Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-11-27
THANKSGIVING
DR.. J. WILDER Chapmans Sermon Ap.
prOpriate TO the Day.
.'Tbrec Meetings OF the avour"-Rcndel
Thanks to God for The Greatest OF
Gifts, His Son, Jesus Christ.

New YORK CITY.--The Rev. Dr. j. vii,
bur Chapman, who has recently resigned
the pastorate Of the Fourth Presbyterian
self to evangelistic work, has prepared the
following Thanksgiving sermon Tor the
press. 1t is entitled Three Meetings OF
the Saviour" and is founded on the text,
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will
Ipray." Psalm IS: IT.
1t is quite the custom on Thanksgiving
Day to render thanks and praise unto God
for material gifts and material prosperity.
We are accustomed to measure the har'
vests and to try to count out earthly bless
ings, and then make an effort to put into
language some adequate expression of our
appreciation of Gods goodness. | leave
this task TO other ministers, while l in
their name and behalf express my grateful
thanks TO God for the greatest OF all gifts,
namely, His Son, Jesus Christ. and it is
my hope that may present Him in such
o way in this message that all may see that
it Is their privilege to come in closest fel.
lowship with Him. With this thought in
mind / use the text, Evening, aud at
morning, and at noon, will l. pray" The
Psalmist determines to pray frequently, at
he determines to pray fervently, for he will
cry aloud unto God. The text does not
run as we would like it to, for we always
reverse the order and say Mt morning, at
noon, and at evening, but the Hebrews be-
gan the day with the evening and closed
it with noon. We always begin it with the
morning, and one day we shall reach a
morning which shall never end. The
Psalmist means that he will pray more
than three times He ia simply saying that
he will begin and continue and end the
do mil Enl r., to1- +L, Il
vision Of the day and at each point he de-
termines to set up an altar. Mr.. Spurgeon
says he lays line straight through tho day
and tracks the sun with his petitions. 1t
used to be said in olden times that we
ehould pray three times at least, at even
ing, because Christ was on the cross in
the morning because He rose from the
dead, and at noon because then lie ascend.
ed. If our bodies need nouriehing three
times, why not our souls? We have fire.
nuent Old Testament illustrations Of this
knew that the writing was signed lie went
into his house, and his windows being
open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he
knceled upon his knees three times a day
and prayed, and gave thanks before his
God as lie did aioretime." Daniel 6; 10.
We have the early members Of the church
in the New Testament presenting us an eX-
ample, and if we study the Acts OF the
Apostles we find tho disciples many times
in prayer, but always morning noon and
night. For Jesus to be with Us is one
thing, and VIC are all the time in His
thought; He has promised never to leave
us and never to forsake us but for us to
be with Him in our contemplation is quite
another thing, and it il that we may learn
this lesson that | speak the words Of the
text. The result of this fellowship will be
cause for thanksgiving. These three times
aro suggested because the morning is the
time OF feasting, the noon i the timo Of
questioning or resting. whilo the evening
Is the time for the settling Of accounts,
and ] have changed the order Of the text
for the reason that we ue living III the
new dispensation
The morning But when the morning
was come John 2l: 4. Johns gospel
might properly have closed with the 2Oth
chapter. The 3lst verse of that chapter is
most significant and gives the object and
aim OF the gospel But these are written,
that We might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son OF God and that believing
ye might have life through His name"
But John adda this Dist chapter because
he gives us another beautiful picture of the
Lord, and records the only miracle worked
after the resurrection. May this not be
typical and did we but live III touch with
our Lord might it not be possible in these
days to have filled nets and multitude
about us Of the saved.
The disciples had returned TO their
homes in Galilee after the events men,
toned in the previous chapter. They were
probably in the house oi Icbedee. They
were doubtless talking OF the past. They
might have called TO mind their first meet
ing with the Saviour and dwelt lovingly
on the glory of His life. They might have
spoken in whispers of the disappointment
of His death, and then with shining faces
have recalled the account OF His resurrec
ion and His personal appearing to them.
again. They orc back amid the familiar
scenes of their old life; the boats are lying
on the beach the fishermen are meuding
their nets and these seven, five of whom
are named and two unnamed, doubtless
stand together. There is boat pushing
out from the shore, and the women are
wishing their husbands and boys good
speed, while the men answer with words
Of cheer. Fishing is always fascinating,
and so l can imagine Peter with flashing
eye and twitchlng nerves and quick beat
til he can stand it no longer, and then he
says, Il go a-iishing,' Instantly they are
all ready to go and they push off from the
shore. 1t is a most beautiful sea in itself,
and as their oars flashed in the light of
the setting sun as they are away to the
DID scenes OF other days, the vision is fas-
cinating. But it really was a perious DO
,ijon, for though the sea is always treach:
erous, the boat might have been o. d, and
here are these representative leaders of
The cause of Christ. What il they had
Loaf -, hn Mo hn 10
might be asked concerning Moses when
,hild in the ark. What if one of the waves
Of the Nile should submerge the little ark
,r the crocodile should crunch ii? But such
questions are idle and useless. Moses is
not safer to-day than then, and so these
early disciples were safe, because their
hope was centred upon One whose eyes
are ever upon His own by night. They
coiled and took nothing, Every old de-
time the net was drawn up they knew by
he tug of it that they had failed. As the
light is breaking they are about 100 yards
rom the shore They hear a voice saying,
Lads, have yeeo any meat and they an,
side" says the stranger and lj3 fish was
he result Of obedience. The disciples
shout, 1T is the Lord" and Peter, jump
ng into the waves swims ashore, and III
obedience 10 tne command or the Master,
Come and dine" they all sit with Him
'bout the fire and ate. May suggest sew
,ral daily lessons for the morning hour?
First, Jesus stood upon the shore. and
hey knew not that it was Jesus. He is al
ways nearer than we think, and He has
1een waiting every morning since that day
% begin the day with His own disciples. |
You must begin every. day with Him.
therefore, if you would have day Of
1eace.
II have a Friend so preciouss
So very dear to me,
He loves me with such tender love, |
He loves so faithfully,
/ could not live apart from Him,
l love to feel Him nigh;
And so we dwell together,
My Lord and l."
There is such thing as being too busy |
Gtna ~ opl lypoI,, +bot | |