The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-10-30
FAITHS CONQUEST.
DR.. CHAPMAN'S SUNDAY SERMON.
God Is Our Help in Every Time of
Need Strikingly Interesting Dis.

course.
New YORK CITY.-The Rev. Dr. Will
bur Chapman has furnished to the press a
most striking and popular sermon which
is intended for all those who would rise to
better things. 1t is entitled "A Great
Victory" and is preached from the texts:
"-As the hart panteth after the water
brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, .
Cod" Psalm ~: l. Hope in God, for |
shall yet praise Him who is the health of
my countenance.' Psalm 43: 5.
The first verse is a lamentation in the
wilderness, the second is a shout of re-
joicing when victory Is won. The terri
tory stretching OUT from the wilderness in
the one text to the presence Of God in the
other is not only the story OF the expe-
riencc OF David, bat OF the most of Chris
tians. Ny message last week was to those
who occasionally fall under juniper trees
and want 20 die; here it is to all who
wouid rise to better things.
The Psalms are divided into five books,
and the ancient Rabbins say in these five
hooks in the Psalter we have the image OF
the five books of the law, or in other
words a kind OF a second penrateuch, the
ccbo OF the first. In the first God speaks
and in the second the voice OF the people
* heard. Gad presents Israel with the
law. ard grateful Israel responds with Il
shout o. p%:aisc. These two Psalms form
the fest division OF the second book.
They are dedicated 10 the riaste: mus!-
clans o. the sons Of Horah. They were
tne celebrated musicians and singers OF
the DAY: they we're in DAvid's time the
l:ccG2rs OF the threshold OF the tabernacle.
Gnd STU c]a",,icr il the time OF Moses they
were watchme2 at the entrance OF the
camp O. the Levitcs; they we're a part OF
that bad that acknov.cdGcd David as
leader ct Xi!:!sg; they we're warriors with
iaccs l;::c hons. and who for speed were
Ike c~aZeics or rhc mountains:
is not mentioned us the author of these
psalms .hey ElusS be his, for the truth is
50 ike him. 1t has the character OF his
style and the work OF his experience IN
every letter. ! had sooner question the
authorship O; B~unyan'S second part OF the
Pilgrims Progress" than to question Da-
vid's right to these psalms. Whoever
wrote them has given a name to the souls
deep longing alter God and made a sigh n
m~e'odioIs thinS.
There are three divisions in the psalm.
each closing with the refrain, Why art
tloI cast down. . M sou.::' The Whole
pSa'm Is; the picture OF a soul climbing
Godward. no: without backward slips,
but climbing nevertheless, until the sigh
OF the first tex. 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
aad hcaving TANKS eagerly seeking water
in the dry river he'd, and ne saw IN this 4
picture OF hims:,f. The who.e psalm is
like what we lave seen on some cary
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
mosphcre was chilled, the birds are all
stil!ed and the sun was under a cloud.
Viewed in one way it is a psalm Of gloom,
in another way it is a psalm of glory.
Strcaks OF brightness are ever flashing
through the g,oom. First there is a sigh
as oil a breaking heart, then comes a word
OF hope ike q rainbow spanning the water
fail: once again the contendipg enemies
meet a. in verses 9 and 10, but finally
above it all comes the refrain without q
complaint. Il shall yet praise Him who is
the health OF my c~ountenance."
There are certain expressions most strik,
ing III the psalm. Three times does David
say WHY art thou cast down. D my
soul::' as though he were two men. The
SAYS it is David Gliding David out OF the
dumps. To search for the cause of sorrow
Is often the nest surgery for grief: In
verse S notice the words. "The Lord will
command His loving kindness in the day.
tine" No day has ever dawned in which
al heir OF grace could be utterly forsaken.
II the same verse we read I'm the night
His song shall be with me-" Affection
may put out our light at times, but If It
docs not silence our song the light will
again. Verse :. psalm u. Send out
Thy light and truth" These are like an
gels to guide him to the object OF his al
note OF victory. Hope thou in God" This
is ike ti,n SINGING OF Paul and Silas, 1t
lon.cs chairs. shakes the prison walls and
sets the prisoner free. Two graces mer-
toned IN this psalm were used frequently
b. Christ. hone and faith. Faith tells Us
what Christ has done: hope tells Us what
He viii do. and nope is like the sun as we
i~oorncv toward il: our burden is cast
back Of Us. Faith may have many 4
struggle with fear. bat it will conquer in
the end. These two psalms are really ore;
there is a constant unfolding or eSne-
rience and r;Sin. 70 a higher appreciation
of God. ard as faith acquires more strength
Won will notice that not only David hnt
ourselves come to think OF God in a differ
ent way and address Him in more endear-
Ing terms. There Is no better Illustration
OF this than these two psalms
90 God" Declared from public wor-
ship David Is heart SICK. He Is not seek
ing ease, he needs God. He is not after
comfort, but like 4 Traveller whose water
bottle is empty and who finds the well
dry, so he must have God or he will faint.
When it is as natural for Us to long for
God as for an animal to thirst, it is well
with our souls. 20 God" We hear him
saying. 1t is as if 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
God. We shall be satisfied only when We
find Him.
"The Living God" My soul thirsteth
for God, for the living God. This is an
advance upon the first expression, and this
is Jehovah's name of power. Ancient
Israel was accustomed to use it before
every victory, since it is higher than 80
God" In the first cry we naturally find
it followed with a shout of victory, Il
shall yet praise Him." Hunger and thirst
are Gods instruments to call Us to Him
self. When the prodigal was an hum.
gered 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. 80 for the living Cod