The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-12-19
THANKSGIVING SERMON
Or CHAPMAN UTTERs A MESSAGE
APPROPRIATE TO THE DAY.


Son, Jesus Christ.
NEW YoRK CITY The Rev. DR. J. VIII |
bur Chapman, who has recently resigned |
the pastorate of the Fourth Presbyterian
Church in this city in order TO devote him
self TO evangelistic work, has prepared the
following Thanksgiving sermon for the
press II is entitled "Three Meetings of
the Saviour" and is founded on the text,
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will
| pray" Psalm 55: II.
lt is quite the custom on Thanksgiving
Day 10 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 10 put into
language some adequate expression OF our
/ appreciation of Gods goodness. | leave
/ this task 10 other ministers, while l IN
| their name and behalf express my grateful
| thanks to God for the greatest OF all gifts,
namely, His Son, Jesus Christ. and II is
my hope that | may present Him in such
a way in this message that all may see that
i is their privilege to come in closest tel-
| lowship with Him. With this thought IN
mind / use the text, Evening, and at
morning, and at noon, will / pray" The
| Psalmist determines to pray frequently, at
least three times he will be on his knees;
| he determines to pray fervently, for he 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 day 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 di-
vision Of the day and at each point he de-
termines to set up an altar. Mr.. Spurgeon
says he lays a line straight through the day
and tracks the sun with his petitions 1t
used to be said in olden 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.
quent 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 q 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 is that we may learn
this lesson that I 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
is the time for the settling of accounts,
and l have changed the order of the text
for the reason that we are living in the
: new dispensation.
: The morning "But when the morning
was come" John 81: 4. Johns gospel
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 Dist chapter because
he gives as 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
d about us of the saved.
4 The disciples had returned to their
homes in Galilee after the events men
| toned in the previous chapter. They were
a probably in the house of Zebedee. They
r were doubtless talking of the past. They
i. might have called to mind their first meet
. ing with the Saviour and dwelt lovingly
l. 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
II ton and His personal appearing to them
2 Doubtless Peter was of the company ono,
= again. They are back amid the familiar
70 scenes of their old life the boats are LYNN
on the beach, the fishermen are mendinl
"a their nets and these seven, five of whom
are named and two unnamed, doubles
i stand together. There is boat pushing
1t Out. from the shore, and the women ar
v wishing their husbands and boys goot
:. speed, while the men answer with word
l. of cheer. Fishing is always fascinating
v and so | can imagine Peter with hashin
m eye and twitching nerves and quick beat
ing heart looking about the busy scene uu
til he can stand it no longer, and then
1t says, II 60 a-hshing" Instantly they ar
e. all ready to go and they push off from tn
-, shore. 1t is most beautiful sea In Itself
- and as their oars flashed in the light c
it the setting sun as they are away to tn
h. old scenes of other days, the vision is fa'
- cinating. But it really was a perilous pC
o' sition, for though the sea is always treacl
in erous, the boat might have been old, an
r. here are these representative leaders
NJ the cause of Christ. What if they ha
- been lost in the night? The same questio
30 might be asked concerning Moses when
is child in the ark What if one of the wave
~ Of the Nile should submerge the little ar
q Of the crocodile should crunch it? But sue
y, questions are idle and useless. Moses
nd not safer to-day than then, and so thef
10 early disciples were safe, because the
hope was centred upon One whose eye
at are ever upon His own by night. The
- | tn,1od nnd Toll rnnthino. EV1rarrr nld 4