The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-08-06
DIR. CHAPMAN'S SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE 6Y THE NOTED
PAsToR.evANcEuST.

kub,eet: Two Hundred Fainting Won
Evsry Person 10 Called Into the King
do,m Of God For . Purpose-We SNAIL
n. Made to Account For Work Cndone
NEW YORK C1rY.-The following schol'
arly and readable sermon has been pr
pared for the press by the popular pas.o.
evangelist, the Rev. DR.. J. Wilnur STap
man. The subject OF the discourse u !mo '
nranchsd :rom the text, 1.-TWO hundred
aboje behind, which were so fains tnas
they could not 90 over the Brook besor'
| I. Samuel 30: 10. ,.s :,
! this story Of the celebrated charge OF tne
I;oht Brieade, possibly because there were
src Of Davii's soldiers. and perhaps oe-
cause they fought valiantly and won
treat victory. While the rank ana nle
would not compete with the men VINO
fought at Sebastapol or lnkermah, TOT
they had been a dIscontented LOT IN tnel
homes and in their service. yet tnere "e.s
! some really great soldiers among tnem, .Io sno
they were as ready to die as were those ~
;liustrious men who made the gallant
charge not many years ago. ,;,
A. the time Of the text David was NV
inc at Ziklag. and he and his men mao
been away in battle. The battle has oeen
W,eed. the victory has been won and they
arc homevard bound. They have camped
for the last NIGHT, and tomorrow morning
thew vii, be with their loved ones; Inc OF.
der ia piven to break camp and i3r"a!Tmi
march. and when they came 70 the G,ii
where before them they could naturally
see Ziklag the frat man shades nus eye
with his hands and looks. his iaee 9Ie,"s e1Cws
male and he begins to shudder. TOT A!slas
;s IN ashes and az they come nearer their
wives and children and all their property
have been carried away. They are ABOUT
to turn upon David and stone him. nut
.rben ne agrees to go after the enemy thes
turn ,vay from the ruins OF their homes
md start in hot pursuit. They reach the
Rrook Besor. and then find that they have
in their company men who are not able 70
20 On some because thcv are old. others
Secause they were crippled, and still oth.
era because they were Ill: The numbe:
comprised 200 In order that they misne
move more rapidly and battle more sue. sue,
cessfully all the heavv trapp.ngs were 'e1s aS
with the 900 at the Brook Besor, and ~
men pursued :he enemy. They overtase
an Eavntian. who is left by the waysside
as GOOD as dead. and when they give hum
some refreshments and promise him that
they will not let him fall into the hands
of the enemy. neither will they put him to
death themselves. he tells them the direc-
tion that the enemy has gone: and pursu'
inc after them they come suddenly upon
thern They have been intoxicated with
the;r GREAT success, and although the bat
lie xas fierce for a little while victory BE-
longs to David and his men. Their WIVES
! and children are theirs once more; most
valuable treasure also is taken, and tnev
have turned their faces back tn the BROOK
Besor Suddenly some one IN the comnan!
begins to talk OF the Distribution OF .he
plunder. and they have abont decided tnat
the 2O0 faintin0 men shall have nothing
when David. with all the kingliness that It
was possible for him to assume. declares
"as bis mart is that goes out to the battle
so shalI his part be that tarrles by the
stuffs They shall share and share alike.
and then he turned to the Brook Besor
and saluted his men. Every old soldier
and every weak man received rs much OF
a reward as If he had been in the front OF
the fight.
There ia an impression abroad that the
rewards for the Christian are given to
those who have rendered conspicuous SER
vice; great preachers. great philanthro-
pists. great martyrs. This Is not so ac'
cording to the text: neither is Vt true &C.
cordinu to the teaching nf the Bible: fe'
wards are not given for the amount OF NOISE
made in the world. nor for the amount OF
good which we are supposed to nave done.
but whether we have worked up to our
full capacity. .-,,.
You doubtless remember Platos fable
of the spirits that returned to this world
each 70 choose a BODY for its snhere OF
work. One took the body OF king. an
other A poet. still another OF philosopher,
and ULYSSES came with great disappoint'
ment because all that was worth having
was taken. when some one said the best
il left. You NAV choose the body. OF a
common man and do a common work and
receive a common reward, and this be did,
I.
Every man is called into the kingdom. OF
God for a purpose. There is no question
about this Just a. in the making OF
great locomotive every piece must be con.
structed by an exnert and every bit OF
work must be marked with the name OF
the workman. so that il the engine should
break in Jerusalem or China the failure
could be traced to the prooer source 'i"d
expects every man to do his duty. and Tor
of course. We are not all expected to
perform the same mission. Paul has an
illustration of this in First Corinthians,
the 10Th chapter. where he is describing
the body where he says. "Ye cannot say
to the hand, have no need OF thee. and
IL the body were an eye where were the
hearing, ETC." but each performs its own
mission. the uncome.v parts receiving the
greatest attention from the head. So every
one of US has a work to do. II we leave it
undone we shall be called to strict ac-
count. 9,
There are two kinds Of work illustrated
in the story Of these soldiers and the 2oo
faintine men One kind is marching forth
titude, the other is just tarrying hy the
Brook Besor taking care OF the stuff, and
yet it has its reward.
II.
How often the field to which God calls
, US seems to us to be exceedingly small.
The business man who has gone to his
o:fice all this while, and goes through the
round of common tasks from morning to
night, from one weeks end to another,
year in and year out. cha!fny oft times be-
cause he is doing SO little and yet forget.
ting that he can be no. slosaful N busl:
ness, ferveat in spirit serving the Lord,
and because he does complain so much Is
missing his opportunity % do what the
preacher never could do. The invalid upon
her couch racked with pain and filed with
complaint because her ''3!ce Is never heard
in the congregations OF the people, Won.
dering why she ever lirei, and crying out
against God because she mas suffered so in.
tense!y, thereby missing her opportunity
to give a testimony wa:ch no one else
could give but the invalid.
One of our honored Old ministers week
ago was plunged into great sorrow by the
! news OF the death Of MS son. He had died
BY his own hand. When the news was
broken to the father It seemed rs ii he
! would fall, when suddenly remembering
kha rnrnfork which h.. nd evsr uirnn IN