
the Bible which more thoroughly proves
the inspiration of the Scriptures. for no
mere man could have written these wise
sayings; another has suggested that the
thirty.onc chapters in the book contain a
lesson for each day Of the month. and no
man would find himself failing 80 frequent
ly ii he should imbibe the wisdom OF these
savings. Indeed. there is not a condition
Of life that is not met by the wisdom OF the
writer OF this book. might also suggest
the different figures which are used in the
Bible which describe human life. 1t is
spoken OF under the figure OF q voyage
with its days OF calm and nights OF storm.
its south winds blowing deceitfully against
US, and telling of prosperity that never
comes and its hurricane which almost
drives us against the rocks and to death,
but one of the bes. figures is that OF q race
for no man walks when he races, but rams.
He must be desperately in earnest. and no
one really makes a success OF his life with
out this same thing is true OF him. There
is little place for the laggard in human
life to-day. We must run il We would
win, and no race Is permitted without con-
testants In this race OF human life which
We start there are three contestants which
strive earnestly to defeat US. The first is
self-the greatest eneEy that the most OF
Us have Is self Other men fight battles
and rest when the victory is won, but no
man has ever vet been able to rest in the
struggle with himself The Bible is true,
Greater IS he that ruleth his spirit than
he that takcth city" and many man
has been q hero in the battlefield and
made a miserable failure with his struggle
against US. Woe be unto you when all
men speak we'll of you and il no one op.
poses you it il we'll to stop and see where.
in ycu may be wrong. but possibly the
greatest adversary OF all is the devil. the
third one OF this trinity Of contestants, for
he fatters and deceives until at las. the
strongest character Is made weak and the
purest soul tainted: but / am not so much
concerned about the running OF the race
just at this time as the preparation for the
end. The text is a striking one. There
is a way which seemcth right unto a man !:
but the end thereof are the ways OF
death" There Is a way that seemeth
right" take it that none Of US have dc.
termined deliberately to be ost. Our
mothers memory is too sacred and our
fathers example too powerful to permit us
deliberately to choose death instead OF life.
We are merely procrastinating. We have
chosen little more OF the worlds pleas
! ure. falsely so-called. and determine to
have little more OF the worlds honor.
and the way seeme;h right, for some day
we may be saved. and yet no one has I
certain prospect of salvation ii he negiccts
Christ to-day. for he has made no provi-
sion for the morrow. The end battles de.
scription.. There is weeping and wailins
and gnashing OF teeth, and / present this
! outline in order that we may know that
We cannot afford to run the race alone.
The start. Psalm 81: s, Behold. I was
shapen in iniqui:y, and in sin did my
mother conceive me-"
This Is a B!b.e statement. but experience
proves the truth OF it and history cmpha.
sizes it in every particular. However men
! may rebel against the doctrine OF original
sin, and speak Of i: as an injustice and all
| If that, nevertheless. this we know to be
true that we are born with bias to sin.
md also tha. ii we were to speak honestly
We would say that from TIE very first it
ilas been easier for US to do wrong than to
10 right. We have been in 4 great COM
pany in this experience, for even the great