The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-12-31
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY:
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
LIVE IN THE SUNSHINE"

The Rev. DT. j. wilbur Chapman Says
Faith Produces Mon, and Their Living
in tho World 10 ContsndinE For the
Fsitb-Keeping In the Love OF God.
NEW York CIrY.-The following. ser.
mon, entitled Live in the Sunshine" has
been furnished for publication by the dis.
tinRuished and eloquent evangelist, the
Rev. DR.. ]. Wilbur Chapman. It was
preached from the text Keep yourselves
IA the love Of God" Jude q.
Jude's is ,ne of the briefest Of all the
letters in the New Testament, containing
only twenty-five verses. It is. perhaps, the
last of the epistles. Though the date Is not
definitely settled, it was probably written %
most OF the apostles had finished their
work. There is a most delightful spirit OF
humility in the letter The writer called
himself servant. and the bondsman OF
Jesus Christ and the brother Of James, aud
that 70 a beautiful modesty. for, in fact.
Il il generally believed that he was the
Lords own brother and the son Of Joseph
and Mary.
To no particular church or people was
the letter written. hut the accounts make
it especially applicable to Us. 1t is very
practical. The heart OF Jude was stirred
because certain men were denying God
and the Lord Jesus Christ. He said. be-
cause of this, II exhoTt You that you
should contend earnestly for the faith once
delivered to the saints" That expression
in the Greek. however, reads for the faith
delivered "once and for all" to the saints.
So the doctrine is the same to-day as IN
the days of Jude and before then. Read
- - kha krva0k:ath and fwaN Nfv.6fth
verses they indicate that we are expected
to contend as did the early disciples.
Il has always seemed to me that faith
produced men, and their living in the
world was q ccntendine for the faith. We
have the pattern of the life OF the apos-
tolic Christian given to us. II you study
the Acts Of the Apostle. the letters Of Paul,
Peter, John, and. bettcr still. the wonder
full prayer OF Christ in the Seventeenth
chapter Of John. you will see that there
were three great elements in their char:
acter. They were in the world. but not OF
it; they were constantly looking for the
coming Of Christ. and they were filled
with missionary fire and zeal. I These three
characteristics must predominate now IT
the. church is to have power. When one
he Is q pilgrim and a stranger here, and he
endures trials and temptations because he
knows that they are but for little while.
The second characteristic has Just as great
an influence. The disciples were constant.
~ exp ,cting the return of our Lord; they
remembered the testimony of the men Who
had heard the angels on the slopes Of OH.
vet. and again and again they oDened their
eyes. expecting to behold Him face to face.
Il was this hone in their hearts which in.
spired their lives. transfigured the cross
and it's shame and kept them pure in the
midst Of all temptation and sin.
The third characteristic is equally i'm
portant. How much we need to long for
the salvation Of others! Nothing so
touches the hidden springs Of the Christian
responsible for those about him. Some one
has said. when God would draw out all the
fathomless love OF wonan's heart, He
lays helpless babe npon her bosom. and
Il IL true that the church will awake to
power when she awakes to responsibility.
There is something which have in mind
which will give us all the things have
spoken about. It is described in the text.
If thee. could be any subject growing out
Of the text to describe it. should say that
IL would be "Live in the sunshine" /
know what the sunshine does for the
clouds: Il gives them a silver lining. ]
know what it does for the grass and the
trees and the flowers; it warns and nour.
ishes until thev blossom into beauty and
fruitfulness. Take the plant away from
it where the sun will kiss it and evegy leaf
rejoicss. This is the very poorest i,lnstra.
tion as to what the love Of God will do for
rs, so let us keep ourselves in the love OF
!. That word "lscep" IL the KEY word OF
Jude's epistle. In it we ere told that God
will keep us. but we are also told to keen
ourselves. We are told to persevere. hut
Il is also said we will he preserved. This
In God and man working together. and it il
singular. to saw the least. that the word
preserve" and the word "peesevere" are
composed Of exactly the same letters. The
literal rendering Of the expression That
God will keep US 10 "as in garrison" How
secure. then. we must he!
HOW MAY WE KEEP OURSELVES IN
THE LOVE OF GOD?
i. No wav so efficient as by prayer.
prayed when he met the angel of Jabbok.
and had his name changed from Jacob to
Israel. Moses prayed when he plead with
God to look with favor again upon His
chosen people. Christ prayed in the gar
den, for it Is said: Being in an agony, He
prayed more earnestly" But this is not
the kind of PRAYER ! have in mind; it is
rather the kind that Christ offered when
He was alone on the mountain with God.
] imagine the Father talked with Him
more than He with the Father. It is the
kind that DAVID describes when he says.
my meditation Of Him shall be sweet"
Faith is the eye with which We can see
God: and meditation the wing with which
we fly to Him. It is the kind of prayer
offered when the suppliant feels that he is
the only one in all the universe: it is the
kind kind OF prayer which i , our mother could
earth. we should feel that it had been di.
verted and had not reached God. It is the
kind of prayer we offer when we let God
talk to us as well as talk to Him. This will
keep US in the love OF God.
9. Few things will 80 help as this old
book. the Bible. Two gentlemen were rid.
ing together, and when they were abont
ever read your Bib!e:" Eyes" said his
friend; II do, but receive no benefit he.
cause ! feel that I do not love God"
Neither did l." replied the other, but
God loved me-" and that answer fairly
him . new thought. The question is not
rather as to how much God loves me.
Read the Bible in that way and it will help
you to live in the text.
Love dictated every word, love selected
every sentence. love presented every prov
idence. love sent Christ to die upon the
cross, and you can not read it in this way
without keeping yourself in the love OF
God.
3. All the means OF grace will keep us,
but If there is one above another it would
be the Lords Supper. The very coming
20 the table and taking that which repre-.
sents His body and His blood really lifts
the soul into such condition that it is one
with Christ. He that hatl, seen Christ
hath -een the Father. and he that is in