The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-05-30

A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
PAsToR.EVANcELlsT

Arttucinl q Aiie-hn Room IA the hthk-
dom OF God For Pessimism.
1.-THE Rev j. Wilbur Chapman, ID. D., is
now the most distinguished and best
known evangelist IN the country. lie was
second only 10 Dr. Talmage, but since the
death of that famous preacher DIR, Chap
man has the undsputed possession Of the
Pulpit as the preacher to influence the
plain people. His services as an evangeL
ist are in constant demand. His sermons
have stirred the hearts Of men and women
to a degree unapproached by any latter
day divine. j. Wilbur Chapman was born
in Richmond, Ind, June II, 1859. His
mother died when he was but twelve
years Of age and his father died seven
years afterward. Consequently he was
not only deprived of a mothers care ct
the formative age of boyhood, but be was
thrown upon his own resources before he
had reached early manhood He was edu-
Gated at Oberhn College and Lake Forest
University, and graduated for the ministry
from the Lane Theological Seminary Gin
cinnat, Ohio, in 1882. While there he
manifested the character and the spirit
which have followed him as an evangelist
all over the country. They have made his
ministry a continual success as pastor and
as a reyivalist. His sermons are simple
and direct, so that their influence is not
: so much due to exciting the emotions as
to winning the hearts and convincing the
minds of those who hear him. DR.. Chap
man is now in charge of the Fourth Pres
byterian Church, New York Cityl
NEW YORK CITY.-The Rev DR.. j. Will
| bur Chapman, Americas most famous pas
| tor-evangelist, who took charge of a MORT
| bund church in this city several years ago,
and is now preaching to an Overlooking
congregation, has furnished the following
| eloquent sermon to the press. 1t was
| preached from the text: l Kings, 10: 4,
| "But he himself went a days journey into
| the wilderness, and came and sat down
under a juniper tree, and he requested for
! himself that he might die"
The history of Elijah begins with the
seventeenth chapter of | Kings and starts
with the word and" The preceding
| chapter tells us Of the idolatry Of the peo-
| pie of the reign of lawlessness and the
! apparent triumph of iniquity. 1t seemed
as if the end Of all things had come, and
suppose everybody living in that time
thought so, but if this was the impression,
! the fatal mistake had been made because
Cod is left out of all consideration. 1t is
well for us to remember that He is never
at a loss. The land may be overrun with
lnlquity, His witnesses may be sllenced,
but all the time He Is preparing a man IN
some quiet village as He prepared Elijah,
aad at the right time He will send him
forth with no uncertain testimony! There
is really no place for pessimism in the
kingdom of God. He has never made a
failure in the past, He never will in the
future "If God be for us, who can be
against us" 1t is literally true that when
the enemy comes in like food this spirit
of the Lord shall lift up a standard against
him.
The story Of Elijah is most interesting,
and We trace him from his sudden appear
alce here flashing like meteor upon the
scene of action, down to Cherith, where
he is fed by the ravens, over to Zarephath,
where he relieves the distress Of the wom-
an who meets him, but the most remark
able scene in his life is on Mt. Carmel,
where, facing the prophets of Baal after
their inability to call down fire from heav-
en- he produces the fire from the very
hand Of God, which consumed the sacri-
fee, ticks up the wa(zT in the trenches
and gives him victory of q most remarka-
bic Kind. The prophets of Baal are dis
tressed, and the news concerning their de-
feat is carried to Jezebel. She is intensely
angry, and declares that Elijah shall be as
her prophets are at certain hour of the
day. Instead of looking up to God and
triumphing over this wicked woman Eli
iah does quite the opposite, and thus it is
that the text is written to describe his sad
fall.
/ How are the mighty fallen? It would
be difficult to imagine a man In whose life
there was more of real contrast; now he is
master in prayer and the pendulum which
swings one way toward glory swings in
his life in the other direction toward de
spair, and the prayer for victory becomes
q wall of distress; now he is locking uL
the heavens and holding the key and APP
parently at his own will the rain tarries Oh
falls, and now utterly dismayed he is rush
ing to the wilderness and wishing that he
might die, but Elijah is not alone in thi;
desire. The most of r1en have at one time
or another wished that they might end all
: Moses did, "And if Thou deal thus with
me, kill me, pray Thee, out Of nand, if
have found favor in Thy sight and let m'
not sec my wretchedness." Numbers II
10. So also did Jonah, Therefore now, {
Lord, take, 1 beseecA Thee, my life from
me; for it is better for me to die than Il
live" Jonah 4: 3. And even the great
Apostle Paul said, 81 am in a strait be
twixt two, having a desire to depart and t.
be with Christ" but the trouble with thu
: most of us is we want to die our own way
Ehian was not willing to die at the hant
; OF ,JeZebel, but he was quite ready to sleel
himself away into lnsensibility under tn
jumper Tree IN the desert. Glllan mace
great mistake in running away. If he haC
stood his ground he might have saved hi
country, prevented the captivity of tn,
i people, for / doubt not the 1000 that haC
: not bowed the knee to Baal would havt
come forth, and they would have rushed
forward conquering and to conquer, bu
Elijah is a picture Of ourselves, and we al
like him have been times without humble
I under the juniper tree. The object of thi
? sermon is to ask the question, "Why w
are thus discouraged" and then to deter
mine if possible what the difficulty wa
a with Elijah.
. Why are we? There are thousands 0
: people to-day who are utterly dissatisfet
with life because they are living too artid