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J. Wilbur Chapman
John Wilbur Chapman (1859–1918) was an American Presbyterian preacher and evangelist whose dynamic ministry bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, leaving a profound impact on American evangelicalism through his revival campaigns and hymnody. Born on June 17, 1859, in Richmond, Indiana, to Alexander H. Chapman and Lorinda McWhinney, he grew up in a devout Presbyterian family with two sisters and a brother who died in infancy. Converted at age 17 in 1876 during a revival at First Presbyterian Church in Richmond, he felt called to ministry and graduated from Oberlin College in 1879 and Lane Theological Seminary in 1882, where he was ordained that year. He married Irene Steddom in 1882, who died in 1886 after bearing three children—Bertha, Irene, and Agnes—followed by marriages to Agnes Pruyn Strain in 1888 (died 1907, with three more children) and Mabel Cornelia Moulton in 1910, who outlived him. Chapman’s preaching career began with pastorates at Liberty Presbyterian Church in Indiana and Dutch Reformed Church in Schuylerville, New York (1882–1885), followed by First Reformed Church in Albany (1885–1890) and Bethany Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia (1890–1899), which grew to over 2,000 members under his leadership. Resigning in 1899 to become a full-time evangelist, he conducted citywide revivals across the U.S., Canada, and beyond, notably partnering with Charles Alexander in 1907 for campaigns that drew millions, including a 1908 Boston revival baptizing 2,500 converts. Known for hymns like “One Day” and “Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners,” and books such as The Secret of a Happy Day, Chapman served as General Secretary of the Presbyterian General Assembly’s Evangelism Committee (1903–1918). He died on December 25, 1918, in New York City after gall bladder surgery, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose fervor and organizational skill revitalized urban evangelism, bridging Moody’s era to Billy Sunday’s.
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J. Wilbur Chapman preaches about the journey of the children of Israel from the shores of the Red Sea, likening their experience of bitter waters at Marah to the struggles and disappointments faced by Christians. He emphasizes the importance of applying the principles of the Cross to every bitterness in life, finding sweetening and purification through Christ's sacrifice. By aligning our will with God's will, just as Jesus submitted to the Father's will on the Cross, we can experience peace and overcome trials.
The Waters of Marah
From the shores of the Red Sea the children of Israel took up the line of march, but the people were soon suffering from thirst. It was a dreary journey. They had been so long in bondage that they could hardly appreciate their freedom. Their slavery had made them very dependent, and this must have added to their burdens as they marched. Suddenly away in the distance they beheld evidences of water, and soon their lips were pressed down to the spring; but to their dismay, they found that the waters were bitter. How like the experience of the average Christian all this is! Redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, led out of Egypt, passed through the Red Sea, and yet you have been at different times perfectly disconsolate! Some friend failed you, and the waters were bitter. The world seemed cruel and unsympathetic, and the waters were bitter. God called to Himself your mother, your children, your husband, your wife, your friend, and the waters were bitter. You call yourself a Christian, and you feel that you have passed through the Red Sea, entering into the death of Christ, and laying hold upon His power to keep you from sin; but when a trial came, the waters of life seem to you bitter as the waters of Marah. When Moses realized the condition of the spring, he threw in the wood of a certain tree, and immediately the waters became sweet and pure as a mountain stream. Here is the secret of sweetening your life! Bring to bear the principles of the Cross upon every bitterness of your life. If your heart has been embittered by unkind words of another, stand near the Cross and hear Him say, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Are you distressed because some trial has overtaken you? Listen again while you hear Him groaning in agony in the pain of crucifixion, and what are your sorrows when compared with His? Do you rebel when you hear that perfect peace is only to be found when there is perfect submission? Hear Him say, "It is finished!" and remember that these words give us the climax of His absolute submission to the will of God. The difficulty with us in our Christian life has been that we have not let our wills run parallel with the will of God. No one can make a cross so long as he keeps one piece of wood just beside another, but the moment he puts the one across the other, the cross immediately appears. No one can have a cross in this world, in the sense of a burden, if his will is parallel with the will of God; but the moment it runs contrary to that will, then there is confusion and unrest. Apply all the principles of the Cross of Christ to your springs of bitterness, and they will in every case be sweetened.
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John Wilbur Chapman (1859–1918) was an American Presbyterian preacher and evangelist whose dynamic ministry bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, leaving a profound impact on American evangelicalism through his revival campaigns and hymnody. Born on June 17, 1859, in Richmond, Indiana, to Alexander H. Chapman and Lorinda McWhinney, he grew up in a devout Presbyterian family with two sisters and a brother who died in infancy. Converted at age 17 in 1876 during a revival at First Presbyterian Church in Richmond, he felt called to ministry and graduated from Oberlin College in 1879 and Lane Theological Seminary in 1882, where he was ordained that year. He married Irene Steddom in 1882, who died in 1886 after bearing three children—Bertha, Irene, and Agnes—followed by marriages to Agnes Pruyn Strain in 1888 (died 1907, with three more children) and Mabel Cornelia Moulton in 1910, who outlived him. Chapman’s preaching career began with pastorates at Liberty Presbyterian Church in Indiana and Dutch Reformed Church in Schuylerville, New York (1882–1885), followed by First Reformed Church in Albany (1885–1890) and Bethany Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia (1890–1899), which grew to over 2,000 members under his leadership. Resigning in 1899 to become a full-time evangelist, he conducted citywide revivals across the U.S., Canada, and beyond, notably partnering with Charles Alexander in 1907 for campaigns that drew millions, including a 1908 Boston revival baptizing 2,500 converts. Known for hymns like “One Day” and “Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners,” and books such as The Secret of a Happy Day, Chapman served as General Secretary of the Presbyterian General Assembly’s Evangelism Committee (1903–1918). He died on December 25, 1918, in New York City after gall bladder surgery, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose fervor and organizational skill revitalized urban evangelism, bridging Moody’s era to Billy Sunday’s.