Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1903-01-22
"A NOTE OF WARNING"
Sunday Sermon By Rev. DR.. J. Wilbur
Chapman.
Relolces That the Bible Gives Instances Of
Failure to Serve as an Inspiration
to Avoid Similar Mistakes

NEW YORK CIrY.-The following sermon
entitled, "a Note of Warming" was
preached by the great evangelist, the Kew.
DIR. j. Wilbur Chapman.
1t is to the praise of God that He has in!
His word given us repeated instances OF
men who have fallen, that they might
serve as warning and their very failure
be an inspiration to us to avoid similar
mistakes One can not read the story OF
Adam and Eve without getting a glimpse
both of the power of Satan in his over
throw of our first parents and the tender.
ness of God as He cried out in the cool OF
the day: "Where art thou" We can not
study the life and character of Noah with
out being impressed with the fact that q
man might be used of God to-day, then to.
morrow wander away so far from Him as
to make grievous mistakes. The whole of
the Old Testament is a cry to those who
have wandered away from God to return.
In their wanderings we get our lessons,
and in Gods cry we have certain evidence
that though we may have sinned, yet lie
is always ready to put our sins away from
Him and from us.
One of the best illustrations in the Old
Testament, to my mind, is that of Saul.
He made splendid appearance as king:
Nnen the people ueudhueu ming. wv
sent Samuel to look one out, and he found
Saul, whose appearance was kingly. If
nothing else recommended him to the
throne this did. The first thing Samuel
did was to pour the amounting oil upon his
head, which was an indication that God
was taking him for His own, and thus
separating him from the world. A little
later we read that the Spirit of the Lord
came upon Saul, and it looks as if he must
have been filled with His presence, and
must have fulfilled the highest expecta-
ttions, of the people. A little further on in
mighty man" And we have come to the
conclusion, as we look upon him.. that it is
indeed true, and when the people cry out
for the king and Saul is called forth, he
stands head and shoulders above the men
gathered about him, and involuntarily the
people, when they look upon him. are
stirred to such enthusiasm that they shout,
GOD SAVE THE KING"
Afterward, when he went to Gibeah,
there gathered around him "a band of
men whose hearts God had touched"
ever higher and higher in the popular es.
TEEN and ia ,or. Yet in the end, and in
the face of it all, he blackened the pages
of the Old Testament, made the ruling Of
his kingdom failure, and died by his own
hand-really, in the sight of God, muir.
derer
One cannot read such story as this
without trembling, and it is for each one
of us to-day that the Bible was written,
that we might know God, and that we
might know ourselves.
| have learned from this story of Saul,
the king, that it is possible for one to be
hnr IF ha To hn
to be saved forever, and yet
MISERABLY FAIL
in the sight of God.
| remember preaching in one of the
cities of Indiana. For four days the church
was crowded, but crowd is not an indi-
cation of blessing. Not infrequentl" the
presence of crowd is an indication of
defeat, for preachers are apt under such
to put their confidence in
men, rather than in God During all the
four days not a hand was lifted for prayer,
nor, a single indication given that there
might be an awakening on the part OF the
Christian people. The field | was next to
labor in seemed quite ready for the har.
vest, and in the preparatory services many
people were being saved. | called the min
listers OF the Indiana city together and
asked them to give me the privilege OF
closing my engagement with them, that
there was some barrier in the way of the
working of Gods Spirit, and that | telt
when | preached as if was bound with
chains. After little conference one Of
the ministers requested that the decision
be withheld for little, that he felt sure
that he knew where the difficulty was. AS
he leader of our force of personal work.
ers we had one of the members of this
minister's church, man well known
throughout his own State, and judge of
one of the highest courts. Somehow it
seemed that when this man passed through
the audience he sent cold wave over the
people. From the conference of ministers
the pastor of this church went into the
office of this old judge and said to him:
II have been hearing rumors on the
streets for long time that your life is not
clean and have come to say that If these
rumors are untrue ! desire to take some
public stand with you to contradict them,
but | have also come to say that If they
are true | will stand nearer to you than a
brother, and help you to get free from the
power of your besetting sin"
The old Judge looked moment at him,
and then put his head on his arms on the
desk and sobbed out
They are all true, and more"
In moment they were on their knees
in prayer. and it was but a moment more
DelOfe tnc Ola JuuRc rose dellNereu man,
free from the power of his sin.
was Just lifting my hands to pronounce
the benedicton at the close of an afternoon
service when the church door opened and
the old judge came in. Having lifted his
hand to ask permission to speak he made
this statement:
my friends, l have been known for
years as one of the members of the church
and as an officer of the church, but for
long time my life has been robbed of its
power and my soul of its peace. have
lost my influence in my home, and | fear
almost altogether in my city. But l have
gotten right with my minister, and right
with God; and have come to ask your for
giveness."
The confession was made with sobs.
There was no benedction pronounced that
afternoon. The people all filed out one
way. Some took the hand of the judge to
say God bless you," some to say nothing,
but to pass with tear-wet cheeks and burn.
ing hearts. But when the evening service
came, and the sermon had been preached
there was a remarkable change. The at.
mosphere seemed like heaven. Fully fifty
people pressed their way to the front to
accept Christ as their Saviour The first
man to come was the old judge, with his
arm around a poor lost man, who was
hopefully saved. In less than six days
more than 500 people came pressing their
way into the kingdom.
There were several reasons why Saul fell.
In the first place, he was jealous of Da.