The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1902-12-11
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
"A CHANGED NAME"
Tho Rev. DR.. j. Wilbur Chapman Draws
Some Comforting Lessons From the
Story of the Angel and Jacob-Every
Act Shapes Our Character md Name

Story of tho Angel and JacoD-Every
Act Shapes Our Character and Name.
NEW YoRK CITy-The following SER
mon, entitled "A Changed Name has
been furnished for publication by the dis
tlnguished and eloquent evangelist, the
Rev. DR.. j. Wilbur Chapman. 1t was
preached from the text: "And he said unto
him, What is thy name? And he said
Jacob" Genesis 80: Of
This is an angels question to a man
from whose embrace he was trying in
every possible manner to break away.
Locked together after the manner of an
Gent wrestlers they bend first this way
and then that, and the angel cries, LET
me go, for the day breaketh." Jacob re-
bless me-. and then the words of the text
were spoken. "And he said unto him,
What is thy name? And he said Jacob"
Jacob might have answered the question
IN different ways at different times. He
might well have said at one time. my name
is Jacob. for he had deceived his father
and supplanted his brother, but he might
have said at another time, my name is Re-
vealer. for he has given us vision of the
open heaven. In his dream we have heard
the voice of God. He might have said on
still another occasion, my name is Teacher.
for under his tuition we have made pill
grimage. into the deep things of God, and
ne could truly have said as he came to the
end OF his career, my name is Israel, for
as prince he had power with God and
with men had prevailed. You will notice
the divine order, power with God first and
with men afterward Oh that we might
soon learn that the way to influence earth
Is by the way of heaven. 1t is singular
question In the text, for in the olden DAYS
name was given not merely to crafty the
passing whim of the parents, nor for the
sake OF euphony, but because of charac-
ter; mans character was his name and
his name was his character. A changed
name indicates a changed character Abram
IN the Old Testament is changed to Abra-
ham as he steps into closer fellowship with
God. Saul, of Tarsus, became Paul. the
apostle, after the heavenly vision. Thou
shalt call His name Jesus because He shall
save His people from their sins, and He is
Emmanuel, which signifies God with us. It
Is most singular question, what is thy
name" In the sight of God. He certainly
knows what it is. It is said that our
names are written on the palms of His
hands; that they are also written in the
Lambs Book of Life, but what name?
Hardly the name given to you by your
mother, but rather the name that you
have made for yourself under the direction
OF God, by your patience, by your meek
ness, your brotherly kindness. It is SOL
emn thought that every act as well as
CNOly WOlO Ill shaping IuG character dnC
the name by which we shall be known
throughout eternity
This story of the change of Jacobs name
is interesting. / do not forget that he
lived 1900 years before Christ, but still it
is interesting for the reason that human
nature has always been the same. Inter
estlng. too, because he was typical Jew.
HIS life was. the life of Israel in epitome;
that people found in every country and be-
longing to none; that people which have
supplied to us the iveliest religious litera-
ture and are themselves a by-word, which
have given to us the liveliest ideals in life
and are themselves an object of ridicule;
that people which have supplied the
worlds greatest characters, for Paul was
jew and Jesus was Jew. If you under
stand Jacob you will understand the Jew
always, but while he began as supplanter
his character was purified at the last. The
furnace was heated seven times hotter than
it was wont to be heated, but he comes
purified. He is very much like ourselves,
too, and for that reason is interesting.
Abraham was hero, Moses great leader
OF men, Elijah was prophet, David was
king. All of these men discourage us with
their greatness, but Jacob was plain
man dwelling in tents. We find our like
ness in Peter in the New Testament, and
in this man Jacob in the Old Testament
His feelings appeal to us, for whether we
will acknowledge it or not his sins are in
us in germ whether we have permitted
them to develop or not; his aspirations ap-
peal to us. Where is there the man who
has not had his Bethel, giving him views Of
heaven and permitting him to hear the
voice of God. His sorrows appeal to us:
in his limping away from Jabbok's ford. in
his sorrow at the lonely grave where his
beloved Rachel was buried, and in his
agony over his lost Joseph many of us have
the dppnnct cUnonat bu hooo1co
have suffered, but it is great comfort at
the end to see him coming forth more
than conqueror, which leads me to say
that there is hope for every one
What is thy name, and he said Jacob"
Look at him by his fathers side as he de,
celves the old man in his blindness, telling
him that he IS Esau when he is Jacob, and
the old father saying to him the voice is
belong to him. How he must have trem-
b!ed., can see his face get white and hear
his heart beat quickly. What if God
should strike him dead as he stands in the
presence of the old patriarch? In this
part of his history | learn that one sin
leads to another. We cannot commit a
single sin and stop with that.
M. Sturgeon used to tell of the king
who commanded his subject to make a
chain of three links, and then told him to
make it longer and still longer, and with
the chain bound him and cast him into
prison. How like unto Satan that is
Graces and vice go with linked hands No
tice in Paul's Epistle to the Galatians con-
corning the works of the flesh, Galatians
5: 1921, "Now the works of the flesh are
manifest, which are these Adultery, for
nication, uncleanness, lasciviousness Idol
airy, withcraft, hatred, variance, emula-
tions, wrath, strife, solutions, heresies, en-
wings, murders, drunkenness, revelings
and such like, of the which | tell you be-
fore, as / have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God'S And also
notice his description of the fruit of the
spirit, Galatians 5: 1928, "But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffer
ing, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance; against such there is no law"
Yet this man who deceived his father and
defrauded his brother became a prince
What is thy name? put the question to
YOU, and if you answer correctly some
would say, My name is impatience, or
mine is unkindness, or mine is selfshness,
or mine is pride, for these are the domin-
ant factors in our character. I bid you
take hope this morning because your name
may be changed.
liz
What is thy name? and he might have