The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-10-31
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
a GREAT VICTORY"
rhe Rev. j. wilbur Chapman breaches
Upon the soui's Deep Longing After
God-fslth VIII Conquer In the End
God is Our strength and Life.

Victory and Is preached from the texts
As the hart panteth after the water
sS brooks 50 Pan,ssth my y soul after L Thee;
shall yet praise Him who is the health OF
nv cOuntenance" Psalm SO: s.
The FIRST verse Is a lamentatlon IA the
wilderness, the second Is a shout OF re-
!oicing when victory - won. The tern
tory stretching out from the wilderness IN
the one text 10 the presence OF God IN the
sther Is not only the story of the expe-
rienCe OF David, but Of the most OF Chris
tians. My message last week was 10 those
who occasionally iall under juniper trees
and want 10 die; here 1t Is TO all who
would rise 20 better things.
The Psalms are divided into five books,
and the ancient Rabbins say IN these hve
ho0Ss IN the Psalter we have the image OF
the ave books OF the law, or IN other
words a kind of second pentateuch the
echo of the first. In the first God speaks
and IN the second the voice OF the people
Is heard. God presents Israel with the
law, and grateful Israel responds with a
shout OF praise. These two Psalms form
the nrst division OF the second book.
They are dedicated 10 the master musl-
clans or the sons of Horah. They were
the celebrated musicians and singers of
the day; they were in Davids time the
keepers of the threshold of the tabernacle,
and still earlier IN the time of Moses they
were watChmen az the entrance of the
camp OF the Levltes; they were a part OF
that band that acknowledged David as
leader at Ziklag; they were warriors with
iaces like lions, and who for speed were
like gazelles on the mountains.
Mr.. Spurgeon says that although David
is not mentioned as the author OF these
psalms they must be his, for the truth rs
so like him. 1t has the character of his
style and the work of his experience in
every letter. ! had sooner question the
authorship of Bunyan's second part OF the
Pilgrims Progress than 20 question Da-
vld's right 10 these psalms Whoever
wrote them has given name TO the souls
deep longing after God and made a sigh a
melodious thing.
There are three divisions in the psalm,
each closing with the refrain, why art
thou cast down. my soul?" The whole
psalm IS the picture OF a soul climbing
Godward, not without backward slips,
but climbing nevertheless until the sigh
OF the first text gives way 10 the shout OF
the second. Perhaps the singer during his
exile on the eastern side Of Jordan had
seen some gentle creature with open mouth
and heaving flanks eagerly seeking water
IN the dry river bed, aud he saw III this a
picture of himself. The whole psalm NJ
like what we lpve seen on some early
spring day, when the sun was warm, the
sky blue, the trees ready to burst into bud
and the birds were singing, but only for
a day, then the clouds returned, the at
mosphere was chilled, the birds are all
stiled and the sun was under a cloud.
Viewed in one way At Is psalm OF gloom,
IN another way II IS a psalm OF glory.
Streaks Of brightness are ever flashing
through the gloom First there is a sigh
as OF a breaking heart, then comes a word
Of hope like a rainbow spanning the water
fall; once again the contending enemies
meet as in verses q and 10, but finally
above II all comes the refrain without a
complaint, Il shall yet praise Him who Is
the health Of my countenaDce.'
There are certain expressions most strik.
ing in the psalm. Three times does David
say why art thou cast down. q my
soul!', as though he were two men,, The
psalmist talks to himself John Trapp
says IT is David chiding David out of the
dumps. To search for the cause of sorrow
is often the best surgery for grief. In
verse notice the words. "The Lord viii
command His loving kindness in the day
time No day has ever dawned in which
an heir OF grace could be utterly forsaken
In the same verse we read In the night
His song shall be with me" Affection
may put out our light at times, but If II
does not silence our song the light will
/ come again Verse 3, psalm ~, Send out
| Thy light and truth These are like an
gels 10 guide him 10 the object OF his af-
fections, hut finally above all sounds the
note of victory, Hope thou in God" This
is like the singing Of Paul and Silas, II
lOoses chains. shakes the prison walls and
sets the prisoner free. Two graces men
toned IN this psalm were used frequently
bv Christ. hope and faith Faith tells US
what Christ has done; hope tells US what
He will do, and hope is like the sun as We
journey toward II; our burden Is cast
back OF US Faith may have many
struggle with fear, but 1t viii conquer in
the end. These two psalms are really one;
there is n constant unfolding OF eKpc-
nd n
Of God. and a. faith acquires more strength
you will notice that not only David bat
ourselves come 70 think OF God in a differ
ent way and address Him in more endear-
ing terms. There Is no better illustration
OF this than these two psalms.
30 God" Debarred from public wor.
ship David Is heart sick He is not seek
ing ease he needs God lie Is not after
comfort, but like a traveller whose water
bottle Is empty and who finds the well
dry. so he must have God or he will faint
| When u is az natural for us 10 long for
God as for an animal 90 thirst, IT ~ well
with our souls. 90 God We hear him
saying. II - as II he can scarcely breathe
for thirst. He does not know just what
he u needing or Just how God would re-
veal Himself to him. but he must have God.
All unrest or thirst or outgoing OF desire
are hut the reaching out Of the soul after
God. We shall be satisfied only when we
find Him.
II.
"The Living Cod" NV soul thirsteth
for God, for the living God. This IL an
advance upon the first expression, and this
u Jehovahs name Of power. Ancient
Israel was accustomed TO use II before
every victory, since u - higher than 80
God" in the first cry We naturally find
II followed with a shout OF victory, Il
shall yet praise Him" Hunger and thirst
are Gods instruments 90 call us 90 Him
seif When the prodigal was an hun.
gcred he said. II will arise IL 10 pic.
ture Of one who has tried other things in
the world pleasure wealth, honor and
then cries out 20 for the living God"
But thirst De- better than hunger; you may
paliatc hunger. but thirst b. a perpetual
appetite The next best thing % being in
the light Of Gods love j. 10 be unhappy
until you have u. He - the living God
because he has life ia Himself and because
lie testows that lie % others.
III
90 my God" Appropriation comes
next, and once 10 is taken 10 is never
dropped IIe says God Of my life. and
God my rock There arc five "mys' IN
the fyrtythird rsalm, my cause, my
strength my joy," my sogl" my
/ God" You r,vcr really appreciate God
urfI yrg f.agIr 30 rr.riv Him ID Vrur hfn