The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1902-09-25
A SEkMUN FUk SUNDAY
AN INSTRUCTIVE AND ELOQUENT DIS.
COURSE ENTITLED "NoW PETER"

The Rev. DIR. j. Wilbur Chapman's An
alysis of Child Hearted, Maynard,
Generous, Biblical Character - The
Three DeniaIs.
New YORK CITY.-The following reada-
bic and helpful sermon is by the Rev. Dr.
j. Wilbur Chapman, the best known evan
gelist in the country and one OF the most
popular. pulpit orators OF New York IL
preached from the text: Now Peter sat
without in the palace" Matt XVI: SO.
This is the master stroke OF the great
artist in painting the picture OF this child
& hearted, hayward, generous, loving man
whom we know as Peter. 1t is one of the
shadows in the picture, but the shadows
help us to appreciate the more the light
q 1t is a single sentence, and yet in it we
- find the secret of souls DOWNFALL the
cause of the heartache of the Son OF God,
and a note of warning for Gods people
# everywhere.
Peter was in dangerous position. First
of all, because he sat in the presence of
the enemy In the first Psalm the warning
is gwen that we should not walk in the
counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the
way of sinners; nor sit in the seat of the
scornful," and this last is the most hurtful
position of all. Poor Peter was sitting
N down. He also is to be pitied because he
81 SAT without. In9To Is ClTcle WlCuln
which every child of God must keep If he
would have both peace and power. If in
imagination we take compass in our
hand and set one point at the place where
I'VE would have the centre and with the
other point describe the circle, we have the
spicture of the Christian life. The centre of
the circle is Christ, and the circle itself is
subscribed by prayer and Bible study and
Fellowship with the saints. To keep within
this circle is to keep In touch with Christ.
10 sit without is to be in danger, and poor
Peter had stepped outside.
With all my heart / love to study Peter
The sermon which has been greatly blessed
20 the people throughout the country is the
pne which bears the title, "And Peter"
This one is sent forth that it may be
companion of it, and carry the name of
Nov Peter"
The first service that I can find that
Peter ever rendered unto Christ is record
I'd in Luke, fifth chapter, and the third
zerse: And He entered into one of the
hips, which was Simon's, and prayed him
hat he would thrust out little from the
and. And He sat down and taught the
eople out of the ship" | like him for his
ervice. | have an idea that just the way
e pushed the boat out as the Master was
Handing in it made Jesus understand that
here was something in him that would yet
p far toward moving the world Is it not
md about us to-day begins in just so hum
lie fashion as did the work of Peter?
like to study him in his writings. Some
arts of the Bible ought always to be read
the sunlight. The beautiful story of
uth, and the letter to the Philippians are
Samples of this. Others are for the dark
ess. Peters epistles would thus head the
st. 1t is when we stand on the seashore
night that we see the phosphorescence
the waves. 1t is when we stand in the
hrkness and read Peters precious words,
at we catch the best vision of the light
hich comes down from heaven and rests
pom men.
like to study him in his preaching. for
is just the kind that everybody ought to
able to do. You may say that it was
nply string of texts, that mighty SER
on OF his at Pentecost, but if you should
10y this was all that he said we could re-
Y, as we have said in another place, it is
that Peter said that the Holy Spirit
Thought worth recording.
like him for his sincerity. You can
read him at glance. He could not be
hypocrite. When once he tried no one
would believe him; he generally thought
aloud. While men sometimes admired
him, frequently laughed at him, generally
censured him, they always loved him.
I like him for his promptness He was
the first to enter the tomb that he might
see where the Lord lay.
| liked him for his courage. He was not
afraid to stand in the very midst of the
enemies of Christ
like him for his intensity 1t is true
he made mistakes, but the pendulum swung
as far toward uprightness as it did toward
failure.
My text is to be read in connection with
his denial, and thus we begin the more to
appreciate the story. Christ had given
him warning when He said, "Simon, Satan
hath desired thee that he may sft thee as
wheat" and again when He said, "This
night you shall be ashamed of Me-" and
''befora the cock crow thou shalt deny Ne
thrice" He warns Us, too.
The oak that goes down in the midst of
the storm does so because through the
long years its heart has been eaten away
by the worm. The soul of the child Of God
is never overthrown suddenly, and if it
goes down it is because it has steadily lost
ground In matters that were too trihing
to cause alarm. If you should fail to-mor-
row you will doubtless find the cause if
you look back on the history of to-day.
The neglected Bible of to-day, the neglect
ed prayer of to-day, the neglected fellow
ship of to-day, means the denial of to-mor-
row.
1t is not to be forgotten that there were
three denials. When Jesus was taken
into the presence of those who were to con-
denim Him Peter followed and wanted to
go IN, too. 1t is said in Johns Gospel that
another disciple, who was known unto the
high priest, had gone in with Jesus, and
this, OF course, must have been John; they
doubtless knew him at the door and he
passed through without question. When
he saw that Peter was not in he went to
the door and secured his admission. I
can, just imagine how Peter must have
walked W, and down the court, now sitting.
nov. standing, now trembling for his safe
ty, for IN those days as to-day, conscience
makes towards of us ALL
The first denial was at the wicket gate
To the little girl that admitted him to the
court he said:
1T know Him not"
He might have taken warning and gone
back if he had but remembered the words
of Christ for he was just at the edge of
the circle; one side meant peace. and the
other side despair
doubt not that some one who reads
these words has just passed through the
wicket, gate, turning away from a life of
blessedness, and possibly has denied his
Master for the first time. From the heart
of the infinite Christ cry goes out to such