Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-05-02
THE DISCOURAGED MAN
Sunday Discourse by DR.. Chapman, the
Noted PastOr-Evangelist.
Most People Dissatisfied Because They Lead
Too Artificial Life

second only to DR.. Talmage, but since the
death of that famous preacher Dr. Chap
man has the undisputed possession of the
| Pulpit as the preacher to influence the
plain people. His services as an evangel-
| list are in constant demand. His sermons
| have stirred the hearts of men and women
| to degree unapproached by any latter
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 mothers care at
the formative age of boyhood but he was
thrown upon his own resources before he
had reached early manhood. He was edu-
Gated at Ooerhn College and Lake Forest
University, and graduated for the ministry
from the Lane Theological Seminary, Gin.
cinnati, 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 continual success as pastor and
as revivalist. His sermons are simple
and direct, so that their influence is not
50 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 i'll charge of the Fourth Pres
byterian Church, New York City.]
New YORK CITY.-The Rev. Dr. J Will
bur Chapman, Americas most famous pas.
| tor-evangelst, who took charge of 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 pres. 1t was
| preached from the text: ] Kings, 49, 4,
| "But he himself went days journey into
| the wilderness, and came and sat down
under juniper tree, AID h. 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'
| 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
| God is left out of all consideration. 1t is
| well for us to remember that He is never
at loss. The land may be overrun with
iniquity, His witnesses may be silenced,
but all the time He is preparing a man in
some quiet village as He prepared Elijah,
and 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
failure in the past, He never will in the
l future. eff God be for us, who can be
against u.s." 1t is literally true that when
the enemy comes in like food this spirit
of the Lord shall lift up standard against
him.
The story of Elijah is most interesting,
and we trace him from his sudden appear
ance here flashing like a 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 water in the trenches
and gives him victory of a most remarka'
Bile 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 a certain hour of the
day Instead of looking up to Cod and
triumphing over this wicked woman Eli
jah does quite the opposite, and thus 1T Is
that the text is written to describe his sad
fall.
How are the mighty fallen? 1t would
be difficult to imagine man IN whose HE
there was more of real contrast now he is
master in prayer and the pendulum which
swings one way toward glory swings in
Lis life in the other direction toward de.
spair, and the prayer for victory becomes
| wall Of DISTRESS now he is locking up
the heavens and holding the key and ap.
parently at his own will the rain tarries or
falls, and now utterly dismayed he is rush
ing to the wilderness and wishing that he
might die, but Elijah is not alone in this
desire The most of men 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 hand, if l
have found favor in Thy sight and let me
not see my wyretchednesss"' Numbers II;
Lord, take, | beseech Thee, my life from
ne; for it is better for me tcNdie. than to
live" Jonah 4: g. And even the great
Apostle Paul said, Il am in strait be-
twixt two, having desire to depart and to
be with Christ" but the trouble with the
most of us is we want to die our own way.
Elijah was not willing to die at the hand
of Jezebel, but he was quite ready to sleep
himself away into insensibility under the
juniper tree in the desert. Elijah made
great mistake in running away. Ii he had
country, prevented the captivity of the
people, for doubt not the 1000 that had
not bowed the knee to Baal would have
come FORTH and they would have rushed
forward conquering and to conquer, but
Elijah is picture of ourselves, and we all
| ike him have been times without number
1nder the juniper tree. The object of this
sermon is to ask the question, why we
are thus discouraged" and then to deter
nine if possible what the difficulty was
with Elijah.
Why are we? There are thousands of
people to-day who are utterly dissatisfied
with life because they are living too artit-
,ial an experience. We have very many
things that our ancestors did not possess.
The possession of these things ought to
Bring to us great blessings in every way,
but as a matter of fact it is true that
neither happiness, nor brotherly love, nor
oower nor good have been increased in
;he least. We have indeed gone in the OPP
oosite direction, and many of us are OF
Ill men most miserable We are discon-
tented because we are trying to be some
thing that we are not. The business man
thinks he must keep pace with his Compel
tor whatever the cost to himself, and in a
little time he finds himself out of his lati-
Jude In society thousands of people are
,ping the customs and manners of those
who are in an entirely different set from
themselves, by whose side they can never
stand, and if they did they would be only
ihe more unhappy, and there are thousands
If homes where instead of living simple
life the members of the household are liv
ing at pace that is terrific, and all this
s killing the business man, the society
woman, the parents and the children, and
instead of possessing JOY and peace we are
Inder the juniper tree. The thirst for
pleasure in these days is so great that we
,aye become ne absolutely upscrupuleeus in our
tires We ought to be satisfied with just
what we are and in the most natural way.
We have come into the world with differ