Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-08-21
A LOST SAVIOUR.
Sunday Discourse By DR.. Chapman, the
Noted PastOr-Evangelist.
A Companion Picture to a Masterpiece, Which
DR.. Chapman Suggests-The Awfulness
Of Being Without Christ.


from the text, "They have taken away my
Lord" John 20: 49,
One of the masterpieces in the Louvre
presents to us a picture of Christ upon the
cross His head is upon His breast; I'M
derncath His arms the little birds are fly
ing for a place of refuge, and in the deep
rning shadows there is seen woman
kneclmg with loving lips and hands
pressed against His bleeding feet. Travel
cheeks and go away with burning hearts.
lf | were an artist ] should paint a, COM
panion piece with this text as the theme.
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, sevcrest, but
would represent her with agony in her
eyes and deepest sorrow in every express
sion of her face. If could | would paint
the sob as she cries out, They have taken
away my Lord" | have seen the distress
of mother bird when her little one was
gone, the despair of the deer when its com
ranion was killed, the agony of the wife
when her husband was taken, the sorrow
Of a mother when her baby was dead but
this text represents all these distresses put
together. and we have a story which cam
not be expressed in words.
The speaker is Mary Magdaenc, one of
the inhabitants of Macdala, she who was
possessed of seven devils. She was the
sinner in the house of Simon, the Phari.
see, who washed the Saviour's feet with
her tears. anointcd them with precious
ointment and covered them with kisses.
When Simon objects the Master rchuIcs
him with the story of the two debtors,
one forgiven much, of the other little. She
became one of the attendants of the Mas
ter. She followed Him from Calvary TO
Jerusalem to the scene Of the crucitivion.
Early the third after the cruciliXion, with
The wife OF Cleophas, she goes to the sep
ulcher to sec His body. She finds the tomb
emnty and then cries out in agony 'lhey
have taken away my Lord" What a
change there is wrought in Mary M1@da-
lcne. She has been a sinner of the worst
sort. Tradition makes her n 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 toll. What n Saviour we
have: One who calls out the best there is
in lis always. Saul, OF Tarsus, by nature Is
bitter and cruel, but he catches a vision of
Christ and becomes gentle rs woman. de-
livprng his message with tears of real sOr-
row because of the lost condition of the
world Peter is an ignorant fisherman. but
catches a vision of ms Master and becomes
one of the greatest preachers in the worlds
history. The thief on the cross is prOtanc,
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 leen looking up
the Bible these past days and have been
greatly interested to see how many kin
drcd 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 IA creat
change. Adam and Eve are driven tnther
from the garden. Genesis 3: % "a, "Therc.
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 men, and He paced at the gate of the
Garden of Eden cherubim and flaming
sword which turned every way, to keep
the way of the tree of life
Second. the Ark OF the Covenant. This
was a small chest overlaid with gold, four
and half feet long, two feet nine inches
wide and the same measure in ncighth.
Within it were the tables of the law. 1t
was carried by the priests as occasion re-
CURED from place to place. SO sacred was
it that it was death for any one to look
upon it but the priests, and SO 1t was care
fully covered. 1t represented to them the
visible presence of Jehovah. 1t was car.
ricd about by the children of Israel on
their travels through the desert as they
entered the channel of the Jordan, and
was taken thirteen times around Jericho
in sin days but now the PhilistincS have
come up against the children OF Israel and
the ark is taken. Old Eli is waiting for
tldings of the conflict. His scat is by the
road side that he may hear the more
speedily. At last there is great shout OF
horror, and a man of Benjamin is seen run.
ming, with his clothes rent and earth upon
his head. There is trouble, but who can
imagine the extent Of it. Listen to him as
he cries out, Israel has fled before the
Philistincs.' and the face of old Eli palcs
Hophni and Phnehas are slain, and the
old man begins to shake in an agony, but
horror of horrors the ark of God is taken,
!. Samuel 4; Is, and it came to pass
when he made mention of the ark of God
that he fell from off the seat backward to
the side of the gate, and his neck brake
aud he died. for he was an old man and
heavy. And he had Judged Israel forty
NtdlS. itH us lIlul lIlc sun Will iipI StllllC
again, that the rain will not fall, that the
,tars are dead, that the moon will refuse
to shine, but you will bring to us no such
tilings as came to Israel when the news
was carried that the ark was taken. 1t is
as if God had departed from our own land.
1t is an awful thing to be without hope
and without God in the world.
Third the Lost Bible. During the reign
of Josiah, who began to reign when he was
eight years old, the repairs to the temple
were begun, and in the midst of this work
the book of the law was found. . Kings
%: &, And llilkiah the high priest said
unto Shaphan, the scribe, have found the
book OF the law in the house OF the Lord
And lllkiah gave the book to Shaphan
and lie read it. This was doubtless the
very book which Moses had commanded to
be placed in this sacred spot. Deutero.
nomy 81: 26, Take this book of the law
and put it in the side of the ark of the
covenant of the Lord, your God that it
may be there for Il witness against thee"
1t might have been carelcssly mislaid or it
may have been maliciously concealed but
what narrow escape. However, we need
not tremblc, for He who cared for Moses
when he was in the ark and for His own
Son when He was Graded in the manger
will care for His book Heaven and
earth shall pass away, but My word shall
never pass away" However, some of us
have lost our Bible We have lost it be-
cause we have been absorbed by fiction or
worldliness, or we have permitted some
sin to lay hold upon us. We have lost our
Bible, and if we have our position is as sad
as Mary in the garden when she said,
They have taken away my Lord"
Fourth, Lost Fellowship. Luke 2: 42-45,
"And when He was twelve years old they
went up to Jerusalem, after the custom
of the feast, and when they had fulfilled
the days, as they returned, the child Jesus
tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph
and His mother knew not of it. But they,
supposing Him to have been in the com
pany, went a days journey; and they
sought Him among their kinsfolk and ac-
quaintances. And when they found Him
not they turned back again to Jerusalem,
seeking Him." Mary and Joseph have