Orange County observer., 1902-10-30
The HOLY GHOST
Or. CHApMAN'S SUNDAY SERMON

Eminent Divine Discourses Eloquent
" on Mans Only Genuine Com.
forter.
New York CITY. - The sermon here
furnished to the press is the most impress
sive one of a series which the Rev DR.. j.
Wilbur Chapman prepared some time ago
for the Bible Institute Colportage Associa-
His Relation to, the Church. and was
preached from the text: And the Lord
added to the church daily such as should
be saved" Acts ?: AZ.
In the honest endeavor which we make
properly to live the Christian ifc and in
the end receive a reward from the hand of
the Master, thereby not missing our
crown the Hoy Ghost beyond all others
is our helper. He-ls certainly to be count
ed as the director and leader of our churci,
life. We need expect no great outpouring
of the Holy Ghost SO long as His leader
ship IS ignored, and without this high
spiritual atmosphere we may expect, as in-
dividuals no special victories.
On the day OF pentecost two great events
occurred; the first was the exaltation of
Jesus Christ at the right hand OF the
Father-"This Jesus hath God raised up,
32); the other was the outpouring of the
Spirit. h2cause Jesus had been raised up
and exalted The point is that Christ as
our head had poured oat upon Him the
Holy Ghost; thus receiving Him in trust
for the body; and it naturally follows that
what the head has received the members
OF the body have right to claim. Since
that day, in the plan of God, the Holy
Ghost has been the administrator of the
affairs II the church, and He is here to
make Christ real to every believer. If He
had tarrietl with lis in the flesh and j had
c1a, iJS 10 I,oo
denied to you; but now that Hc is present
in the Spirit, we may all have Him and
lay Claim to His presence, and the love of
God may be shed abroad in oul hearts by
che Holy Ghost. Hc is in real sense the
vicar of Christ. and there can be no other.
The Son of God is to-day at the right hand
of God. representing the church, and the
Spirit ef God ought to be enthroned and
exalted IN the church, representing the
risen Christ. He is to counsel her, to
guide her and to control her-in word,
He IS to govern all things in the church,
from the least things unto the greatest
The Scriptures are evidence that He has
message for the church. It is generally
believed that the epistles to the seven
churches in the Revelation contain the pro-
phetic setting forth of the church's history
its declines and recoyeries, it's failures
that we have come to the Laodicean period
OF history of the last DAYS Of the church.
Seven times we have the expression re-
peated: He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the spirit saith ulro the churches
1t is to be noted that this expression is
siidden. Ephesus had left her first love;
SMYRNA was rich, and likely to be proud
PerSamos was touched with the doctrine
OF balaam; Ihyatira was influenced by Je-
Zebei Sardis had name to live, and was
dead; Philadelphia had but little strength
hot
The real cure for backsliding in the church
IS thas which comes to lis by the Holy
Ghost Of the revelation of GODS will and
the Interpretation Of Gods word.
The church is q called-out body. We
were chosen in Him before the worlds
foundation, and we are elect according to
the the ttoreknowledge Of God, for thus saith
the Scrpture. Jesus ls in heaven direct
nGGosh n3nG the work YORK OF the church. but the Holy
Ghost is here carrying out the plan. This
Pian extends to the minutest details of the
ilfe OF the church. lie has ordained the
o1nces we must have. and the kind Of men
We, we must lay hold upon to fill them:
=" heretore He saith, when He ascended up
on cl n1sH, ne led captivity captive, and gave
gifts unto men. And He gave some, apos-
tles; and some, prophets; and some, evan
seiisTs; and some, pastors and teachers;
19f the peTtect!ne of saints, for the work Of
tse mlnistry, for the edifying of the body
or CHRIST Ephesians 4: s, IL, u. The
Hear fl what the Scriptures have to say:
hph :: 10 to 2c-"Now therefore We are.
no more strangers and foreigners. but feE
IoW-cltizens with the saints, and of the
household Oh God; and are built upon the
lTpunoahon T" G4 OF the apostles and prophets,
Jesus CnrlSt Himself being the chief COR
nerstone; in. whom all the building fifty
framed together :groweth unto a holy tenn
PIE IN the Lord: in whom We also are
ntulded together for an habitation of God
through the Spirit" If He is dwelling in
1s, G, we must be careful of our church life,
ps tI: the way we live and work Many
thlhgs are done to-day in the church which
may may commend themselves to men, and vet
lall utterly short of the approval of God.
as, as an M illustration, Peter, standing up with
are and ~. ~, spoke OF the departure Of Judas,
h,S taI stead. Prayer was offered, vote was
,ahen, and Matthias elected; but there
Nas no indication that this election wa.
eser ratified by the Lord, for Matthias at
Uona 1870 SINKS in out of sight. Two years after.
gu GU she Lord calls one to fill the va
ss, sas, namely. Saul of Tarsus. Paul
speaks thus OF himself: Gal. l: i-"Paui.
an apostle, not Of men. neither by man.
oIe Dy Jesus Christ and God the Father,
Who raised Him from the dead
II.
Inc church was established bv signs and
S%onoers. Acts 2: l to 4E''And when the
way Oh Pentecost was fully come they
very "eIy All with one accord in one place. And
Soorenly there came sound from heaven
a. al OF ~, rushing, mighty wind, and it filled
Ana a. the e. house where they were sitting.
ta sna there appeared unto them cloven
Leagues af like as of fire, and it sat upon each
8 Go, 5nem m, And they were all filed with the
10Y ttnoy Ghost, and began to speak with other
eng S,ngUes, as the Spirit gave them utter
Mce. wee Heb; 2: 4"God also bearing them
WIKI ;th,oSS, d;,. ooth wti, signs, and wonders, and
"rwTs1, w1, according to His own will"
uani nnefe ,', vas no church in the Old Testa.
zen eni. This is the opinion of many Bible
ttSbachers tbas1 In Acts 2: Al, we read: "Then
banst;,na bfnTs tnat gladly, received His word were
odd99tized, ed9ezed, and the same day there were
sbaed tb;l unto them about 5000 souls" In
ten tnrs M text the words unto them" are writ.
wand em IN ltacs, So that the original is, sthere
nnnt we're added about 5000 souls" But we
IN inuss 4 add to something when we add, Sc
.ddAess dAess z: AZ, we read: "And the Lord
nuueu TO the church daily sufh no oho,, 4