The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-08-29

A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
PAsToR.EVANcELlsT.

Subject, The Nenrneaa 81 God Alphabet
81 Divine Love 90 Not Enough Of God
IN Nature 20 Satisfy Our souls - Need
ofths Lords 'Nenrnosa."
NEw YORK CIrY.-Thc Rev. J Wilbur
Chapman'a sermons continue to excite the
greatest interest and TO give the greatest
satisfaction 10 that large body Of American
neoule who demand a striking discourse Tor
their weekly reading. The distinguished
nastor-evangelist has prepared the follow.
inc sermon for the press. IL Is entitled
"The Nearness ~ God. 70" and is preached
from the text. Chou art near, O Lord.
Psalm ll9. l5l.
This text il taken from one Of the long
st Psalms in the Bible. but 1t Is remarka-
bic not only on account Of its length. but
because Of its teaching. Like The celestial
city it lieth four square; the helghth and
the depth and the length and the breadth
III it are the same There is but one theme
IN all the Psalm and that is the word OF
God and reminds one of nothing so much
as a diamond which az you hold IL as the
light touches It from every side II sends
out to all beholders the evidences Of its
heauty and OF - worth. and this lleth
Psalm is the makeup of the word OF God.
for every verse except two, namely, the
122d and the l32d refer in some way to
Gods word and it is mentioned either un-
der the figure Of law, or testimonies, or
word. or nrecents.
The writer Of this Psalm must have been
inspired with the word Of God rs he knew
It. have heard Of an old Christian who
meditatcd his wav through the Bible three
times. Surely this is the secret Of wholly
hapDv life. In 1889 at the time Of great
political excitement William Wilberforce
l. = =. - ct l,ovvo an
This morning from HYDE Park corner re-
beating the roth Psalm. and having great
comfort" Martin luther said on com
menting on this Psalm david must have
shaken every fruit tree in Gods garden
and gathered fruit therefrOm" like other
! portions of the Scrinture this Psalm has
been generally named. II has been called
! the alphabet Of divine love- perhaps be
cause of its division. because it is separ-
ated into groups of eight verses. and each
| group is under letter of the Hebrew al
| nhabet until the alphabet is exhausted. It
is really the Alpha and Omega Of the word
| of God. Tn the New Testament the incar-
nate word or Saviour IS represented as the
| Alpha and Omega. Nav it not be because
| the alphabet has been exhausted in display
/ ing to US His graces. and also because in
! the Old Testament the alphabet has been
! exhausted in speaking Of His glorious word p?
! Tt has also been called the paradise of all
doctrines, and have been amazed to see
| how many are here presented. Pardnnt
justification, sancti6cation. they are all
! here It also has been represented as the
storehouse Of the Holy Shirt, for really in
no part OF the Bible is He more wonder
fully presented. and it has been spoken of
as the school Of truth, for really nothing is
omitted. We might lose all the rest Of the
Bible, but if we had this we would know
| Cod ard might find our way up to Him.
! Through l5n verses David has been speak
ing Of al these things and has been talk
ing of Cod when suddenly as if he were
impressed with the fact that He of whom
he had been speaking was near he bursts
ont in the cry of our tevt. "Thou art near,
! o Lord" It Is a nossibe thing for one to
breach so profoundly that he loses sight of
Him of whom he speaks; or a Sunday
school teacher to teach her lesson and al
most to be unconscious of the presence OF
Christ of whom she has been teaching. 1t
is a good thing for us all to stop again and
again and say. Chou art near, O Lord,
for TIE Is indeed nearer to us than any
earthly friend.
Kindred texts. There are certain texts
in the Scripture which are akin to the one
have chosen, as for example Psalm l2l j:
3 "The Lord is thy leeper; the Lord is
thv shade mon thv right hand" If the
Lord is orr keeper why need we GO astrav
for lie neither sumbprs or sleeps Psalm
"a: IL is another text. "The Lord is nigh
unto them that are nj broken heart: and
! saveth such as he Of a contrite shirt"
am sure I am sDeal,ing for YOU all whom
say there never has heen beartache il we
have accented our discipline as He intend
ed, that He has not been graciousy near to
rs Philippians the fourth chaDter and the
! fifth verse. the last clause. is another illus
tration. and is'verv much like the text
'Let your rooderation be known unto all
men. The Lord is at hand" Paul has
been speaking Of peace and tho 10y oi
Christian fellowship, when suddenly he
sneaks o"t like David Of old "'Fhe Lord Is
at hand" and immediptnlv he begins with
this sentence, "Be careful for nothinq" OF
course we need be careful for nothing il
the Lord is at hand for lie will bear every
burden with he and helm US to overcome
every trial. The 23d Psalm is another
! beautiful illnstration. Tt has been my
privilege within the past few davs to sit 0S
the death bed of a Young man who may
even now be passing out into the eternity
and when I told him that the end had
come for him he said "Tt is a long journey
to make alone is it not" NV only answer
was this 23d Psalm. "Yea though I walk
through the valley of the shadow Of death
will fear no evil for Thou art with me ,
and he brushed the tears out of his eye
and said "Then / am not afraid" no.
need we be at any time, for He is always
with US. We learn by contrast to admir-,
many things. Those who have studied tn,
paintings Of Sir Noel Patton must have ob
served that part Of their peculiar beauty
lies, by trick of art, in their partial ugli
ness. There are flowers and birds
knights and ladies, gossamer winged fairie
and children Of seraphic beauty, but in tn,
corner of the canvas, or just at their feet
some uucouth and loathsome form-a toad
a lizard, a shiny snail-to lend, by con
trast with its responsiveness, a loveie
beauty to the rest. So in ancient sculp
ture the griffin and the dragon grin among
the angel faces on the cathedral front