The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-09-17
DIR. CHAPMANS SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE ~ THE NOTED
PAsToR.evANceuiST.

susjset: The Song Of the Lord-If Our
Hsarts VIII But Sing Right Christ
VIII Help Us to Countsract Our Bias
to Sin.
NEW York CrY.-The Rev. Dr.. j. VIII
5uI Chapman's sermons continue to ex1e
the protoundest interest and to give the
xreatest satisfaction to that large number
81 American people who demand strk-
me discourse for weekly reading. The
popular pastor-evangelist has prepared the
following sermon for the press, It Is en-
titled "The Song of the Lord" and Is
preached from the text, The song 0t the
lord began Also" II. Chronicles 20: q.
The difference between the 18th and the
18th chapters of II. Chronicles presents to
us an illustration Of that difference which
we frequently see in the church AZ she
masses from times Of enthusiasm to days
If depression and back again, and Tor
which there seems to be no human expa'
nation. So also is it the picture OF many
families where the godly father has an I'M
rodly son and an ungodly father a godiy
son. which il entirely contrary to the rules
which in our own house We have deter
mined should abound. So also is It PIC
ture of many individuals who alter weeks
and months and even years are iound reg.
ularly in the house of God the most devout
OF worshipers, and then suddenly stop, un-
able almost to explain to themselves now
they have lost interest and why their zeal
ia 6uenched. The wicked reign OF Ahaz
nd the reign of his righteous son Heze-
kiah thus furnish Us with practica! illus
tration.
Ahaz was the eleventh king. OF Judah,
the ann of Lothian. His example was holy
and his reign was peaceful and prosper
ou,. Not SO of his son. He was gross
idolator. actually sacrificed his children to
the Gods. remodeied the temple that It
might be fit for idolatrous uses and owned
chariot horses that were dedicated to the
son. Upon all Of this the judgment OF 600
falls, but because of il the condition OF the
people is something dreadful. He Is an II.
iustration Of the power Of sin. First, IN It's
infatuation. We lind him ropoing .ne
palace and plundering the temple, places
which had ALWAYS been sacred both to the
king and to the people, but which he pre-.
sents as dishonored in the 2lst verse OF
the 2sth chapter, to the king OF Assyria,
but somehow sin seems always to present
the same sort Of an infatuation to those
who walk for any length OF time in its way
Second, in its degradation. There could
be no worse sin than that described IN
verses "a and Is Of the 18th chapter, where
Ahaz gathered together the vessels OF the
house of God, shut up the doors OF the
house. and in all the cities OF Judah made
high places to burn incense to other gods.
A picture very much like it 10 found IN
the 5th chapter Of Daniel the Sd and 9th
verses, where the tempe vessels arc taken
by the king and used in midnight revelry,
when suddenly the fingers OF a mans hand
are seen writing on the wal. Thou arr
weighed in the balance and found want
ing" However, it 10 true that any man
who uses his powers Of body or of mind TO
sin is as de6antly sinful as was Ahaz the
Third, in his death lie is a picture Of the
end Of sin. He died when only thirty-six
wears of age an untimely death. and he
sleeps in dishonored grave, for they
would no. bury him in the tombs OF the
kings, a perfect illustration Of the text,
"Sin when it is finished brings forth
death" In the city OF Paris in burning
letters of fire a certain place Of dangerous
sin greeted the passeF-by with these words,
all Of them written in FIRE, Nothing to
pay" but he who enters in through the
door will find that the wages OF sin Is
death. This has always been true. Heze.
kiah, the son of Ahaz, began to reign
when he was twenty-five years old. In
his parental heritage he had everything
against him, but his mother's name was
Abizah, and she was the daughter OF
Zechariah, a man who had understanding
in the views of God. This Is undoubtedly
the secret of Hezekiah's goodness Boys
frequently 90 right when their fathers arc
wrong, but when the mother is wrong very
rarely do they walk in the paths Of recti-
tude.
The temple with which we have to do
in the story OF the text was built 4S0 years
after the children Of Israel had turned
from Egypt. 1t was the fourth year OF the
reign OF Solomon, seven years o! time was
consumed in its construction, and !S3,oOO
Jews and strangers wrought in its building:
According to the present valuation OF
gold and silver it cost 81, 40 600 in silver,
&,737 500 in gold, or q total OF A,A7 ,oOo.
Gold and silver and precious stones made
up its adornment, embroidery work so fine
that it seemed as If angel fingers must have
worked it, and the service OF the temple
was almost too inspiring for description IN
human language. This temple Is q type oi
the New Testament temple which Paul dc.
scribes in ]. Corinthians @: ID, hat !
of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which
ye have OF God, and ye arc not your own
I'm a sense every individual is a temple OF
the Holy Ghost. There is also sense IN
which a single church is that temple, but
in a more literal Interpretation 1t Is the
entire church which forms the temple,
and we AZ living stones are built into It.
Which ever one of these interpretations
we accept to-day we have the three f0ld
vision Of the Old Testament temple. BE:
fore US the outer court, the holy place and
the holy of holies which corresponds to
the three fold nature Of man, spirit, soul
and body.
For sixteen years there had been no song
in the temple. This was q great loss, be-
cause the people had always been accus'
toned 20 sing from the time at creation
when the morning stars sang together and
all the sons Of God shouted for JOY to the
SONS of Israel were led by Miriam in the
singing, and the birth of the Saviour where
the angels were the choir, the last supper
where the Lord Himself was one OF the
singers, up to the new heaven aud the new
earth where they sing the new song the
world has had much to do with music. The
temple service when men lived in right re-
lations with God and the house was clean
was beautiful. Some Psalms were written
in the temple in letters OF gold. and the
people chanted them to the accompani'
ment Of the consecrated instruments, the
antiphonal cho;rs answered each other, IA
for example, in the 9th Psalm. one choir
would say. Lift up your heads, o .ye
gates, even lit them up, ye everlasting
doors, and the King OF glory shall come
in" and the other choir would respond,
"Who is this King Of glory" only to have
the other singers reply, The Lord OF
Hosts, He is the King Of glory" But for
sixteen years there had been no song.
First, why was this: The best expla-
nation is given IN the 18th chapter Of III.
Chronicles, the 24th and 25th verses.
And Ahaz gathered together the vessels
IL the hanse Of lsad and cut in Ilieces the