Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-12-06
CHANGED NAME"
Oquent Sermon by Rev. DR.. ].
Wilbur Chapman.
omforting Lessons From the Story Of
Angel and Jaeob-Every Act
Shapes Oar Character and
Name.


together after the manner of an
-rest.ers they bend first this way
N that. and the angel cries. Let
for the dav breaketh." Jacob re.
will not let thee 90 except thou
=, and then the words Of the text
oxen. And he said unto him,
thy name? And he said Jacob"
might have answered the question
ent ways at different times. He
ell nave SAID at one time my name
>. Tor he had deceived his father
nianted his brother. but he might
at another time. my name Is Re.
Or he has given US vision of the
ven. In his dream we have heard
OF God. He nigh; have said on
her occasion. my name is Teacher.
= his tuition We have made pill
INTO the deep THINGS of God. and
truly have said as he came to the
Is career. my name Is Israel. for
lce he had Dower with God and
-. had prevailed. You will notice
the Givns. order. power with God first and
with men afterward. Oh that we might
soon learn that the way 10 influence earth
Is by the wav OF heaven 1t is a singular
question in the text. for in the o,den davs
name was gwen rot merely to CRAFTY the
pr ssin@ whim of the parents nor for the
rake 90 eaphony. but because of charac-
ter: a 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 ueop'e from their sins. and He il
Emmanuel. which signifies God with MS 1t
Is. a most singular question. what Is thy
name:" il the sight OF God. He certainly
knows what it is II is said that our
ma fha l,aS IS
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. 1t is sol
emn thought that every act as well a.
every word in slaping the character and
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 wears before Christ. but still it
is interesting for the reason that human
nature has always been the same. Inter
esting. too. because he was typical Jew.
His life was the lie OF Israel in epitome;
that people found in every country and be-
longing TO none: that people which have
supplied TO Us the hve,iest religions iitera-
ture and are themselves a by-word. which
nave gwen 10 Us the llNetiest lueals IN lie
and are themselves an object OF rIdicule:
that neop.e which have supplied the
worlds greatest characters, for Paul was a
jew and Jesus was a jew. III YOU under.
stand Jacob Won 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
1t 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 a great leader
of men. Elijah was prophet. David was a
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 il or not his sins are in
us in germ whether We have permitted
them to deve,on or not: his aspirations an
peal To us. Where Is there the man who
has not had his Bethel. giving him views oi
heaven and permitting him To hear the
voice ri God. His sorrows appeal to us:
in his l:mping away from .iabbols's ford. in
his sorrow AZ the Lonely grave where his
beloved Rachel was buried and in his
agony over his lost Joseph many of us have
the deepest sympathy because we ourselves
have Suffered. but it is a great comfort at
the end to see him coming forth more
than oonqueror. 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-
ceives the Old man in his blindness. telling
him that he is Esau when he l. Jacob, and
the old father saying to him the voice is
the voice OF Esau, but the hands do not
belong to him. How he must have trem.
bled. | 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
single sin and stop with that.
NJ. Spurgeon used to tell OF the king
who commanded his subject to make
chain OF three links, and then told him to
make II 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 Paurs 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. unc,eanness. lasciviousness, lido.
airy, withcraft. hatred. variance emula.
f'ons, wrath. strife, seditions. 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" And also
notice his description of the fruit of the
spirit. Galatians 5: 22-23, But the fruit OF
the Spirit Is love. JOY, peace. long suffer.
ing, gent.eness. 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: i put the question to
you. and If YOU answer correctly some
would say. My name is impotence, or
mine is unSindness, or mine Is se.fishness
or mine is pride, for these are the domin
ant factors in our character. | bid YOU
take hope this morning because your name
may be changed.
What is thy name: and he might have
said Revealer. | can see him as he hurries
away from his old home when his mother
told him of the just anger OF Esau. and
behold him fleeing to the north The night
comes quickly upon him, and he lands
upon a certain place and tarries there all
night, and this place is Bethel. 1t is bleak
and barren. His only pillow is the stones
about him, and as he falls upon the ground
he sleeps and as he sleeps he dreams. and
in this dream he beholds the ladder which
leads me to say that earth has always
been linked TO heaven, not with a golden
chain as the poet sings, not with the silken
cords OF gravitation as the scientist de.
clares, these certainly, Int before all of
these heaven united in Him who became
incarnate 1900 years ago. The interesting
thing to me about this ladder is that it
reaches down just where we are. 1t may
be we are in poverty, possibly in suffering,
perhaps in despair, but the ladder is just
before us. Bring your burdens to the foot
of it. and let the ascending angels bear