The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-12-18
KEEPING TIE FAITH.
d.. lPAPNAN'S SUNDAY SERMON
II is Faith i'll Gods Providence That
Creates Genuine Manhood and Wo.
manhood.

Rev Dr.. j. Wilbur Chapman. Ut was
preached from the text Keep yourselves
in the love OF Cod Jude 2l.
Jude's is cne OF the briefe>t OF all the
letters in the New Testament. containing
only twenty-five verses. Ii Is. perhaps, the
last of the epist!es Though tie date is not
definitely settled. it was probably written
after the distraction OF 'cIEsa!"r. when
most OF the apostles had finished their
work. There is most delightful spirit OF
humility in the letter. The writer called
himself servant. and The boudsman OF
Jesus Christ and the brother OF James. and
tha. : . beGTtiju' m0Cesty. fGr. IN i@ct.
it * gcrCai'y believed that ne was the
Lords owl b.o;hcr ard the soa os .jost2a
anl Mary.
10 no particular c,urch o. people was
the iCttay written. hui the accounts E'@Ec
il csrccia!;y applicable u u. II Is v"ry
rla2,ica!. The heart OF jude waS s.!ijei
Ecyarsc .crtnin men were denying God
and tte Lord JcsGs Christ. Il said. D.
cause a. thS. Il cHnort yon th2o You
>hould contend earnestly ior Tic faith once
delivered to the sajnts.' That cXD.esSi0u
il tnc Greek. however. reads Gor the faith
delivered "orcc and for al 10 the saints.
50 the doctrine = tie same today as IN
the days OF Jude and before then. Read
ing CT 20 the :'r""+i"th and t~eaty-!itth
verses they iua;caic that Nc as expected
to contend as did iac carly disciples.
Il has always ste&:d 10 me that faith
produced men, and their living in the
have the pattern OF the lie of the aros-
tohc Christian given to us. If YOU study
the Acts of the Apostle. the letters of Paul,
Peter. John and. better still. the wonder
ful PRAYER OF Chrst IN the seventeenth
chapter OF John. you viii see that there
were three great elements in their char
acter. They were in the word. but not Of
1t: they were constantly looking ic:' me
coming Of Christ, and they were Gl:cd
with missionary fire and zeal. These taree
characteristics must predomlnaIe now !;
the church is to have power When one
is in the world and not OF it he realizes
he is pilgrim and stranger here. ard he
cndugcS trials and temptations because he
knows that they are but for q little while.
The second characteristic has just as great
an influence. The disciples were constant
" exp ,ctinG the return OF our Lord; they
remembered the testimony of the men who
had heard the angels on the slopes of OH
vet. and again and again they oDcned tEe.r
eyes. expecting to behold Him face to face.
1t was this hope in their hearts which H.
ard its shane and kept them pure in the
midst OF all temptation and sin.
The third characteristic Is equally I'M
portart. How much we need to long for
the salvation of othcTsi Nothing so
touches the hidden springs of the Christian
heart DIS to feel in some measure that he is
responsible for those about him. Some one
has said. when God would draw out all the
fathomless love OF 4 woman's heart. He
lays helpless babe upon her bosom. and
it is tue that the church will awake to
,,,n ln q,
There is something which | have in mind
which will give us all the things ! have
spoken about II is described in the text.
II thcr, conid Ge any subject growing ont
of the text to describe it. | should say that
it would be Live in the sTHshire.' l
know what tie sunshine docs for the
clouds: it gives them silver lining. l
know what il does for the grass and the
trees and the flowers; it warns and nour-
ishes until thew blossom into beauty and
fruitfulncss. Take the plant away from
the light and it will drooD and die; place
it where the sun will kiss it and every leaf
rejocas. This is the very poorest illnstra-
tion as to what the love Of God will do for
us, so let US keep ourselves in the love of
God.
1. That word "keep' is the key word of
Jude's epistle. in it we are told that God
win keep US but we are also tod to keep
ourselves. We are told to persevere, but
it is also said we will be preserved. This
is God and man working together. and it is
singular. to say the least, that the word
preserve and the word "persevere" are
composed Of exactly the same letters. The
literal rendering OF the expression that
God will keep US is ''as in garrison How
! secure. then, we must be!
HOW MAY WE KEEP OURSELVES IN
THE LOVE OF GOD?
l. No way so efficient as by prayer.
There are different kinds of prayer. Jacob
prayed when he met the angel of Jabbok,
and had his name changed from Jacob to
Israel. Moses prayed when he plead with
God to look with favor again upon His
chosen people. Christ prayed in the gar
den, for it is said: Being in an agony, lie
the kind of prayer | have in mind; it is
rather the kind that Christ offered when
He was alone on the mountain with God.
l imagine the Father talked with Him
more than He with the Father. 1t is the
kind that David describes when he says:
My meditation OF Him shall be sweet"
Faith is the eye with which We can see
God, and meditation the wing with which
we fly to Him. 1t is the kind of prayer
! offered when the suppiiant fees that ne is
the only one in all the universe; it is the
ElnQ OF prayer Wnlcn II our motner cou.o
hear, or the dearest friend We had on
earth, We should feel that it had been di-
! verted and had not reached God. 1t is the
kind OF prayer we offer when we let God
talk to us as well as talk to Him. This vii
keep us in the love Of Cod.
> Few things viii SO help as this oid
book. the Rinic. Two gentlemen were rid
Ing togcthcr. and wncn tGey were about
10 separate o2e a,i;cd tlc other. DO ycu
ever read You, Bib!e:" Yes" said his
friend: y GO, but | receive no benefit be-
cause l feel that do not love God"
Neither did l. replied the other, but
! God loved me- and that answer fairly
. lifted the man into the skies, for it gave
him new thought. The question is not
at ali as to row much | love God, but
rather as TO how much God loves me.
Read the Bjble in that way and it will he!p
you to live in the text.
Love dictated every word, love selected
every sentence. love presented every prov
ideacc. love sent Christ to die upon the
cross. and you can not read it in this way
without keeping yourself in the love of
God.
3. All the lneaas ot grace Vii; keen US.
but ii there is one above another ii would