The Last Appeal

The Concluding Sermon of Doctor Philpott’s Pastorate*

“And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.” —Genesis 24:49

The twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis is one of the longest chapters in the Old Testament and it contains one of the most charming stories ever told. Probably in all fiction there is nothing more romantic than the story of Isaac and Rebekah. It is for neither of these reasons, however, that I have chosen it as the Scripture around which to weave my final address as your pastor. It is rather because of the great truths that are here symbolized and the practical suggestions that are here afforded.

A Favorite Story Retold

Let me relate the story briefly. Abraham was a very old man, and Isaac, his son and heir, had not yet chosen for himself a wife. The father was concerned about this. He called his faithful servant who had charge of all his goods and said to him: “Thou shalt go into my country and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.” Moreover, he asked him to take an oath. “I will make thee swear,” said Abraham, “that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.

The servant was cautious and he replied, “Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me into this land. What then? If, when I tell her my mission, she refuses to follow me, what about this oath that you are asking me to take?”

And Abraham answered, “If the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then shalt thou be clear from this my oath.”

Then Eliezer, with servants and camels and a great deal of the riches of Isaac, set out upon his errand. At nightfall he camped outside the village of Nahor, beside a well. There he prayed, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, send me good speed today, and show kindness unto my master Abraham.” He recognized that he was now in the territory where lived the people from whom he was to select a bride for Isaac, and he besought the Lord to guide him. Just as you and I might do, he asked God to give him some indication of His will. “Let it come to pass,” he prayed, “that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also; let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.”

The historian tells us that while he was praying, beautiful Rebekah approached the well. The servant asked her if she would give him a drink. She responded, “Why yes, and I will give water to your camels also.”

One would almost think she had heard him pray! He did not tell her his mission at once, but he selected from the jewelry which he carried, representing the wealth of Isaac, some ornaments—“a golden earring, and two bracelets for her hands.” Taking these costly tokens and her earthen water pot, Rebekah returned to the village and was met by her brother who, when he saw the jewels, exclaimed, “Rebekah, where did you get those?”

“Oh,” she told him, “a man at the well asked me for a drink of water. I offered to water his camels also, and so grateful was he that he gave me this gift.”

Quickly Laban went forth to meet the donor. He invited him to his home, and Eliezer, with his camels and with his men, accepted. A meal was prepared, but before partaking, before placing himself under any obligation for hospitality, Eliezer—faithful servant that he was—stated his errand clearly.

“I have come,” he said, “to find a bride for my master, Isaac.”

Eloquently he told the story that I have been able only crudely to repeat. In conclusion, he addressed Rebekah: “If ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.”

Gospel Truth Against An Old Testament Background

I have not the slightest doubt as to the historicity of this incident. But it is also an allegory, a figure of Christ and the church.

Someone asked me why I preach so frequently from the Old Testament. Why not? Is not the Bible the whole Word of God? Furthermore, I believe the Old Testament is absolutely necessary to the New. I do not believe any man can comprehend the message of the New Testament without an understanding of the teaching of the Old Testament. The union of the two is beautifully illustrated in this narrative.

There are four prominent characters: the father, the son, the servant, and the bride. The son is the central figure. The father plans for him, the servant works for him and, eventually, brings the bride to him.

In Genesis 22, we have a picture of Calvary. There, in figure, the father is offering his son in sacrifice, and receiving him again from the dead. I have heard men say, “I cannot believe in a God who would require a man to do such a thing.” Brother, if you read this story carefully, and comprehended its meaning you would believe in the Bible more than you ever did before.

Abraham typifies God. He is telling about a Father who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. And Isaac, who raises no objection, who displays no rebellion when told that he is to be the lamb for the offering, but stretches himself upon the altar and quietly waits for the knife to descend to his heart, is symbolizing another Son who said, “I have not come to be ministered unto but to minister, and to give life a ransom for many. No man taketh my life from me. I lay it down of myself.” In the epistle to the Hebrews, the writer tells us that, in figure, Abraham received his son in a resurrection from the dead.

In Genesis 23, allegorically speaking, Israel is set aside through the death of Sarah. Isaac, rising from the altar of sacrifice and led by his father’s hand as he descended the mountain, is not seen again until, at the end of the twenty-fourth chapter, at eventide, he comes over the fields to meet the bride that the servant is bringing to him; then he receives her, loves her, and accords her the place of his mother in his heart and in his home.

The servant represents the Holy Spirit. Eliezer was not sent to seek the bride until Isaac, in figure, was raised from the dead and vanished from the scene. The Holy Spirit was not eminent until the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus were accomplished. People talk about “the church in the Old Testament.” There was no church until the day of Pentecost. There could not be. When Peter made his great confession and said, “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” It had not yet been begun. But on the day of Pentecost, following Jesus’ death and exaltation at the right hand of the majesty on high, the Father sent forth the Third Person of the Trinity, His servant, the Holy Ghost, to find the bridge for His Son. And He has been seeking ever since—wooing one here, one there—baptizing them into one body. There are no members in the true church other than those who have been baptized into the church by the Holy Spirit. There is no other means of membership.

The Preacher’s Work

There is a solemnizing and comforting thought in connection with the ministry of this man, Eliezer; for I take it that he not only symbolizes the Holy Spirit and His work, but also the preacher of the Gospel.

He had a definite mission. The father sent the servant forth to do a specific thing. Undoubtedly there were other duties that he had to perform as he crossed that desert, but the great purpose that dominated him was the finding of a bride for Isaac. He aimed at this all the time. He watched for every opportunity to bring that aim to a successful issue.

He had a definite message to deliver. He was to talk about Isaac, his master, and about his master’s wealth. The remarkable thing about this servant is that he spoke only once about himself and that was to say, “I am my master’s servant.” But he talked continuously of his lord’s character and of his riches until he had wooed and won the heart of Rebekah.

Finally (and herein lies comfort for me in the closing hour of my ministry here), when he had delivered his message, when he had faithfully presented the claims of his master, he was free of all responsibility. After he told Rebekah what he believed was God’s will for her, then the obligation was with her, and not with Eliezer. “If ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.”

A Personal Word

I have been with you for seven years, and I think I can humbly say before the Almighty God that I have had no other aim than to influence you for Christ. I believe I can say with the apostle Paul, “I have striven to make Christ known among you.” I have endeavored honestly to preach the truth as that truth has been revealed to me through God’s Word. I have never doubted the inspiration of this Book. It is, I believe, God’s complete and fully revealed will, as far as man is concerned. On this authority I have come to you from Sunday to Sunday, and in the best way that I have known, I have tried to present the truth. You have been patient with very poor preaching. To some, the preaching has been foolishness. But one of the most eloquent preachers the world has ever know, the apostle Paul, declared, “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness.” To the Jews it is a stumbling block. To those who pride themselves on their scholastic attainments, who glory in their unbelief, it is foolishness. But on the other hand, thank God, it is the power of God unto salvation as to many as believe.

It was my thought, in resigning the pastorate of The Moody Church, to do evangelistic and Bible conference work. But when my intention was made public, I was pressed from several quarters to undertake other pastorates. I was invited to go to one of the largest churches in America, at an attractive salary; but the offer did not influence me. From a great church in the East I was approached. The proposition was very inviting, but I was unaffected. I can honestly say that I have never, in all the years of my ministry, allowed money or honor to deter me from what I believe is God’s will.

Then a call came from Los Angeles, from the Church of the Open Door. Its found, as you know, was our late beloved friend and your pastor, Dr. Reuben A. Torrey. There has been trouble there, and there is a division. The feeling is that if I will lend what assistance I can to the brethren on the coast who are standing for positive Christianity in a crisis hour, that the breach may be repaired, the forces may be united, the confidence that has been lost may be regained.

Strikingly similar conditions constituted the appeal in the call you extended to me, seven years ago, to become the pastor of The Moody Church. You asked me to come to you at a troublesome time. There had been a break in fellowship here. The atmosphere had been dissipated. I did not dream of leaving Hamilton, Ontario, where, during twenty-years, a family of spiritual children had grown up about me. But your predicament touched my heart and I felt led of the Lord to come to you. In the same way and for the same purpose, I feel God would have me go to Los Angeles. I have promised to remain nine months, from October to June. After that, I hope it may be His will to lead me into the evangelistic field where I so long to serve.

I want, as I leave you, that Jesus Christ fill the horizon. I want you to forget the servant’s imperfections in remembering the perfection of his Lord. Oh deal kindly and truly with my Master.

This invocation by Pastor Philpott concluded the morning service on the last Sunday of Dr. Philpott’s pastorate in The Moody Church:

We thank Thee, our Heavenly Father, for the patience of the saints, for the prayers of the people, for the support that they have given this poor ministry during the last seven years. We praise Thee for their presence in this house, for the atmosphere that they have created through faith and expectancy. We give Thee thanks for it all. We would have failed—shamefully failed—had it not been for this kind of support. And now, our God, we are coming to the place of separation, one to go one way and one another until the morning shall dawn when the trumpet shall sound and we shall be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. Until that day, help us to think of the lovely things of one another, so that the peace of God may be in our hearts and the presence of God may be consciously felt in the struggle along the pathway of life. In the name of our precious Master we pray. Amen.

*1929 Note—This synopsis of Dr. Philpott’s last address as Pastor of The Moody Church is published from stenographic notes, with the speaker’s consent but without his revision.