Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1902-08-28
DIR. CHAPMAN'S SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
PASTOR-EvANCELIsT.
Subject: A Lost saviour-A Companion
Picture to Masterpiece, Which DR..
Chapman Suggests-The Awfulness of
Beino Wilhout Christ

Picture to q Masterpiece, Which DR..
= Chapman Suggests-The Awfulness of
Being Without Christ.
New YORK CITY.-The Rev j. Wilbur
Chapman, D. D., the popular pastor of the
Fourth Presbyterian Church, who is re-
markab;y successful as an evangelist, has
prepared an interesting sermon upon the
subject "a Lost Saviour" 1t is preached
from the text, ''They have taken away my
Lord" John 20: Is.
One OF the masterpieces in the Louvre
presents to us picture of Christ upon the
cross. His head is upon His breast; un-
derneath His arms the little birds are fly
ing for a place Of refuge, and in the deep
ening shadows there is seen a woman
kneeling with loving lips and hands
pressed against His bleeding feet. Travel
ers stand before this painting with tear-wet
cheeks and go away with burning hearts.
Il / were artist [ should paint a com
ranion piece with this text as the theme.
I would not put tears upon her cheeks
who speaks the word because the flowing
OF tears would prove relief. When we
cannot weep our grief is severest, but [
would represent her with agony in her
ewes aud deepest sorrow in every express
sion of her face. If could I would paint
the sob as she cries out, ''They have taken
away my Lord" I have seen the distress
of mother bird when her little one was
gone the DESPAIR Of the deer when its com
panion was killed, the agony of the wife
when her husband was taken the sorrow
of mother when her baby was dead. but
this text represents all these distresses put
together, and we have a story which can
not be expressed in words.
The speaker is Mary Magdalene, one of
the inhabitants of Magdala, she who was
possessed of seven devils. She was the
sinner in the house of Simon. the Phari-
| see, who washed the Saviour'st feet with
her tears, anointed them with precious
| ointment and covered them with kisses.
| When Simon objects the Master rebukes
him with the story of the two debtors,
| became one of the attendants of the Mas
ter. She followed Him from Calvary to
| Jerusalem to the scene of the crucifxion.
| Early the third after the crucihxior, with
the wife of Cleophas, she goes to the sep
ulcher to see His body. She finds the tomb
empty. and then cries out in aeonv "They
have taken away my Lord" What a
change there is wrought in Marv Maeda-
| lene. She has been a sinner of the worst
sort. Tradition makes her servant in
the house of sin in the place where she
lived, but she has become a saint, and
wherever the gospel has been preached her
story has been tod. What a Saviour we
in us always. Saul. of Tarsus, by nature is
bitter and cruel. but he catches vision Of
Christ and becomes gentle as a woman, de-
hverng his MESSAGE with tears Of reaLsor-
row because of the lost condition of the
world. Peter is an ignorant fisherman, but
catches vision of his Master and becomes
one Of the greatest preachers in the world $
history. The thief on the cross is profane.
and doubtless causes Christ new pang of
agony with his profanity, until turning his
head he catches vision of that blessed
face and cries out, lord, remember me-"
Kindred texts. I have been looking up
the Bible these past days and have been
greatly interested to see how many. kin.
dred subjects to this are to be found in
Gods word.
First, Adam and Eve. They are in para.
disc; everything about them is beautiful
Even God Himself saw that it was very
good. The music of the birds is the sweet
est, the fragrance of the flower is the best;
there is no curse upon Eden, when sudden
ly the cloud appears, the moving of the
serpent is heard and there is a great
change. Adam and Eve are driven thithe1
from the garden. Genesis 8: 1894, 1924 "There
fore the Lord God sent him forth from the
Garden of Eden to till the ground from
whence he was taken. So He drove out
the man, and He placed at the gate of the
Garden Of Eden cherubim and a flaming
sword which turned everv way, to keeL
the way of the tree of life"
Second, the Ark of the Covenant. This
was small chest overlaid with gold. foul
and half feet long, two feet nine inches
wide and the same measure in heighth
Within it were the tables of the law. II
was carried by the priests as occasion re
ouired from place to place. So sacred was
it that it was death for any one to look
upon it but the priests, and so it was care
fully covered It represented to them the
visible presence of Jehovah. It was car
ried about by the children of Israel or
their travels through the desert as they
entered the channel of the Jordan, anc
was taken thirteen times around Jericho
} in six days, but now the Philistines have
come up against the children of Israel anc
the ark is taken. Old Eli is waiting fol
tidings of the conflict. His seat is by tht
road side that he may hear the NOR,
speedily. At last there is great shout O.
horror, and man of Benjamin is seen run
ming, with his clothes rent and earth upor
his head. There is trouble but who car
imagine the extent of it. Listen to him a:
. he cries out, "Israel has fed before tn,
Philistines,'' and the face of old Eli pales
Hophni and Phinehas are slain, and tn.
Old man begins to shake; in an agony, bu
L. Samuel 4: l8, "And it came to pas
when he made mention of the ark of Coz
: that he fell from off the seat backward tt
the side of the gate, and his neck brak
and he died; for he was an old man ant
heavy. And he had judged Israel fort!
years" Tell us that the sun will not shin'
again, that the rain will not fall, that tn
stars are dead, that the moon will refus
, to shine, but you will bring to us no sucl
tidings as came to Israel when the new
was carried that the ark was taken. It i
as if God had departed from our own land
, It is an awful thing to be without hop
and without God in the world.
Third, the Lost Bible. During the reig1
of Josiah, who began to reign when he wa
: eight years old, the repairs to the templ
were begun, and in the midst of this worl
: the book of the law was found King
, %: s, "And Hilkiah, the high priest, sait
: unto Shaphan, the scribe, have found th
book of the law in the house of the Lord
And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphal
and he read it. This was doubtless tn
; very book which Moses had commanded t,
| be placed in this sacred spot Deutero
nomy 81: 26, s"Take this book of the Law
and put it in the side of the ark of tn
5 covenant Of the Lord, your God, that j
: may be there for witness against thee
+ It might have been carelessly mislaid or i
may have been maiiciously concealed, bu
what narrow escape. However, we nee.
l. | not tromh!p for He who cared for Nose