The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-09-25
"A NARROW ESCAPE
Sunday Discourse By DR.. Chapman, the
Noted Pastor-EvangeIist.
Wonderful indeed Is the Man OF Salvation For
the Sinner, Yet Exceedingly Simple'
Trust Him Who Promises to Save.

1onular pulpit orators OF New ork' ~
2 entitled "A Narrow Escape, and was
preached. from the text, How shail We se
Hebrews 2: 3. =,
The wonder of wonders in this world is
.La nlan OF salvation for the sinner
thro,,rh Jesus Christ. It is so wonderful
that the man with the greatest mind the
world has ever known has never yet been
able to think his way through it,. and at
fhe same time it is so simple that the
smallest child in your home can appreciate
enough of it to be saved.
The first chapter of Hebrews presents to
ne the dignity of Christ. He is at the right
hand of God; He is better than the an
GELS, when the elements have melted with
q feryent heat, He still exists; when the
heavens have been rolled together as q
scroll. He shall still be the very power OF
Cod. With such a description as this in
the first chapter we come naturally to the
first part Of the second chapter. There
fore we ought to give the more earnest
heed to the things which we have heard
lest at any time we should let them slip.
A Cunard steamer was making her way
across the Atlantic Ocean when the pas
senQers were startled with cry of imam
overheard" Immediately every one was
filed with excitement. One man sprang
20 the edge of the vessel and shouted, Il
will give thousand pounds to any one
who will save the man that is sinking, for
he is my brother" Every sailor was ready
10 throw himself into the sea if only he
could win the reward and save the man.
The captain manned the lifeboat, and soon
a cheer went up because they had laid
hands upon the sinking one. The lifeboat
came near the great steamer, ropes were
fastened around the man and the signal
was given to lift him up. just as they
were reaching out their hands to make his
salvation sure the ropes slipped, and fall.
ing he struck his head upon the lifeboat,
bounded into the sea and was gone for.
ever. The writer of the Epistle to the He.
brews must have had some such picture as
this in his mind when he said, 1--WE ought
to give the more earnest heed lest at any
time we should let them slip" L have
known of people coming nearer to the
kingdom OF God than that, just one step
and they would have been saved, but they
slipped away, and then gave up hope
There are three words around which my
thoughts would centre, Great, Escape and
Neglect.
l. 1t is a great salvation because it dis.
closes to us a great Saviour, shows us how
we may be saved from great sin, and also
reveals how we may be restored to great
holiness and happiness.
First, it is great in its author. The name
of an author will frequently sell book,
and the name of the author of the plan of
salvation ought to commend it to every
one. Ii He is the author two things are
true. First that we need not be afraid OF
Him, For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Som"
Luther tells us of the little girl, the child
of the man who printed his first Bible.
He was a member of the Church of Rome,
and tho child had been taught that God
could only be approached by means of pen
ance and sacrifice. One day in the print.
er's Office she found little crumpled piece
verse, which Luther called the Gospel in
a nutshell;" all she found was, God so
loved the, world that He gave" 1t
produced great impression upon her. One
day her mother heard her singing and
asked the secret of her happiness. She an
swered by showing her the little piece Of
paper, and her mother said, What does it
what He gave" The child's reply was,
III He loved us we'll enough to give us us
anything, we need not be afraid Of Him"
Again, if God is the author, His is the
only way of salvation. Men decide to
come to God by the way of reformation, or
by the power of resolution, but this profits
nothing, for reformation may touch the
present, and may possibly avail for the fu-
ture, but it cannot touch the past. If a
tell you that he has decided never to go
into debt again, you may tell him that he
Is making fine resolution, but you will
not tell him that his good resolution pays
his indebtedness to you, for that is a trans
action of the past. The wonderful thing
about the plan of salvation is that it pro-
vldes an atonement touching the sins OF
the present, makes provision for the fu-
ture, and blotting out the transgressions
4 &c al in 70 tina
The way back to God has always been
sprinkled with blood. Study the Old Tes.
lament and you will find this is true. But
when the sins of men became so great that
the blood of bulls and goats would not
suffice then Christ died for our sins, ac.
cording to the Scriptures
1t was my privilege some time ago to
preach to the convicts in the State Peni.
tentiary of Tennessee. | said to them
can give you the secret of getting almost
any amount of money, and their faces in
stanty were study, for the most of them
were in prison for trying to get money in
their own way. But this is the secret
gave them. Take a piece of paper and
write down upon it the amount of money
you want, the length of time you want it.
sign your name to it and carry it to the
bank. But this will profit you nothing, be-
cause you have not found the secret. 1t ii
thus frequently that men stand before
God and ask to be saved. If you will take
Ihat piece OF paper to some one whose
name stands for money, then have him
write his name upon the back of it and
carry 1t to the bank, you win be surprised
TO see what a different position you have
ana you will receive the money, not be
cause OF what you are, but because of what
your security is. 1t is thus we have oul
standing before God; our security is per
ieet, and simple faith unites us to Him.
II Is great also in its pardon and for
giVeness. Pardon means more with Goo
than with men. With men pardon may
open, the prison doors and send the guilty
one one back to, his home, but if he is mur
uerer the chances are he will have a few
peaceful nights, and then in his dreams al
wei as In his waking moments his sin viii
pe before him. This is because he is par
9oned and not justified When God par
aons us He justifies freely and forever
Hnu forgiveness means more with Goo
IMAM with man. When we forgive we con
slantly remember the one who has sinneC
against us, but God forgives and remem
forever.
"A distinguished minister, in preaching
40 men specially, told the story OF his owl
ne, how he had almost broken his moth
heart, made her hair gray before tn,
tlhei and made her blush to think that h
was her son. Then told how God had for
EVEN EVEN nun, and when he made his appea
sne erect was profound. His officers gath
SSieo around him to say kind words abou
am ans sermon, olI but when they left there cam
form oiu Woman with gray hair and ben
and 9he threw her arms about his necl
nauor new sa,u, Ny son, why did you tell it; yol
never ,rao was bad in all this world?" and thi
ha as ms mother. He had almost broke,
sha ea hs hhessrt, and yet for her mothers Low
s,,r sme uae forgotten it all. This was a pic
tuIe OF God remembering our transnres