The Penn's Grove record., 1903-02-13
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
RULES FOR SERVICE"
The Rev. DR.. J.wtlbur Chapman breaches
ON Wha We Should do to Get Our
Reward at the Hands of Coda Heart
Cry to the People.

NoWhru ~ tho d0nds OF CODA heart.
Cry to the People.
New YORK CITY. The distinguished
and wellknown evangelist, the Rev. DIR. j.
Wilbur Chapman, has furnished for pub
hcation the following sermon entitled
Rules of Service" 1t was preached from
the text: mo man that warreth entang-
leth himself with the affairs of this life,
that he may please him who hath chosen
him to be a soldier. And if a man also
strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned,
except he strive lawfully" 2 Timothy, ii:
As.
It is not enough simply to 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 at
the hands of God. Neither is it enough
that n 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 who 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" 1t is a good thing for the Chris
tlan to square his life, both public and pri-
den man Of his heart. by the word of God,
to see II IN any point ne Is falling away
from Gods plan and the Holy Ghosts
guidance. When John, in Revelation,
wrote, Let no man take thy CROWN" he
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 justified,
be perfectly sure Of being ultimately re-
celved into His presence, and 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 W 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-in
this His judgment is given differently from
that Of man, but it is altogether a question
as to what, back of it all, prompted the
service. The giving of the widows mite
and its hearty acceptance by our Master
is an illustration Of this fact, for in the de-
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 superintend a Sunday
school with much success, be a teacher of
acknowledged ability, lead the young peo-
pies work in the church, be a chosen lead
er of the mission work, and upon all these
positions AVE the seal of the approval OF
men and the plaudits of the multitude be-
cause OF acknowledged success, and yet
miserably fail at the great day of awards
to receive one single crown for falthfulness
simply because the work was born in sell
ishness and carried ON in pride. 1t was
not done for the glory of. God, but rather
for the glory of man. One might build
churches, and for his supposed generosity
be highly esteemed of men, and yet re-
ceive a rebuke from the lips of the risen
Christ. One might endow schools which
God would use for the betterment Of So
city and for the accomplishment of His
own purposes or the working of His own
plans, and yet have no recognition on the
great day Of awards. One might give his
money to clothe the poor and feed the hun
cry; he might be known wherever the
English language is spoken, for his charit-
able works, and when the great day OF
awards should come might hear the Mas
ter say:
depart, for I never knew you."
His soul is saved, but his life is lost. All
OF these things are true, because, while
outwardly the service was wonderful and
the success great, the motive that prompt
4 Gu ~ oil was oCIuSu. OCSuS 1liIlSCll Hds
said that there would be some who
should say: Lord, have we not prophe-
sled in Thy name, and in Thy name done
many wonderful works. Thus the teach.
ing becomes more intense and the lesson
more startling, for one might even think
that he was shaping his life according to
Gods plan and yet most terribly miss the
reward.
When Paul wrote his first letter to the
Corinthians he said: 'For other founda
ton can no man lay thar that is laid
which is Jesus Christ. If any mans work
shall be burned he shall suffer loss; but
he himself shall be saved; yet so as by
fire." This is very clearly, to my mind, q
lesson to Christian workers in general, but
to ministers in particular. The foundation
is the same for us all|esus Christ, but
the superstructure may be very different
It is a most solemn thought-one of the
most solemn I know-that when the great
day of fire shall come every mans worl
shall be tried, of what sort it is. The min
istry of the man whom the world honoret
shall be touched by fire. The service o
the Christian worker, from the first effor
made for Christ to the last, shall c~ertainl.
be tested. The teaching of the Sunday
school teacher, throughout his or her en-
tire Christian experience. shall be brough
beneath the searching light of the Son 0
| uOQ. 4uC lCStlilOuN VI CfCiy III
in every land shall be searched throug'
and through. The life in the home, in tn
place of business, in the streets, at HON
or in foreign lands, by day and by night
shall be tested by the fire of God. If tn
work Is burned, the man shall suffer loss
but he himself be saved, though as by fire
It is a tremendously solemn message.
I might have all the experience God ha
given me, as preacher, teacher, evangelist
fo4Lor b,ebonI fr,o11 opd fbou stand hf
fore God at the last with all my wor
swept away, going into His presence wit
the smell of fire upon my garments. Go,
forbid. Paul had this fate in mind whel
he said q Cor. TX: %, 20: Every ma
that striveth for the mastery is temporal
in all things. Now, they do it to obtain
%corruptible crown, but we are lncorruptl
bring it into subsection, lest that by an
means, when / have preached to others,
myself should be a castaway, or las "
have already SEEM, "be d%isapproved."
God keep us from meeting such an e1
~perience al this on that great day!
2. We must labor with clean hands.
God never uses an unclean man. 1t
possible that one may be saved, and We
allow sin in some way to control him.. bu
It is not possible for God to use that whic
is either common or unclean. Come gu
from among them and be We separate, an
touch not the unclean thing-from whic
command of the Scriptures we learn tina
if one is in the very slightest touch wit
the world he is against God, and soon lose
his power; he is shorn of his testimon,
and God sets him aside. Search me, o
God, and know my heart: try me and kno'
nv thoughts, and see if there be an
wicked way in me-" ought to be the CT
of every Christian everywhere.
The old law touching the priesthood is
GOOD thing for us to remember (Leviticu
xxi: / to 81: eAnd the Lord spake unit
Moses. saying: Speak unto Aaron and I
his sons, that they separate themseivt
from the holy things of the children
Isr. ell, and that they profane not My hoi
name in those things which they halo
unto Me: l am the Lord. Say unto then
whatsoever he be of all YOU seed amor
your generations, that goeth unto the no
things which the children of Israel halo
unto the Lord, having his uncleanne
upon him, that soul shall be cut off fro
Nv presence: / am the Lord" The do
trine of separation il the Old Testamel
for the priests is for us in the New Test
ment, for Peter tells us that believers a
priests unto God, every one of us. III
Old Testament doctrine has, howeve
been intensified by the teaching and I'll
touch of Jesus Christ.
"And thou shalt put the mitre upon b
81 - - xl> L@1r ,rorrn rnnn ri