Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1902-07-31
Or. CHAPMAN'S SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE Ely THE NOTED
PASTOR.EVANCELIST

d. Oh oOA GOA
Be Made to Account For Work Undone
New YORK C1TY.-The following schoi-
arly and readable sermon has Deen pre-
EVANGELIST. the Rev. DR. j Wilbur Cha-'-
man. The subject Of the discourse is Two
hundred fainting men," n 1t was
preached from the text, 1.-TWO hundred
abode behind, which were so faint that
they could not 60 over the Crook Besor."
I. Samuel 80: 10.
In some respects we are reminded IN
this story of the celebrated charge OF the
Light Brigade, possibly because there were
600 of David's soldiers, and peri APPS be-
cause they fought valiantly and won a
Great victory. While the rank and hie
would not compete with the men who
fou.ht at Sebastapol or 1nkerman. tor
they had been a disconnected lot IN ten
homes and in their service, yet there were
some really great soldiers among them, and
they were as ready to die as were those ON
illustrious men who made the Cai1ant
charge not many years ago.
At the time of the text David was llv,
ing at Ziklag. and he and his men had
been AVA in battle. The battle has been
waged. the victory has been won and the!
are homeward bound. They have camped
for the last night, and tomorrow morning
they will be with their loved ones: The or,
DER Is given 10 UI6dk Cd11Ip AIN " 49,"
march, and when they came to the hlll
where before them they could naturally
see Ziklag the first man shades his eyes
with his hands and looks. His face grows
pale and he begins to shudder, for Zlklag
is in ashes. and as they come nearer their
wives and children and all their property
have been carried away. They are about
to turn upon David and stone him., but
when he agrees to go after the enemy they
l.u~ .,-,rr frox, 4ho ru,iro oT fbe1r homes
and start in hot pursuit. They reach the
Brook Besor, and then find that they have
in their company men who are not able to
20 on, some because they are Old. others
because they we're crippled, and still 9th
ers because they were III. The number
comprised 200. In order that they might
move more rapidly and battle more sue
cessfully all the heavv trappilgs were LET.
with the 200 at the Brook Besor, and 400
men pursued the enemy. They overtake
an Egyptian, who is left by the wayside
as good as dead, and when they gle nun
some refreshments and promise him that
they Will not let him fall into the hands
Of the enemy. neither viii they put him to
death themselves. he tells them the direc-
ton that the enemy has gone. and pursu-
ing after them they come suddenly upon
them. They have been intoxicated with
their great success, and although the bat
tie was fierce for a little while victory be-
LONGS to David and his men. Their wives
and children are theirs once more: most
valuable treasure also is taken, and they
have turned their faces back to the Brook
Besor. Suddenly some one in the company
begins to talk Of the distribution of the
plumber, and they have about decided that
the 200 f%aintine men shall have nothing
when David, with all the kingliness that it
was possible for him to assume, declares
cas- his part is that goes out to the battle
so shall his part be that tarries by the
stufs. They shall share and share alike"
and then he turned to The Brook Resor
and saluted his men. Every old soldier
and every weak nan received rs much OF
a reward as If he had been in the front OF
the fight.
There is an impression abroad that the
rewards for the Christian are given to
those who nave rendered conspicuous SER
vice; great preachers, great p~hilanthro-
plsts. great martyrs. This is not so ac-
cording to the text; neither is it true ac-
cording to the teaching Of the Bible. Re
wards are not given for the amount of noise
made in the world, nor for the amount of
good which we are supposed to have done,
full capacity.
You doubtless remember Plato's fable
of the spirits that returned to this world
each to choose a body for it's sphere Of
work. One took the body Of a king. an
other a poet. still another of a philosopher.
and Ulysses came with great disappoint-
ment because all that was worth having
was taken. when some one said the best
is left. You may choose the body Of a
common man and do a common work anG
receive a common reward, and this he did.
Every man is called into the kingdom OF
God for q p,1rpooo Tboro ;o No Croc+iop
about this. Just as in the making of a
great locomotive every piece must be con-
structed by an expert and every bit of
work must be marked with the name of
the workman, so that if the engine should
break in Jerusalem or China the failure
could be traced to the proper source. God
expects every man to do his duty, and for
every one in all the kingdom He has a plan
Of course. We are not all expected to
perform the same mission. Paul has an
illustration Of this in First Corinthians:
the 18th chapter. where he is describing
the body where he says, eye cannot say
to the hand, l have no need of thee, and
if the body were an eye where were the
hearing, etc." but each performs it's own
mission, the uncomely parts receiving the
greatest attention from the head. So every
one of us has a work to do. IF we leave ii
undone we shall be called to a strict &C
count.
There are two kinds of work illustrated
in the story Of these soldiers and the 200
fainting men. One kind is marching forth
under the gaze and admiration of the null
titude, the other is just t~arrying by tlt
Brook Besor taking care of the stuff, ane
yet it has it's reward.
II.
How often the field to which God call.
us seems to us to be exceedingly small
The business man who has gone to hi
office ali this while, and goes through tn,
round Of common tasks from morning t,
night, from one weeks end to another
year in and year out, chatting oft times be
cause he is doing so little and yet forget
ting that he can be mot slothful in bust
ness. fervent in spirit serving the Lord.
and because he does complain so much i
missing his opportunity to do what tn
preacher never could do. The invalid upo1
her couch racked with pain and filed Wit
complaint because her voice is never hear,
in the congregations Of the people, won
der!ng why she ever lived, and crying on
against God because she has suffered so in
tensely, thereby missing her opportunit
to give a testimony which no one els
could give but the invalid.
One Of our honored old ministers a wee
ago was plunged into great sorrow by tn
news OF the death of his son. He had die
bV his own hand Who, +bo ~. -,