The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-01-22
IS AN INSPIRATION.
DR.. CHAPMANS SUNDY SERMON.

DR.. CHAPMAN'S SUNDY SERMON.
An Example That Should Encourage
Us to Labor Faithfully In Religious
Work.
NEW YORK CITY.--The following sermon
entitled, "a Note of Warning" was
preached by the great evangelist, the Rev.
DR.. j. Wilbur Chapman.
II 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 sll liar
mistakes. One can not read the story OF
Adam and Eve without getting glimpse
both of the power of Satan in his over
throw Of our first parents and the tender
the day: Where art thou:' We can not
study the life and character of Noah with
out being impressed with the fact that a
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 4 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 He
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 a splendid appearance as a king.
When the people demanded a king God
sent Samuel to look one out, and he 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
have been filled with His presence, and
must have fulfilled the highest expecta-
tioas of the people. \ little further on in
his 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 is called forth, he
stands hcad and shoulders above the men
gathered aUout him. and involuntarily the
people. when they look upon him: are
s.ir.cd 10 such enthusiasm that they shout,
GOD SAVE THE KING
Aiterwari, when ne went to Gibeah.
there gathered around him "a band OF
mea whose hearts God had touched"
Thus the story goes on, with Saul rising
ever higher and higher in the popular es-
teem and favor. Yet in the end. and in
the face of il 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, a mur-
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.
1 have learned from This story OF Saul,
the king. that it is possible for one to bc
born OF the Spirit, really to be Sarcd, and
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 a crowd is not an inGi-
ca ioa oi :. blessing. Not infrequently the
PIE c!icc "a a crowd is an indication OF
dcisat. for preachers are apt under such
circumstances to put their confidence IN
men. rathar than in God. During all the
fOu. days not Il hand was lifted for prayer,
nor single indication given that there
might be- in awakening on the part OF lhe
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. i called the MP.
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 l felt
when I preached as il / 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
the leader Of our force, of personal work
ers we had one of the members OF this
minister's church. a man we'll 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 a cold wave over the
people. From the conference OF ministers
Office of this old Judge and said to him:
Il have bc,u hearing rumors on the
streets for lg time that your life is not
clean. and / nave come to say that If these
rumors are untrue | desire to take some
pubic stand with you to contradict them,
but | have also come to say that II they
are true | will stand nearer to you than
brother, and help you to get free from the
power of your besetting sin"
The old judge looked a moment at him,
and then put his head on his arms on the
desk ald sobbed ont:
They are all true, and MORE
In a moment they were on their knees
in prayer, and it was but moment more
before the old judge rose delivered man,
free from the power; of his sin.
was just lifting my hands to pronounce
the benedction 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 be made
this statement:
MY friends, I 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 ! 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 benediction 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
inp haarfs Rof whom tho eyanipo carvire