The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-08-08
DIR. CHAPMAN'S SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THs NOTED
PASToR.EvANceuST.
Subject; He Paid His fare-The Bible is
But History OF Every Human Life
In IL We find = Perfect Revelation Of
Ourselves-sins Are Boug ht Dear.

arlN ana EcAldo4c sermon ua- uNNA nv
pared for the piess by the popular pastor
evangelist. the Rev DR., J, Wilbur Chap
man The subject OF the discourse i He
Paid His Fare" and II was preached from
the text, so he paid ms fare Jonah
3.
Whatever else men may say about the
Bible az least this Is true that II contains
the history Of every human HE, and when
we see Jonah fleeing away from Joppa
seeking 10 get TO Tarshish instead OF Nine
veh, we have vision OF our own past eN-
perience, when God commanded and we
disobeyed, and we believe the Bible not be-
cause 1t is an old book. for there are other
old books, but we believe u because u
speaks 20 our deepest and truest hearts
experience Ii Is a perfect revelation 70 US
of ourselves. The Mediterranean Sea Is IN
terestlng.
First. because of it's sunsets, and sec.
ondly because Il is tideless, but also tor
the reason that II Is visited by frequent
storms which are beyond description.
Eight hundred and slxty-two years before
Christ the passengers boat Piled upon the
Mediterranean Sea from port 10 port. One
of these was pushed out from Joppa when
an excited passenger hurried on board,
looked into the faces of all he met as II he
feared detection. paid his fare and went
down into the bottom of the boat that he
might get away from the sight OF men.
terrific storm overtakes them as soon as
they leave the port. but we have not so
much 20 do with the storm as with the eN.
cited passenger. The boat had crossed and
recrossed the sea many times IN safety,
but this rs 20 be an exception, Tor the
wind howls and the waves beat against
the bark, but as ! say we are not 20 study
the storm but the frightened man IN the
vessel The word of the Lord came to
him 10 say, Jonah, go 10 Nlneveh,' and
instead of obeying he set sail for Tarshlsh.
1t was an expensive trip, and brought HIM
neither pleasure or escape; Is like the Jour
neys that the most OF us have made. The
text must appeal 20 every one; you never
committed a SIN. yOu never have INDUCED
in appetite. you certainly never have OBJ
tanned a success and never have met with
a defeat. but you have been obliged 20 pay
fare. There are but two lines TO travel in
this world, one is the line OF duty per
formed and the other the line OF duty dis
regarded.
There may be different modes of travel
but two great divisions, those who have
known their duty and followed It. and on
the other hand those who have shirked re.
sponsibility: the one company Is bound 20
the Nineveh of duty done, the other for
Tarshish of duty shirked, but in every case
we pay a fare.
Men must pay price for attainments IN
this world always IL is the price of eXer-
ton OF earnest, continual effort, OF severe
discipline.
Two men in Philadelphia years ago were
workmen in the same shop. One of them
used his noon hour 10 teach little dog TO
play tricks and the other occupied his
time in perfecting an invention which has
astonished the world and made him a mil
lionaire many times over.
|.
There are some things that impress our
minds as we study the text and read this
story.
First, il is vain TO try 10 defraud God.
Men some times think they are succeeding,
and they laugh at the puritanical ideas OF
the Christian, but you may sin month after
month and apparently prosper, and at last
when you least expect II you will be dis
covered man cleaning out a well on one
of the farms in our State came across
skeleton the other day. He reported 10
the authorities, and a murderer guilty ot
sin twenty-five years ago was apprehended
and sent TO his punishment. Jonah found
that that was true; that God could not be
mocked The storm was against him, the
sailors against him, God Himself sought
him out. BE not deceived, God IS not
mocked whatsoever man soweth that
shall he also reap
Second, as soon as we go contrary 20
God everything is against us. God SAID,
"Go TO Nineveh." and Jonah started for
Tarshsh, and the sea roars, and the winds
blow and the ship rocks and no man ever
gets 10 Tarshish in comfort when God
commands him 10 60 20 Nineveh. The mo-
ment you turn away from Him there -
conflict. and you cannot hide from God
either by day or by night. There IA one
text which ought TO be written IN letters
of fire for all men to read, Thou God
seest me-
III.
If we could only make men understand
the eternal cost of sin many man would
forsake sin The word OF God has stated
plainly, The wages OF sin - death. aud
the cost Is an infinite price. There u dan
ger, however Of being deceived because sin
f1atters and fascinates At the time OF the
Inqusition there was a punishment known
as the Virgins Kiss The one 20 suffer
was pushed forward and made 20 kiss the
lps OF the Virgin and instantly the arms
OF iron were about him and hidden dag
gers pressed their way 20 every part OF his
body. How like this Is 20 our experiences
IN sin, and IN this worsl sin does not pay,
for conscience disturbs US and the remorse
crushes Us, while IN the world % come
there is weeping and waiiing and gnashng
of teeth. IL IL an awful thing 10 be with
out God here but who can describe beng
without God there. IL Is true that no sue
cess was ever achieved without paying a
price, but It Is here where the devil comes
in % say, You can escape all this drudg-
cry and take a cross cut % success There
Is an innate desire IN the human heart 20
get the most for the least effort, and he
takes advantage Of this
Let me give YOU an illustration Of a
young man OF thirty years Of age who has
a work 90 do ard a great end 10 attain.
bat he must have a long ministry Of agony
and suffering and conflict. The devil
meets him 20 eay. "All these things VIII ]
give you II yo9 will fall down and worship
Inc. and be- might in an instant have had
worldly power, but he had the courage %
say, Get thee behind me, satan With
the temptations that come 20 all Of us az
times we want success, be promises ~; we
seek happiness: be deceives Va when he
says that he can give ~ US; we are after
peace and he would lead us 20 think that
he can bestow 10 upon u.s. but let IL be re-.
m smbered that there u a law which ALWAYS
holds. that no man has real success IN this
world without paving the price for u. and
IL we weld In the least 20 Satan m the mat
ter Of an impure thought, an unhOly Occu.
patton a sinful alliance. instead Of paying
the price for success we are paying " for
failure MAY 10 please the court said a
Young man who was asked how he came %
sin. Il had a good mother and a good
father. but bad company has been ms
rum" No man can ever be a Christian u
/ he holds on % one sinful alliance, Or keeps
/ step with one sinful companion.
III
Letit be remembered therefore that yol
I will be Obliged % pay first for every sit
INDUCED. look back over your pas, life