The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-02-25
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
an ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
RULES FOR SERVICE"

New York CITY. The distinguished
and %well.known evangelist, the Rev. DR.. }.
Wilbur Chapman, has furnished for pub.
| location the following sermon entitled
Rules of Service" 1t was preached from
the text: NO man that warreth entang-
leth himself with the affairs Of this life,
| that he may Please him who hath chosen
him to be u soldier. And If a man also
| strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned
as. =,
1t 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 10 it enough
| that one should be so given to service that
he might win the applause Of people every
where There 10 no special promise IN
Gcd's word written for the man who is
must have had this in mind when he said:
yet is he not crowped except he strive
lawfully" It is a good thing for the Chris
tiau to square his life, both public and pri-
vate, his inncrmost !hocghts, and the hid
den man Of his heart. BY the word OF God,
to see If in any point he is falling aw:y
from Gods plan and the Holy Ghost ,
guidance. When John, in Revelation,
! wrote, Let no man take thy crown he
presented what to my mind is n Of the
most solemn subjects in all the Bible.
sins forgiven, stand before God justified,
be perfectly sure Of being ultimately re.
ce;ved 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 q
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 II some very much loved sin or the Civ
ing up Of some long cherished pan.
!. All service must be prompted By
right motives.
It is not so much how the work appears
oltwardly that commends it 10 God-ln
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
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 superintend a Sunday.
school, with much success, be q 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 have the seal Of the approval OF
men and the plaudits of the multitude be-
cause OF acknowledged success. and yet
miserabiy fail at the great day OF awards
to receive one single crown for f~aithfulness
simply because the work was born in sell
6shness 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 uEe Tor the betterment OF So
city and for the accomplishment Of His
own purposes or the working of His own
plans, and yet have N recognition on the
great day OF awards. One might give his
money to c!othe the poor and feed the hun.
cry; he might be known wherever the
English language is spoken, for his eharit.
awards should come might hear the Mas
ter say:
Depart. for I never knew you"
His soul is saved, but his life il lost. All
OF these things are true, because, while
outwardly the service was wonderful and
the success great, the motive that prompt.
ed it all was selfish. Jesus Himself has
said that there would be some who
should say: Lord, have we not proPhe-
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
be himself shall be saved; yet SO as by
lesson to Christian workers in general. but
to ministers in particular. The foundation
is the same for us all-Jesus Christ, but
the suDerstructure may be very different.
It is q most solemn ~thought-one Of the
most solemn ! know-that when the great
day Of fire shall com every mans work
shall be tried, OF what sort 1t Is. The min.
istry OF the man whom the world honored
shall be touched by fire. The service Of
made for Christ to the last. shall certainly
be tested. The teaching OF the Sunday
school teacher, throughout his or her en-.
tire Christian experience. shall he 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
Place Of business. in the streets. ut home
or in foreign lands. by day and by night,
shall be tested by the fire Of God; II the
work Is burned, the man shall suffer loss,
but he himself be saved, though rs BY fire.
1t is n tremendously solemn message.
! might have all the experience God has
given me. rs 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
that striveth for the mastery is temperate
in all things. Now, they do it to obtain a
| c%orruptible GRO xn, but we are incorrupti.
bic. Bl. I keep under my body. and
bring it into subsection, lest that by any
means, when l have preached to others, l
myself should be a c~astaway,' or las we
have already seem. "be disapproved."
God keep US from meeting such IN ex.
perience a. this on that great day!
9. We must labor with clean hands.
God never uses TN unclean man. 1t Is
| possible that one may be saved. and yet
allow sin in some wav to control him. but
| it is not possible for God to use that which
il either common or unc,can. Come out
from among them and be We separate. and
touch not the unclcan thing'-from which
command Of the Scriptures We learn that
il one is in the very slightest touch with
the world he is against God. and soon loses
bis power; he is shorn Of his testimony.
and God sets him aside. Search me. oh
| God, and know my heart; try me and know
my thoughts. and see il there be any
wicked way in me-" ought to be the cry
| of every Christian everywhere.
The cd law touching the priesthood is a
good thing for Us tn remember (Leviticus
xxi: l to 81: And the Lord spake unto
/ Moses .,v;n.. SneoE unto Aaron and 10