The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-03-13
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
"RULEs FOR SERVICE"

NEW YORK CITY. - The distinguished
and welltnown evangelist, the Rev. d. .
Wilbur Chapman, has furnished for pup, |
LEGATION the following sermon enutiea
"Rues of Service" IL was preached from
the text: mo man that warreth entang-
leth himself with the affairs OF tins lie,
that he may please him who hath chosen
him TO be soldier. And IT a man also
strive for masteries, yet Is he not crowned
except he strive lawfully" 2 Timothy, IL
4, 8.
1t is nos enough simply 70 perform what
might be called good deeds, IN the estima-
ton of the world, for one might receive the
! applause of men, and miss his reward az
| the hands OF God. Neither is it enough .
| that one should be so given TO service that
/ he might win the applause OF people every /
! where There IS no special promise IN /
| Gods word written for the man VINO Is
| simply faithful in outward service. Paul |
must have had this IN mind when he said: |
| yet Is he not crowned except he strive !
lawfully" It is a good thing for the Chris |
tian 90 square his life, both public and prl-
vate, his iunCrmost thoughts, and the hid
| den man of his heart. by the word OF God,
to see if in any point he Is falling away
from Gods plan and the Holy Ghosts
guidance When John, in Revelation,
wrote, Let no man take thy crown" ne
presented what to my mind IS one OF the
most solemn subjects IN all the Bible,
namely. that one might be saved, have his
sins forgiven stand before God lustlhed,
be perfectly sure Of being ultimately re-
ceived into His presence, cnd be saved
throughout eternity, and yet MISS his re-
ward and lose his crown.
This chapter is a note Of warning and a
heart cry to people everywhere to search
their lives, aided by the Spirit, to ask God
to deal very thoroughly with them even
though this dealing may mean the cutting
off OF some very much loved sin or the CIV
ing up of some long cherished plan.
!. All service must be prompted by
right motives.
1t is not so much how the work appears
outWardly that commends it to GOd-ln
this His Judgment is given differently from
that of man, but it Is altogether question
, as TO what, back Of it all, prompted the
service The giving of the widows mite
l and its hearty acceptance by our Master
is an illustration of this fact, for IN the de-
sire that prompted the gift was found
that which was of ten thousand times
more value than the gift itself.
One might preach the gospel and win
hundreds of souls for Christ, and the mo-
tives that prompted the preaching be
: wrong. One might superlntend Sunday
school with much success, be teacher OF
acknowledged ability, lead the young ,peo-
l pies work in the church, be a chosen lead
positions have the seal OF the approval OF
men and the plaudits of the multitude be
cause Of acknowledged success, and YET
d miserably fail at the great day OF awards
q to receive one single crown Tor talthtulnes!
simply because the work was born IN sci
fshness and carried on in pride. 1t wa
e not done for the glory OF God, but rathlee
j for the glory of man. One might DuuC
churches, and for his supposed generoat,
- be highly esteemed of men, and yet re
ceiye a rebule from the hips OF the rlsel
IL Christ One might endOW schools Wmc
God would use for the betterment OF SO
st city and for the accomplishment OF Ill
o. own purposes or the working of His oW
. plans, and yet have no recognition on tn
great day of awards. One might give hi
ty money to clothe the poor and feed the hur
or CRY; he might be known wherever tn
English language is spoken, for his charl
able works, and when the great day {
IN awards should come might hear the Ma
III ter say:
of His soul is saved, but his life is lost. A
VI of these things are true, because, viii
III outwardly the service was wonderful an
the success great, the motive that promp
sic ed it all was selfish. Jesus Himself III
TO said that there would be some wi
should say: Lord, have we not proph
sled in Thy name, and IN Thy name dol
lar ing becomes more intense and the less
err more startling for one might even thin
that he was shaping his life according
Gods plan and yet most terribly miss t
no reward.
les When Paul wrote his first letter to t
the Corinthians he said: "For other founC
ton can no man lay than that is la,
oor which is Jesus Christ. If any mans wo
9"L shall be burned he shall suffer loss;
q hall h. en- q
oOo fire" This is very clearly, to my mind
lessen to Christian workers in general,
oh to ministers in particular. The toundatl
"a is the same for us all-Jesus Christ,
NJ, the superstructure may be very dlttere
Il 1t is a most solemn thought-one OF
nat most solemn | know-that when the gr
dav of fire shall come every mans VIZ
shall be tried, of what sort it is. The m
istrv of the man whom the world hono
shall be touched by fire. The service
the Christian worker, from the first ell
ave made for Christ to the last, shall certal
itv. be tested. The teaching of the Sund
~ school teacher, throughout his or her
,o ~. tire Christian experience, shall De p r
last beneath the searching hight OF the, son
God. The testimony of every Christ
colt in every land shall be searched thro
Gle and through. The life in the home, in
place Of business, in the streets, at nc
OF IN Foreign lands, by day and by MI
or shall be tested by the fire OF God. II
this work is burned, the man shall suffer
but he himself be saved, though as by
- 1t is a tremendously solemn message.
5 - might have all the experience God
$50 oiven me. al preacher. teacher, evange
father, husband friend, and then stand
Y. fore God at the last with all my "
,F n swept away, going into His presence Y
u " the smell Of fire upon my garments.
forbid. Paul had this fate in mind "
clSey he said u Cor. TX; %, 27): every
1000 that striveth for the mastery is tempe