The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-11-12
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
An ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
a GREAT vIcToRY.n

Tho Rev. j. wilbur Chapman breaches
Upon the Soui's Deep Longing After
God-Faith viii Conqusr In the Fad
God u Our Strength and Life.
NEW YORK CITY-The Rev. D. ]. Will
bur Chapman has furnished to the pres. q
most striking and popular sermon when
is intended for all those who would rise to
better things. 1t il entitled a Great
Victory" and is preached from the texts:
"As The hart panteth after the e, water
brooks, 20 panteth my soul after ihee,
God" Psalm AZ: !. Hope in God, tor !
snail yet praise Him pslm VINO q. y the nea''o o.
The first verse is q lamentatioa ID tne
wilderness, the second il shout OF re-
joiciug when victory is won. The terri
tory stretching out from the wilderness IN
the one tezt to the presence OF God IN the
other is not only the story OF the expe-
rience of David, but of the most OF Chris
t:ans. Ny message last week was to those
who occasionally fall under juniper trees
and want to die; here it Is to all who
would rise to better things.
The Psalms are divided into five books,
and the ancient Rabbins say in these hve
books in the Psalter we have the image OF
the FIVE books OF the law, or in other
words a kind OF second peneateuch, the
echo of tie first. In the first God speaks
and in the second the voice OF the people
is heard. God presents Israel with the
law. and grateful Israel responds with
shout OF praise. These two Psalms torn
the firs. division of the second book.
They are dedicated to the master musi-
clans or the sons of Horah. They were
the celebrated musicians and singers OF
the day; they were in David's time the
keepers os :he threshold of the tabernacle,
and still earlier in the time of Moses they
were watchmen at the entrance OF the
camp Of the Lcvites; they were q part OF
that band that acknowledged David as
leader at Zklas; they were. warriors with
;accs like lions, and who for speed were
like gazclcs on the mountains:
Mr.. Spurgeon says that although David
is not mentioned as the author OF these
psalms they must be his, for the truth is
SC like him. II has the character OF his
style and the work Of his experience in
every letter. l had sooner question the
authorship of Bunyan's second part OF the
pilgrims Progress" than to question Da-
vid's right to these psalms. Whoever
wrote them has given name to the souls
deep longing after God and made q sign
melodious thing.
There arc three divisions in the psalm,
each closing with the refrain, Why art
thou cast down. o my soul?" The whole
psalm is the picture of soul climbing
Godward. not without backward slips,
BUT climbing nevertheless, until the sigh
of the first text gives way to the shout OF
the second. Perhaps the singer during his
exile on the eastern side OF Jordan had
seen some gentle creature with open mouth
and heaviIg hanl.s eagerly seeking water
in the dry river bed, and he saw in this a
picture OF himself. The whole psalm Is
like what we lRve seen on some early
spring day. when the sun was warm, the
sky blue, the trees ready to burst into bud
and the birds were singing, but only for
a day, then the clouds returned, the at.
mosphere was chilled, the birds are all
stilled and the sun was under cloud.
Viewed in one way it Is psalm OF gloom
in another way it is psalm OF glory.
Streaks OF brightness are ever flashing
through the gloom. First there is a sigh
as of breaking heart, then comes word
of hope like rainbow spanning the water
fall: once again the contending enemies
meet a: in verses 8 and 10. but finally
above it all comes the refrain without a
complaint. II shall yet praise Him who Is
the health Of my countenance."
There are certain expressions most strik.
ing in the psalm. Three times docs David
say "Why art thou cast down. my
soul?" rs though he were two men, The
psalmist talks to himself. John Trapp
says it is David ehiding David out OF the
dumps. 70 search for the cause OF sorrow
is often the best surgery for grief; In
verse s notice the words. "The Lord will
command His loving kindness in the day.
time" No day has ever dawned in which
an heir OF grace could be utterly forsaken.
In the same verse we read In the night
may put out our light at times, but II il
does not silence our song the light will
come again. Verse ,. psalm 42, Send out
Thy light and truth" These are like an.
gels to guide him to the object OF his af-
fections, hut finally above all sounds the
note of victory, "Eope thou in God" This
Il like the singing Of Paul and Silas. It
looses chains, shakes the prison walls and
sets the prisoner free. Two graces men.
TONED in this psalm were used Eft fsseags'ntIy 9.'s y
what Christ has done: hope tells US what
He will do, and hope is like the sun as we
journey toward it; our burden is cast
back Of US. Faith may have many a
struqgle with fear. but it will conquer in
the end. These two psalms are really one;
there is q constant unfolding OF expo
rience and rising to a higher appreciation
Of God. and as faith acquires more strength
you will notice that no. only David but
ourselves come to think OF God in differ
ent way and address Him in more endear-
ing terms. There is no better illustration
OF this than these two psalms.
20 God" Debarred from public wor.
ship David is heart sick. He is not seek.
comfort, but like q Traveller whose water
bottle is empty and vino finds the vel!
dry, SO he must have God or he will faint.
When it is as natural for us to long for
God as for On animal to thirst, it is well
with our souls. 20 God" we hear him
saying. 1t ia as IL he can scarcely breathe
for thirst. He does not know just what
he is needing or just how God would re-
veal Himself to him. but he must have God.
All unrest or thirst or OUTGOING OF desire %
are but the reaching out OF the soul after
find Him.
"The Living God" My soul thirstcth
for God, for the living God. This is an
advance upon the FIRST expression, and this
is Jchovah's name OF power. Ancient
Israel was accustomed to use it before
every victory, since it is higher than 20
God" In the first cry we naturally hnd
it followed with a shout OF victory, Il
shall yet praise Him." Hunger and thirst
are Gods instruments to call rs to Him
Sered he said. II will arise" 1t is a pic
ture Of one who has tried other things in
! the world, pleasure, wealth, honor and
then cries out, 20 for the living God"
But thirst is better than hunger; you may
pallate hunger, but thirst is a perpetual
appetite. The next best thing to being in
the light Of Gods love is to be unhappy
until you have it, He is the living God
because He has life in Himself and because
He bestows that life to others.
III.
20 my God" Appropriation comes