The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1901-1903, 1902-09-14
DIR. CHAPMAN'S SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
PASToR.EvANcEllST.


New YORK CIrY.-The Rev. DR.. J. Viii
bur Chapman's sermons continue TO excite
the profoundest interest and to give the
greatest satisfaction to that large number
Of American people who demand strlk-
ing discourse for weekly reading. The
popular pastor evangelist has prepared the
following sermon for the press. 1t is en-
titled The Song of the Lord, and is
preached from the text. The song of the
Lord began also" H. Chronicles %; q.
The difference between the 18th and the
18th chapters of II. Chronicles presents to
us an illustration of that difference which
we frequently see in the church as she
passes from times Of enthusiasm to days
of depression and back again, and for
which there seems to be no human expla-
natioE. So also is it the picture Of many
families where the godly father has an I'M
cody son and an ungodiy father a cody
son. which is entirely contrary to the rules
which in our own house we have deter
mined should abound So also is it pie
ture OF many individuals who after weeks
and months and even years are found reg
ular,y in tue house OF God the most devout
of worshipeTs, and then suddenly stop I'M
abe almost to explain to themselves how
they have lost interest and why their zeal
is quenched The wicked reign OF Ahaz
and the reign Of his righteous son He's
lsiah thus furnish us with practical Illus
tration.
Abaz was the eleventh king Of Judah,
The son Of lothian. His example was holy
and hls reign was peaceful and prosper
Gus. Not so of bis son. He was a gross
idoiator actually sacrificed his children to
the GODS remodeled the temple that 1t
might be lit for idolatrous uses and owned
chariot horses that were dedicated TO the
son. Upen ali OF TINS inc Judgment OF GOD
falls, but because of it the condition Of the
people is something dreadful. He Is an IL
lustration of the power of sin. First. III its
inldtuation. We find him robbing the
palace and plundeFing the temple, places
which had always been sacred both to the
king and to the people, but which he pre-
SCENTS as dishonored in the Dist verse OF
the 2Sth chapter, to the king Of Assyria,
but somehow sin seems always to present
the same sort Of an infatuation to those
who walk for any length of time in its way.
Second, in its degradation There could
be no worse sin than that described in
verses "a and % of the 2Sth chapter, where
Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the
house OF God, shut up the doors of the
house, and in all the cities of Judah made
high places to burn incense to other gods.
picture very much like IL is found in
the 9th chapter OF Daniel the Sd and 5th
verses where the temple vessels are taken
by the king and used in midnight revelry,
when suddenly the fingers OF man S hand
are seen writing on the wall. Thou art
weighed in the balance and found want
ing However, ii is true that any man
who uses his powers of body or OF mind to
sin is as deiiantly sinful as was Ahaz the
king.
Third, in his death he is a picture of the
end OF sin. lie died when only thirty-six
yearssof age an untilnely death, and he
sleeps in dishonored grave, for they
would not bury him in the tombs OF the
kings, perfect illustration OF the text,
Sin when it is finished brings forth
death" In the city OF Paris in burning
letters of fire certain place of dangerous
SIN greeted the passer-by with these words,
all OF them written III fire, Nothing to
pay" but he who enters in through the
door will find that the wages Of sin is
death. This has always been true. He2e-
kah, the son OF Ahaz. began to reign
when he was twenty-five years Old. In
his parental heritage he had everything
against him, but his mothers name was
Abizah and she was the daughter OF
Ieehariah, man who had understanding
ia the views Of God This is undoubtedly
the secret OF Hezekiah's goodness. Boys
frequently 20 right when their fathers are
wrong, but when the mother is wrong very
rarely do they walk in the paths OF recti-
tude.
For sixteen years there had been no song
in the temple. This was a great loss be
cause the people had always been accns-
toned % sing from the time at creation
when the morning stars sang together and
all the sons OF God shouted for Joy 70 the
marching through the Red Sea where the
sons Of Israel were led by Miriam in the
singing, and the birth of the Saviour where
the angels were the choir, the last supper
where the Lord Himself was one Of the
singers up to the new heaven and the new
earth where they sing the new song the
world has bad much to do with music. The
temple service when men lived in right re-
lations with God and the house was cean
was beautiful. Some Psalms were written
In the temple III letters of gold, and the
people chanted' them TO the accompani-
nent Of the consecrated instruments, the
antipboHal choirs answered each other, as
fof example, in the 2zth Psalm, one choir
would say, Lift up your heads, 0 We
gates. eFee lift them up, We everlasting
doors, and the King OF glory shall come
ln,' and the other choir would respond,
Who is this King OF glory?' only to have
the other singers reply, The Lord OF
Hosts, He is the King OF glory" But for
sixteen years there had been no song.
First, why was this? The best expla-
nation is given in the 2Sth chapter Of IL.
Chronicles, the oath and 18th verses.
And Ahaz gathered together the vessels
OF the house OF God, and cut in pieces the
vessels of the house of God, and shut up
The doors of the house of the Lord, and
he made him affairs in every corner OF
Jerusalem. And in every several city Of
judah he made high places to burn in
cenge Unto other gods and provoked to an.
ger the Lord God OF his fathers" There
is many life to-day withou. a song, an@
to al such / give my message. The reaso4
for this is found in the feet OF sin. We siH
m eur outward acts, but God can keep us
from that if we will let Him and give us
the song once more. We sin in our de
sires, but He can remove these desires il
We win but permit Him to do so, and our
affections may be set on things above. We
sin in our motives, but if we are His there
Is new pivot TO our life, and the motives
which we're most impure Issy become pure
indeed We have also a bLas,to sin which
corass to ne with our birth but he can
couz4eTact it if we viii give Him the right
To do so. If one could throw stone uT
high enough it would come to the place
Of e9uipoise, where the Law Of gravitatien
would be overcome by the high law which
pulls upward. and so if we did but yield
ourselves to Christ as we ought we would
come to the place where He would ever
power the weakness OF our nature, and
what ne doubtless need is soAg to-day
1t may be the old song we used to sing. Il