Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1903-02-12
"RULES FOR SERVICE"
Sunday Sermon By Rev. DR.. J. Wilbur
Chapman.
What We Should Do to Get Our Reward al
'he Hands Of God-A heart'Cry
TO the People.

him to be soldier. And if man also
strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned,
except he strive lawfully" Timothy, ii:
IS.
1t is not enough simply to perform what
might be called good deeds, in the estma.
tion, 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 one should be so given to service that
he might win the applause of people every
where. There ls 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 good thing for the Chris.
tian to square his life, both pubic and ,prii'
vate, his innermost 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 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:
ceivcd into His presence, and be saved
throughout eternity, and yet miss his re.
ward and lose his crown.
This chapter is note OF warning and
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-in
Il
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.
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.
tivcs that prompted the preaching DO
wrong. One might superntend Sunday.
school with much success, be teacher of
acknowledged ability, lead the young PEG.
pies work in the church, be chosen lead.
er of the mission work, and upon all these
positions have the seal of the approval of
men and the p,audits of the multitude be-
cause OF acknowledged success, and vet
miserably fail at tine great day of awards
to receive one single crown for talthfulness
simply because the work was born in sell
fshness 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 rebuke from the lips of the risen
Christ. One might endow schools which
God would Use for the betterment of so.
city ind for the accomplishment of His
own purposes or the working of His own
pans, and yet have no recognition on tho
great day OF awards. One might give his
money to clothe the poor and feed the hur'
CRY; he might be known wherever tho
English language is spoken, for his charit
able works, and when the great dav OF
awards should come might hear the Mas
ter say:
Depart. for | never knew vou."
His soul is saved. but his life is lost. All
of these things are true, because. while
ontwlrdly the service was wonderful and
the success great, the motive that prompt
ed it all was selfish. Jesus Himself has
said that there would he some who
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 than 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 ms by
fire" This is very clearly, to my mind,
to ministers in particular. The foundation
is the same for us all--Jesus Christ, hut
the superstructure may be very different.
1t is a most solemn thought-one of the
most solemn ] know-that when the great
day of fire shall come every mans work
shall be tried, of what sort it is. The min:
istry of the man whom the world honored
shall be touched by fire. The service of
the Christian worker, from the first effort
be tested. The teaching of the Sunday
school teacher, throughout his or her en-
tire Chris tian experience, shall be brought
beneath the searching light Of the Son of
God. The testimony of every Christian
in every land shall be searched through
and through. The life in the home. in the
pace of business. in the streets at home
or in foreign lands. by day and by night,
shall be tested by the fire of God. If the
work is burned, the man shall suffer loss,
but he himself be saved. though as by fire:
| might have all the experience God has
given me, as preacher. teacher, evangelist.
father. husband, friend, and then stand be-
fore God at the last with all my work
swept away. going into His presence with
the smell of fire upon my garments. God
forbid. Paul had this fate in mind when
he said Il Cor. tx: 25, 2O Every man
that striveth for the mastery is temperate
in all things Now, they do it to obtain a
upt;h'o 1,nf II,
bic. Bat I keep under my body. and
bring it into subsection, lest that by any
means, when | have preached to others. l
myself should be a castaway,' or las we
have already seem. abe disapproved."
God keep us from meeting such AN OK
perience az this on that great day!
2. We must labor with clean hands. !,
God never uses an unclean man. 1t Is
possible that one may be saved, and yet
it is not possible for God to use that which
ia either common OF unclean. Come out
from among them and be we separate, and
touch not the unclean thing"-from which
command of the Scriptures we learn that
ii one is in the very slightest touch with
the world he is against God, and soon loses
his power; he is shorn of his testimony,
and God sets him aside. "Search me, oh
iod, and know my heart; try me and know
my THOUGHTS, anu see III IHeTe nc any
wicked way in me" ought to be the cry
Of every Christian everywhere.
The old law touching the priesthood is a
good thing for us to remember (Leviticus !
xxi: to 81: "And the Lord spake unto
Moses saying: Speak unto Aaron and to
his sons, that they separate themselves
from the holy things of the children of |
Isr. ell, and that they profane not My hoy |
name in those things which they hallow ,
unto Me: am the Lord. Say unto them,
IVhosoever he be of all your seed among
your generations, that goeth unto the holy |
things which the children of Israel hallow |
unto the Lord having his unc'eanness
rpon him, that soul shall be cut off from
My presence: arr the Lord The doc
rine Of separation in the Dad Testament
." lie priests is for us in TIE New fiesta
mani fnr Deter tolls IL that hplinNers are /,