The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-06-27
DR.. CHAPMANS SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
PAsToR.sVANeELlsT.

NNAM HNAI NAAAMAN 10 HEAME HMANHNAMA=H
In sight Of the Kingdom Of God. Re
fused 20 Enter IL.
NEW YORK CITY The following sermon
Is one prepared for publication by the Rev.
j. Wilbur Chapman, America best-knowu
evangelist, who Is now prcae hing 20 over
flowing congregations in this tity IL is en-
titled Pilates Question ahd is founded
on the text, Matt. xvii. % What shall ]
do then with Jesus which Il called Christi
1t would not be possible for as either 20
understand or appreciate this passage OF
Scripture without studying chat which inn
mediately precedes it, and likewise that
which follows. Next to Jesus Himself the
important character on the scene Is PLATE,
who asked the above question.
One never thinks Of him without a shud.
der, because he Is one of the men who
came so very near TO entering the kingdom
of God, and yet, after all, miserabiy failed.
He came very near taking his place with
Joseph of Arimathaea and with Aicode-
mus. If, when he knew that Jesus was
the Son of Cod he had barred his own
back to the smiters, or had gone himself
to be cruched, there would have been no
name in the early history Of the church
to outshine his. But instead of being in
the presence Of God to-day, he is undoubt.
edly in the lost world.
When Jesus passed by the cross and
went through the tomb of Joseph of Arr
mathaea and made His way to the place
of ascension, not far from Bethany. and
left His wondering disciples, He took with
Him into the skies His hands that had
been pierced, His feet, through which the
nails had torn their way, His side, thrust
through with the spear, and against which
the beloved disciple had leaned In a
word, He took with Him His body. But
there was one thing He left; when hang.
ing on the cross, from His head, His hands,
His feet and His broken heart the blood
came trlckling down, and not only stained
the rocks upon Calvary, but left its mark
upon the world as well, and leaving His
blood there, the world is to-day responsible
for it. That same blood is upon both the
world and men, either for their condemna-
ton or for redemption.
In remarkable book which came across
the seas some years ago. bearing the title
of Letters From He'll" and having an in
PRODUCTION by George Macdonald, the cele-
brated Scotch preacher, there is a story of
Plate in the lost world STOPPING down to
wash his hands in a running stream. He
keeps on, it would seem, almost for ages,
if time were measured as in this world.
Some one touches him and says:
'Pilate, what are you doingp
Lifting his hands, which become red Ike
crimson as soon as they leave the water,
he cries out with shrek, which echoes
and re-echoes throughout the world Of the
lost:
"Will they never be clean! VIII they
never be cleanp
Poor Pilate they never will, for the
blood of the Son of God is on them for
condemnation forever. He began to wash
his hands when he said to the angry mob:
Take We Him. and cruelty Elm, for
find no fault in Him."
He is still washing his hands to-day, but
in vain.
There are special ways of treating texts
of Scripture, one of the easiest of which is
to take certain words in the verse and EN-
phasize them, and make each word define
the outline of the sermon. MY text can he
treated in this way, and the first word t.
emphasize would be,
WHAT"
Reading the text with this in mind we
find it saying:
What shall do then with Jesus?"
The inference is we must do something
| We can not be indifferent. The man whc
says that he will Lot accept Christ, neither
viii he reject Him, has rejected Him in
the very position he takes. There is nc
| AiuulS BIOuuu III ChlS matter. we are
either for Christ or against Him, and we
must decide which position it shall be.
The next words to emphasize would be
SHALL l DO"
The particular part Of the expression
! that is emphatic Is the personal pronoIr
! a."
Religion is a very personal matter, aac
judgment viii be, too There is no ole
whose eyes shall light upon this printed
word but who shall one day be called tC
an account for his rejection of the Son Of
! God if he fails to acknowledge Him before
| men. Rich and poor, high and low, wise
and ignorant, for all comes the question
4 What shall do?"
TIE next emphatic word would be
THEN"
IL might be used in two ways We have
made a choice between two things, ant
choosing one then it naturally follows thai
we must do something witch the other. Il
] is easy to understand tla3 choo5ing one
implies the rejection of the other. But il
might also be taken as a word describing
some future time, and ] would like to have
it mean, What shall do in the day o.
judgment with Jesus Christ" When the
moon shall be turned into blood and thC
sun shall be black as the sackcloth of hair
when the elements shall melt with The
! ferYent heat - What shall / do then !!
In the sixth chapter of Revelation we reaC
that in the last day men shall cry out anc
say to The rocks and hills: Fall on US
and hide Us from the face of Fin that ST:
teth upon the throne. and from the wratl
of the Lamb: for the great day of Hi
wrath is come. and who shall be able t
st1nd? But in the closing part of Reve
lation we are tod that there viii be NJ
rocks and no hills to fall upon the lost ant
shut out the vision of the face of the Sol
of God, and they must see Him whethe
they will or not, Him whom they have re
jected, Hum from whom they have deiber
ately turned away.
The next emphatic word Is tic nam
Jesus. What shall do then
WITH JESUS"
That was His earthly name, a1l de