THE NEARNESS OF GOD Sunday Discourse By Dr. Chapman, the 4 Noted Pastor-Evangelist. Alphabet of Divine Love—Not Enough of God im Nature to Satisfy our Souls, mr Chapman's sermons continue to excite the greatest interest and to give the greatest gatisfaction to that large body of American peonle who demand a striking discourse for their weekly reading. 'The distinguished pastor-evangelist has prepared the follow- ing sermon for the press. It is entitled “The Nearness of God,” and is preached from the text, “Thou art near, O Lord.” Pralm 110: 151. This text is taken from one of the long: est Psalms in the Bible. but it is remarka- ble not onlv on account of its length, but because of ite teaching. Like the celestial eity it lieth four square: the heighth and the depth and the length and the breadth of it are the same. There is but one theme in all the Psalm and that is the word of God. and reminds one of nothing so much as a diamond which as vou hold it as the light touches it from every ride it sends out to all beholders the evidences of its beauty and of its worth. and this 118th Psalm is the make-up of the word of Ged, for everv verse except two, namely, the 1224 and the 132d refer in some way to God's word, and it is mentioned either un- der the figure of law, or testimonies, or word, or precents. The writer of this Pealm must have been inspired with the ward of God as he knew it. T have heard of an old Christian who meditated his way through the Bible three times. Sarelv this is the secret of a wholly havroy life. Tn 1880 at the time of great political excitement William Wilberforce snade this note in his diary. “1 have walked this morning from Hyde Park corner re- peating the 119th Psalm, and having gomfort.” Martin Luther sai renting on this Psalm, “David rw shaken every fruit God's pnd gathered fruit therefrom ” I. portions of the Serir this Psalm hase wen generally named It has been called ghe alphabet of divine love, perhaps be- eause of because it ated into ight group 1s etter of the Hebrew al- habet until the alphabet 16 exhausted. Tt i really the Alpha and Omega of the word of God. In the New Testament the inear- nate word or Saviour is represented as the '‘Alnha and Omega. Mav the alphabet has been exhausted in ing to us His graces. and also 1 the Old Testament the } exhausted in speaking of It has also been called ti doctrines. and 1 have been amazed to see how many are here presented Pardor justification, sanctification, they are all here. It alan has been renresented ac the storehouse of the Holy Snirit, for really no part of the Bible i= He more wond fully presented. and it has been spoken of as the schonl of truth, for really nothing is omitted. We might lose all the rest of the Bible, but if we had this we w 1d know God and might find our wav up to Him. Throoeh 150 verses David : ing of all these things and has heen talk- ing of God, when suddenly as if he were mpressed with the fact that He of whom e had been speaking was near he bursts out in the cry of our text, “Thou art near, © Lord.” It is a possible thing for one to reach so profoundly that he loses sight of Jim of whom he speaks: or a Sundav- school teacher to teach her lesson and al most to be unconscions of the presence of forint of whom she ha= been teaching. It a good thing for us all to stop azain and gain and say. “Thou art near, O Lord.” or He is indeed nearer to us than any earthly friend. great garden other tree In ike fare ture division, is separ and each of verses 1 1 it not lisp] has been spea 1 p—— . Kindred texts. There are certain texts in the Scripture which are akin to the one I have chosen. as. for example, Psalm 121 5. “The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.” If the Lord is our keeper why need we go astray, for He neither slumbers or sleeps. Psalm 34: IR. is another text, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart: saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” 1 am sure I am speaking for vou all when 1 say there never has heen a heartache if we have accented our disc pline as He intend ed, that He haz not been graciously near to us. Philippians the { chapter and the fifth verse, the last ol; . iz another illus. and i= very mucl text own unto all The Lord is at hand” Panl hae been speaking of peace i Christian fellowship. when peaks ont id of old at hand.” and immed hn this sentence, “Be careful for course we need be eareful for nothing the Lord is at hand. for He burden w i hein us to every trial. The 23d Pealm another beautiful illustration It has been my privilege within the past few dave to wut by the death bed of a young man who may even now be passing out and when 1 told him we end come for him he said, “It ix a long journey to make alone, is it not?” My only answer was this 23d Psalm, “Yea, though [ walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 1 will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” and be brushed the tears out of his eves and said. “Then I am not afraid.” nor need we be at any time, for He is always with us. We learn by contrast to admire many things. Those who have studied the Paintings of Sir Noel Paton must have ob served ‘that part of their peculiar beauty lies, by a trick of art, in their partial uglhi- ness. here are flowers and birds, knights and ladies, gossamer winged fairies and children of seraphic beauty, but in the corner of the canvas, or just at their feet, some uncouth and loathsome form—a toad 4 lizard, a slimy snail—-to lend, by con. trast with its repulsiveness, a lovelier beauty to the rest. So in ancient scalp. ture the griffin and the dragon grin among the angel faces on the cathedral front. heightening the surrounding beauty of their deformity, Many of the literary sit. uatiens of the New Testament powerfully exhibit this species of contrast. The twelve Gisciples-—one of them is a devil. Jesus BE cross, pure and regal-or th ide a thief. And here, as Tuna in this fifteenth chapter of Luke, the most exquisite painting in the Bible is touched off at the foot with the black thunder. cloud of the elder brother— erfect as a mere dramatic situation. And to here we understand better that the Lord is by our when we imagine for a moment all He is awa, from ue. In Pealm 118: 6 we read, Lord is on my side: 1 will not ’ what can an do unto me?’ This. ourse, 1s for the child of God, but in Proverbs 15: 29, we read, “The Lord is far t He heareth the pray- God it ui we } n m : 18, - land i ni h Site al them th. im, to ail that ca Him in truth,” while if we would know the contrasting statement for those who are hot yet children we have the sol 1: 28, “Then but I will not an- k Me early, but they and yurth “e the vour moderation } ' DEAT every ith ue and overcome 1% g into the eternity. that th had ia near. There are so many ways in ich He is near to us, First: In trea is a great mistake, however, to think t we can find enough of God in nature satisfy our souls, for we cannot, There & verse written by Browning, if 1 mis. not, in which he says something like is crammed with heaven, and every husk is on fire with God.” Dut it is this way. He is near to us in providences, and as a rule for the Christian God ie never nearer than when we pass through trial, We sometimes see farther through our tears than in any other way, for they are like telescopes. A friend of mine was showing me a picture the other day taken with a telescope camera, in which a mount- ain fifteen miles away was brought so near that vou could study it in minutest detail. But He is nearest, of course, in Jesus Christ, First: He is near as a sin-forgiving God. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8: 1. The thought of the judgment is sogething awful, but let it be remembered that the word “condemna- tion” is the same in the Greek as “judg ment,” and for those who are in Christ Jesus, whatever their sins, judgment 1 forever past. Second: He is near as a promise-keeping God. “For all the promises of God in Him are vea, and in Him amen, unto the glory of God by us.” II Corinthians 1: 20. There is not in all the exigencies of our lives a trial that cannot be offset by a promise of help found in the Bible and these all centre in Him. : Third: He is near as a prayer-answering God. John 16: 24, “And in that day ve shall ask Me nothing Verily, verily, say unto youn, Whatsoever ve shall as Father in My name, He will Hitherto have ve asked not name: ask and ve shall recei jov may be full,” This is Go and if our pravers have not the difficulty is witl Fourth: He is nea John 14: 810, “ Have 1 been so | hast thou not hath seen Me a how savest the Father? Believest 101 Father and the words that 1 } of Myself. but the in Me: He doeth t words Jesus wanted had seen Him blind and raise th SOrTOWing Father in His inf a9 ar ) 1 the he ge 3 he We have lost the First Jacob awaked out Lord }yY the i fligh 1 aay ike) tO sav arate us 20 He cannot heart, for th wee Second "xo He said, Draw not ni shoes off whereon thou Moses had no idea that in the burning bush, for pecting Him, and let that we have failed to our minds are not set uj every side oO 8, and from thy feet tandest is he ground he would see God he was not ex be remembered Him becau on Him. Hei if we did but look for Him we should see Him at « turn of life and every hour of the day. Your pos may be very unsatisf nry to you, but it is possible for you the most me- nial place to see Christ as Paul had visions of Him constantly, and yet he was only a tent maker Third: In Amos 3: 3, we read, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” and that word “agreed” in the Hebrews is betrothal, while in the Greek is * phony.” The reason we have Jost with God is because we have disagreed with Him. If we were indifferent to that one to whom we were betrothed ia we have been to the claim of God there would hate been no marriage, and if we were as indifferent to the wife of our home as we have been to H there would be no happy home. Oh, that we might agree with Him to-day and keep step with Hi we would sce Him constant iv He ps i of YEery tion As He is near and w 37: 2, 4 dered by his way. : utteriy cast dow h with His } v am oid; righteous f bread.” God's w “He wil He that We may but te] Of ¥ A Tig for«agen, kee not ix He is near, ngs of Loe We were were n 1 God dence of His presence, joy Oh, woe nished room of God, { tecting us, defending pestilence, and so turnin death from Trouble near, but it cannot overthrow 2. there 1s a grag Psalm 27: 2, of this. “When the wicked. ea that might is, us even mane en emies and my foes came 1 me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.” The Psalmist has a vision of the enemy coming fiercely against him, just about to lay hand upon him when suddenly he stuns bles and falls. Then in the 12th chapter of Acts there is a picture of Peter sleeping between the two soldiers. Herod is just about to lay hands upon him to bring him when suddenly the chain snaps and he is free. This is just hike God. Trouble al: most breaks our hearts, but not quite; rea sop is aimost dethroned, but not alto. gether. He will not suffer us to be cast down and utterly forsaken. Vv What a help. Hf we could only get into the way of saying over and over, “Thou art near, O Lord,” we should be greatly strengthened. First: It would keep our lives pure, for we would pot so frequently be lost to sin if we were conscious of His nearness, Second: It would strengthen us in the hour of temptation to suddenly pause and say over and over, "Thou art near, O Lord,” for He would immediately give us the strength to escape. : Third: It will greatly help us in trial to say, “Thou art near to me, O Lord.” It would greatly assist in the transfor. mation of character if we but realized His nearness. . Moses saw Him, and his {ave shone; Paul bad a vision of Him and never was the same again, It will greatly help ne when the need comes, for He will then be near. One of my friends in preaching to the soldiers in the time of the war visited a hospital, and was asked by a nurse if he would not when he had finished his service cross over to an adjoining hospital and minister to the comfort of a dying boy. He agreed to come and finished his service with the soldiers by joining with them in singing, “Jesus, SavioBr, Pilot Me.” When he reached the second hospital tent the nurse told him that the young soldier was dead, and he died, she said as you sang the last hymn. While you were singing it he said it with you, and this was the hymn: “When at last I near the shore, And the fearful breakers roar "Twixt me and the peaceful yest, Then while leaning on Thy breast, ay ¢ to me “Fear not, 1 will pilot thee!’ ” COMMERCIAL REVIEW, Cenernl Trade Conditions, Dun & Co.'s "Weekly ' savs: R. G f Trade Fach day brings the agricultural pro the nation nearer 10 maturity, 1 possibility of any serious in naller the feeling of con ly sustained trade grows Railway stock to new gold ruled easy Review rose was exported, Tt iy oats ading speculative but all HE i gram oplion the outlook improy records and HeNE) ceded corn as the le CL real, i 1 nded lower LATEST QUOTATIONS. ir, $3 1503.1 Chaicn Fax Tour—Spring cl arent. #4 6! ! A Ni v heat w Wiel Dhnia . ’ eT {UL7 Na 1d) Wakefield, NS Torrid per $1.00. Cucumbers Charleston. § ket 12a20¢ North Caro Eggplants, Florida, per crate §i Huckelberries, j quart Tak tuce, Naot er bushel box Onions, New per basket Peaches, Florida, per carrier $1.00a1.50 Pineapples, Florida, per crate §2.004 (00. String beans, per bushel, green, wax, J0adlc Tomatoes, Pou per six-basket carrier, fancy, Sc do, fair to good 25a 30¢ Potatoes, Norfolk, per bri, Ne 1, lo, seconds, Thcafl 00; do, North per Qe ow ~ ut 100 Cantalouy £ Li ont WW i flint 7 Rie. sd) Let 20u2bo Sa S00 go na, er ive, i ao, Carolina $1 00ul parator, 23a24c; cream, 22a28¢; prints, 1.1b 25a26¢; Ro Dairy pts. Md., Pa., Vs. culls, ! bri, Gathered Eggs Fresh-l agen, F Rteers, AssOCIR 60.1bs and uy cows and Light steers Products. — Bulk es s¢; bulk shou bulk bell 13¢c; bulk ham butts, CIOAr rib siGes © %¢: bacon 13¢: bacon a breasts 11%¢; 1c; or Ibe, ; refined lard tierces, brie refined lard, refined $C; SURAT-CUTY 1iXec: i r cured shoulders lifornin hams, INCADYAREQ sugar cured i Hams Canvas 2 over, 14 0 Ib cans, gross, 1140; 11%¢; C i A BENG. second-hand tubs, lard, Live Steck. Chicago, Cattie, Mostly 10albc lower, stockers and feeders $2 50 ed 25; cows, $1 50aD 50); heifers $2 25a Mized and butchers 87 15a7 50; good to and lambs slow to lower; good to choice Western sheep $2 T5a4 25. Fast Liberty, Cattle steady; choice $7 D0a7 80; prime $7 00a7 55. Hogs, prime heavy 87 90a7 95, mediams §7 85; heavy Yorkers §7 85a7 00. Sheep steady, Best wethers $4 H0ad 70 culls and com. non £1 5082 OU; choice lambs $6 00a6 50 A ¢ V4 Pe ’ £3 riland, Ore. the marine engi. neers strike has been settled, both sides making concessions The long-continucd sirike of crs helpers at Paterson, N. J, formally declared off Striking capmakers at Bostcn have re- ceived an mcrease in wages of from § to 10 per cont Engineers and firemen on the Colora- do and Southern have asked that com pany for an increase in pay. the dy- has been Srikes are occurring all over Sweden, due to the discharge of men who took part in the recent sufirage strike, The National Federation of Teachers was recently orgamized at Minneapolis Minn. Its object 1s of a protective na ture. Coal miners in Holland are better paid and work shorter hours than nen smployed in any similar industry in that rountry. Pullman conductors at Chicago have been given a voluntary increase of from B10 to $15 a month, according to their Jenwrth of servine. 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If the hair- splitting is done on your own head, it loses friends for you, for every hair of your head is a friend. Ayer’s Hair Vigor in advance will prevent the splitting. If the splitting has begun, it will stop it. $1.00 a belie. All dragpists. if r t cannot ru send Boy and we wi Ie a bottle, Be sure and 0 nearest ex To EE AYER 00 er ive the ins oe. rons, Lowell, Mass. Bilious? Dizzy ? Headache? Pain back of your eyes? It's your liver! Use Ayer's Pills. [ Want your moustache or beard a beautiful brown or rich black? Use Buckingham’s Dye S0cts of druggisteerR P Ma Co Nuthus NW HEADACHE A AAAS H { Says: “It Will Build Up a Depleted System Rapidly.” Hon '. F. Aldrich, Congressman fron Alabama, writes from Washington, D. ( “This is to certify that Peruna, manufactured by The Peruna Medi. cine Co., of Columbus, ©O.. has been used in my family with success, It ina fine tonic and will build up a | depleted system rapidly. can ree aommend (t to those who need a safe vegetable remedy for debility,” —W F., Aldrich, H. 8 Catarrh of Stomach. Or Truthful, Pure, Manly Boys for English, Classical and Military, EXxpe FWA BLL AAN TAAL VALLE VLAVAVVARVR VV VVLRR ANN 4 ? Waynesboro, Yirginia, Gre. rienced Trachers, Thorough His Dip'omacy Won And vou want how h! y : iollars and ten cents.” my boy, you go back to work think over. We pay our em vees all that we can afford to and feel at we arc dealing very liberally with them. This corporation only made $64,- “Pon de “Weil, it ths are not going to cut down our earnings by any extravagant measures. You may rest assured, however, that as long as you do your work faithially your sal ary wiil not be reduced.” No Compulsion. Landlord Ike-—Sorry, pardner, that there ain't no bathroom, but yer see | am figurin’ on puttin’ one in next year: — next year Landlord--\Wall, of course we won't insist on your takin’ one. Prebably dour Ark?’ asked one commuter of another on their way to New York. “Only two, 1 believe.” “How many seats do you suppose they occupied?” —————— pn A "Bird." Anyway. Mra. Spenders—That's what I call a “dock” of a bonnet. or Sirs NOTRE DAME, INDIANA, FULL, COURSES IN Classics, Letters, Eronomics and History, Jourpatism, Art, seience Pharmacy, Law, Civil, Mechanis en] and Eleciriedd Engineoring., Architec. ture. Thorough Preparatory and Cemmercial Courses, HReoms Free to al 3 A the studies req Senior ear have oom trio the Leyiate wudents whe for adroisalol ny of the ( oF Rooms te Rent, moderate Charge to sindents Over seventeen preparing for Colesriste Conrses A limited 3 ber of Candidates for the Eoclest- astiral state will be reorived at special ries wi. Edwunrs's Hall, for bors under 12 yours, Is union in the completeness of ite equipment Tie oDh § ear vill open September 8, 1902. Cane Ril Tae es Co. Presidest WX TATURE'S WAY. N ECHOLS” PIEDMONT CONCENTRATED Iron and Alum Water Discusses, Limos, Like other in J. M, ECHOLS CO0., anda A man not ced the gmail amount of food 1 was taking at breakfost a d my evident | dislike for eating, He sald, “You need | Rt ans Tabuies,” That proved the best p eecription 1 ever received, 1 bought tro fi ecent pac ages and they benefited | me so a uch that I continued to take hem, My dywpepsia bas dlmppeared-—and where before I could get only a Tow hours’ siee in the warm weather, Ripans Tabules also make my sleep refreshing so that 1 feellike goin ; to work after resting, At druggieten, The Five-Oent packet is enough for an oconsion. The family bottle, ordinary 60 cents, contains a supply for a year, i © i CANDY CATHARTYIC Nx PENSION LAWS. Act of June pen | Watons certain survivors and thelr widows of the In. dinn Wars from (B15 to 1808 We will y show for { every good Contract Claim under this act, Act of {duly iL 10 3 pensions certain soldiers who had prior | on te service, also who way be chargsd with | desertion. No enon no fea Advice free, For ronnie mod fall Instructions, address the WH. Wills Penvion Agency, Wills Building, #2 Indians Ave, Meshington, D.C. Twenty yours tiow in Wash. ington. Oopdes of the laws sent for 5 cents can,” Mrs. Spenders—A “pelican?” Mr. Spenders—Yes, on account of the size of the hill, SL The Truth Out it. He has proposed this evening, and she has accepted. Dora—They are acting like other people; merely polite, that's all, yachting cap.” “It's on hind side before.” “Yes. A man can't Kiss a girl under one of those peaks.” aan] of featimonins snd { rgd pbb Free. Pr. 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