The Life of Blessing

The addresses contained in this volume were delivered at a Bible Study Conference for the deepening of spiritual life, conducted by Rev. J. Wilbur Chapman, D.D., held in Dayton, Ohio, from May 2 to May 7, 1899. The conference was convened under the auspices of the faculty of Union Biblical Seminary and the pastors of the ten churches of the United Brethren in Christ of that city. It also had the approval and co-operation of the Board of Bishops, editors, and general officers of the Church. There were over three hundred ministers and theological students in attendance, besides many Christian workers from different parts of the country. The conference was a very Pentecost to the hundreds who waited together on God.

The universal appreciation of these addresses was expressed in a resolution unanimously adopted, in part as follows: “We esteem it

one of the rarest and happiest privileges of our lives to sit for these days under the clear and profound teachings concerning Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, by our distinguished brother, Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, and we would express to him our united and sincere gratitude.”

The subjects treated are of infinite importance. The thorough Biblical character of these discourses, and their entire freedom from all controversial elements, adapt them to every sincere heart. They bring spiritual truths with a love born of the Christ spirit. They have the simplicity of unquestioning faith in the Word of God. They reveal the believer’s inheritance in Christ. They exalt the Holy Spirit to his rightful place. They should be read in the spirit of prayerfulness and self-surrender. Their appeal for a life fully given to Christ and the Holy Spirit ought to be irresistible. They are “sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb.”

These addresses are given in this volume as they were delivered, being taken by a stenographer. The purpose and the hope in their publication is that they may be owned by the Holy Spirit in leading thousands into the “Life of Blessing.’*^ They were in their delivery a benediction to hundreds of ministers and Christian workers, leading them to a larger appreciation of Christ Jesus and a full surrender to Him, and a new infilling of the Holy Spirit. No individual will receive any pecuniary profit from the sale of this book. The book is placed in your hands by the Publishing House, as a loving message of the Spirit to the churches, in the name of our Master.

Dayton, Ohio May 15, 1899. J. W. Hott.

It is due to Dr. Chapman to say that these addresses are stenographic reports of the sermons delivered by the author. The author derives no financial benefit from their publication. The publisher does not seek to make money by the sale of the book, but desires to place its. teachings before every mind so that all may be led into a “Life of Blessing.

Our Heavenly Father, we beseech thee this evening that thou wilt grant a special blessing to us as we are here for the study of, thy Word. May we lose all fear of men and thought of men, and see no man save Jesus only.

We beseech thee, our Heavenly Father, that, as to this study we give ourselves, we shall come to know that we are standing in the secret place of the Most High and are living by the influence of the Spirit in the very presence of God.

Grant thy blessing, we beseech thee, upon the ministers gathered here, and the denominations represented, and look upon all who are longing to see the interests of the kingdom of God advanced.

We pray that thou wilt take away from our minds all that might offend the Spirit, and that thou wilt lead us to accept any truth which may be founded upon the Word of God. Fill each one with the spirit of teachableness, that we may turn from theories of our own to the truth as thou shalt reveal it to us. Our Heavenly JPather, let us know thy will to do it, and thy truth to receive it.

We thank thee for the great privilege we have of preaching. We know there is not an angel in the sky but would gladly leave the highest heaven to stand where we stand, and yet thou hast called us poor weak men to preach the gospel. O God, help us to know what a field that is, and help us to walk circumspectly before thee. Our Father, thou knowest the life we are compelled to live. We are always giving out and trying to help those who need it, and now we are together to study thy Word, and to wait for a blessing that shall send us back to our churches, and people, and homes, filled with the Holy Ghost.

“Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,

With all thy quickening powers.

Kindle a flame of sacred love
In these cold hearts of ours.”

Hear us, and answer us, and we will give thee all the praise, through Jesus Christ our blessed Redeemer. Amen.

SUBJECT — “PRAYER.”

I should like to say, in the first place, how very much I appreciate the honor of this invitation. When it came to me almost a year ago in the form of a suggestion that such a meeting as this might be profitable for the church, I felt then that possibly it might be that I could accept, and when the time came nearer, and I found that to accept it would mean to sacrifice a half month’s time from the church to which I am now going as a pastor, I yet counted it a great privilege to give up any time, and make any sacrifice in order that I might have the privilege of speaking to you of the things that have helped my own life, and, under God, have been a blessing to other people as I have presented it to them before they had found it in the Word of God for themselves.

I shall often mention Mr. Moody. I owe a great deal to him. Mr. Moody has been a spiritual father to me, and because of what he has done for me I love him. And then- I want to speak of Mr. Meyer. I think Mr. Meyer led me to know the Spirit of God as Mr. Moody led me to know the Son of God, and when these lessons were learned, the Bible was a new book. It made preaching a new passion, and made the winning of the souls of lost men a perfect delight. I am sure you will bear with me if over and over and over again, I repeat these names. And yet I would have linger with you, not the name of Mr. Moody or Mr. Meyer, or of myself or any other man, but I would like to have you ministers and students go away from this conference and say you love Christ better. I wish we might go back to our pulpits and say we love the Holy Spirit more. And if this shall be the result of this conference I shall never cease to thank God for this privilege of meeting together.

Keep reading