The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-02-04
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
n NOTE OF WARMING"

WI VI WANNINSA
Tho Rev. DR.. j. wilbur Chapman Rejoiees
That the Bible Gives Instances Of Fall.
ure 10 Serve - an lnspiration-How
to Avoid Similar Mistakes.
New York CITY.-The following sermon
entitled, "A Note OF Warming was
preached by the great evangelist, the Rev.
DR.. j. Wilbur Chapman.
1t is to the praise OF God that He has IN
His word given Us repeated instances oi
men who have fallen, that they might
be an inspiration to US to avoid similar
mistakes. One can not read the story Of
Adam and Eve without getting q 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 dar: "Nhere art thou" We can not
study the life and character Of Noah with
ont being impressed with the fact that q
man might be used Of God to-day, then to-
morrow wander away 80 far from Him as
10 make grievous mistakes. The whole OF
the Old Testament il q cry to those who
haye 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 He
is Always ready to put our sin away from
Him and from US. -,
One of the best illustrations in the Old
Testament, to my mind, is that OF Saul.
He made a splendid appearance as a king.
When the people demanded a king. God
sent Samuel to look n out, and ne found
Saul, whose appearance was kingly. Ii
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
must have fulfilled the highest expecta-
tions Of the people. A little further on in
bis history the man Of God appears to
him. saying: God is with thee, thou
mighty man" And we have come to the
conclusion. as we look upon him, that 1t Is
indeed true, and when the people cry out
for the king and Saul il called forth, he
stands head and shoulders above the men
gathered about him, and i~nvoluntarily the
people, when they look upon him, are
stirred to such enthusiasm that they shout,
GOD SAVE THE KING"
Afterwe-d, when he went to Gibeah,
there gathered around him "a band OF
men whose hearts God had touched"
Thus the story goes on, with Saul rising
ever higher and higher. in the popular es'
the face of it all. he blackened the pages
of the Old Testament. made the ruling Of
his kingdom a failure, and died by his own
hand-really, in the sight Of God, . muir
derer. .,.
One cannot read such o story a. 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.
I have learned from this story of Saul,
the king, that it 10 possible for one to be
born Of the Spirit, really to be saved, and
to be saved forever, and yet
MISERABLY FAIL
in the sight OF God.
] remember preaching in u OF the
cities Of Indiana. For four days the church
was crowded, but Z crowd is not an indi.
cation of o blessing. Not ~infrequently the
presence of q crowd is ar indication OF
defeat. for preachers are apt under such
circumstances to put their confidence IN
men, rather than in God. During all the
four days not q hand was lifted for prayer,
nor . single indication given that there
might be an awakening on the part Of the
Christian people. The field I was next to
labor in seemed quite ready for the har.
vest, and in the preparatory services many
people were being saved. l called the min.
isters 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 ] felt
when I preached as If I was bound with
chains. After q little conference one OF
the ministers requested that the decision
be withheld for q little, that he felt sure
that he knew where the difficulty was. As
the leader Of our force OF personal work
ers we had one Of the members Of this
ministers church, q man well known
throughout his own State. and q judge Of
seemed that when this man passed through
the audience he sent a cold wave over the
people. From the conference of ministers
the pastor Of this church went into the
Office of this cd judge and said to him:
II have been hearing rumors on the
streets for q long time that your life is not
clean. and ] l have come to say that II these
rumors are untrue ! desire to take some
public stand with you to contradict them,
but ! have also come to say that II they
are true / win stand nearer to you than a
brother, and help you to get free from the
power OF your besetting sin"
The old judge looked a moment ut him,
and then put his head on his arms on the
desk aid sobbed out:
They are all true, and more"
In a moment they were on their knees
in prayer, and it was but q moment more
before the old. judge rose q delivered man,
free from the power Of his sin.
! was Just lifting my hands to pronounce
the benediction at the close OF an afternoon
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, I have been known for
years rs one Of the members of the church
and as an officer of the church. but for q
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
altogether in my city. But ] have
gotten right with my minister, and right
with God; and have come to ask your for
giyeness."
The confession was made with sobs.
afternoon. The people all fled 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 q poor lost man, who was
hopefully sa"ed. In less than sig days
more than 500 people came pressing their
way into the kingdom.
It is likewise a possible thing to have
been filed at one time with the Spirit. and
after all to make a failure OF one's life. II
is not enough to live on the old expe.
however precious they may have
been. 1t is not enough to have been once
C.lled. We must all the time he kept full.
and we can only thus be kept by living in
CLOSE NELL WSHIP AND UNlN1ER.