The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-02-27
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
a DISCOURSE ENTITLED 1.-THE COS.
Pei IN THE OLD TESTAMENT"

NhW YORK CITY. The following sermon |
entitled "The Gospel in the Old Tesla. |
ment,' was preached by the famous evan |
gelst, DIR. J. Wilbur Chapman, from the |
Text And when the fowls came down
upon the carcasses, Abram drove them
away." Genesis XIV: IN.
In an parts of the word Of God. both in
the Old Testament and the New, we And
Gods provision made for cleansing the
sinner. II, In the light of all that has
been said we ,eel ourselves condemned
and that II the day Of awards came to-
morrow we should suffer loss and lose our
crown, though we shall be saved, yet 80
ms by fire" this thought should come to
us as an inspiration, that all our sins may
bc b0tted out and our transgressions for
gwen. IL IS of great cheer therefore, for
Is 10 study the subject now given. IL is
not necessary simply that we should IA
miliarize ourselves with the New Icsta.
mcnti this rs, OF course, essential; but il
We would know Gods ability Go cleanse
we ougA to know the Old Testament
Scriptures, with their types and eeremo-
mics.
The birds of the Bible form an interest
Ing subject for investigation The first
mention Of them in the Old Testament is
IN Genesis /: 2l-"And God created great
whales, aRd every living creature that
moYeth, which the waters brought forth
abnndanty, after their kind, and every
winged fowl after his kind; and God saw
that il was good" Since that time they
are to be seen flying through many Of the
stories OF holy writ, filled with lessons of
sweetness and power Their songs have
been the sweetest, their plumage has been
the brightest, their teaching has been the
best. The eagle mounting up far above
She earths and building its nest above the
clouds, is a picture of Christian exhilara-
ton. Isaiah had it IN mind when he said:
They that wait upon the Lord shall re-
new their strength; they shall mount up
with wings as eagles; they shall run and
not be weary; they shall walk and not
.kaint." The same bird, preparing its nest
and pushing out its little ones so that they
may learn to fly, offers a splendid illustra-
SION OF the providence Of God in thus
seeming severe, but with the outcome al.
ways glorious, Every man who has come
60 know God in Christ must certainly saw
WIta the apostle Paul, "Al things work to-
Eether for good, to them that love God"
When Elijah was at the brook Cherth,
and the waters had passed from his vision,
and he himself was on the verge of star
walton, the birds fed him. Every little
sparrow that comes fitting through the
air Is a reminder Of what Jesus said: mot
a sparrow falleth to the ground but your
heavenly Father lnoweth it."
But as we read the Old Testament sto-
rles we find that there are also birds Of
prey. They too, have their lessons, but
Che stories they tell are not so bright and
happy. This lesson in the text is along
this line.
Abram is q wonderful study for the
Christian. In the great events of his life
he perfectly typiies the experience through
which every Christian has passed. When
God called him from Ur of the Chaldees
he was an illustration of our being called
from the land of sin and death. When he
separated himself from Terah, his father
5n-aW, it emphasized what Jesus said, "A
man must forsake father and mother and
his own life if he would be My disciple
Every Christian if he is to be used of God,
must forsake the world In Abrams sep.
aration from Lot he is a perfect illustration
OF the demand made in the New Tesla.
ment that we must, if we would be filed
with the Holy Spirit of God, separate our
selves even from the flesh.
There is a great battle waging, as we fine
when we read the connection of the text
with other verses of Scripture. It is writ
ten IN Genesis xiv: l4l6-"And wheT
Abram heard that his brother was takeT
captive he armed his trained servants
born in his own house, 3l8, and pursued
chem unto Dan. And he divided himsel
against them, he and his servants, BY
night, and smote them, and pursued then
unto Hobah, which is on the left hand o
0aHAhbCu5. anu ue DLOuBub UdCh dill ll'
goods, and also brought again his brothe
Lot, and his goods, and the women also
and the people"
It is here we find real test of Abram
Many a man has gone down just wher
Abram stood. God is always giving u
tests of character.
Read very carefully the twenty-first t
Che twenty-fourth verses of the fourteent
chapter of Genesis, and notice Abrams an
swgr: "And the king of Sodom said unit
Mhram. Give me the persons and take tn
goods to thysef And Abram said to tn
king of Sodom, | have lift up mine han
unto the Lord, the most high God, tn
Dossessor of heaven and earth, that
viii not take from a thread even to a shot
gsachet and that | will not take anythin
that is thine. lest thou shouldest say,
have made Abram rich; save only tha
which the young men have eaten, and I'll
portion of the men which went with m
Amer, Eschol and Mamre; let them tai
their portion" 1t always pays to stan
Tor God as against men in this worl
This is clearly taught in Genesis XIV: l.
"After these things the word of ii
lord came unto Abram in a vision, sa
ing, Fear not, Abram; | am thy shell
amd thy exceeding great reward. Ar
Abram said, Lord God, what wilt Tho
give me, seeing l go childless. and Il
steward of my house is this Eliezer
Damascus? And Abram said, Behold
me Thou hast given no seed; and 10, Of
born in my house is mine heir. And, b
hold. the word of the Lord came unto hin
saving, This shall not be thine heir, b
ne that shall come forth out Of thine ov
bowels shall be thine heir. And
brought him forth abroad, and said, 10
row toward heaven, and tell the stars,
chou be able to number them; and He sa
~ unto him, So shall thy seed be. And
believed in the Lord: and he counted
20 him for righteousness. And He sa