The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-07

demands God something IN the heart OF every man tlat
demands God. Ignore it and crush it out as men may do,
and as under the temptation and Requirements of sin and
sense men do, there is in every mans heart an undy1ng
passion for God. Let me say that to you this morning,
for the truth there is in it, a truth about this our humanity
that in our hopelessness und dependency we forget a
truth for ourselves, a truth to bear in mind when we are
striving to help others Men have in their deepest souls,
sometimes covered up and denied expression, yet for all
that, in their Utmost being, men have an lnextlngulshaDle
thirst for God. St. Augustine, one of the great fathers OF
the Western Church, has said: 80 God, my heart was
created for Thee, and it is unquiet until it rest in Thee"
Your hearts are unquiet until they rest in God. You may
enthrone in your thought and affections home and family it
may be life's occupation, or pleasure, or success. these
YOU may put first in your life and affections and yet your
heart was made for God and no rest will it find until it
rest in God. You are sons of God, and no peace will you
~know-peace real and lasting-until you begin to realize
your sonship, enter into it, and more and more live it. In
the legends of Arthur, king of Britain, and his knights OF
the Round Table, a story is told of the son OF a man OF
knightly and noble rank-the only class at the time who
were considered Of gentlemanly birth-eligible to bearing
arms and to other gentlemanly accomplishments asonot a
member of this class, in infancy, was delivered over to a
family in the lowest walks of life, to be reared. And the
boy grew up without knowing his real origin, supposlng
himself to be one Of the common herd. But as he grew
Ito manhood, he is represented as being seized with
desires and aspirations that Ill suited his lowly rank ne
manifested a desire, and when the opportunity was pre-
scented, a marked ability in welding arms, such as only a
member o. the class of knights and gentlemen ever did.
Ia GU dIu IdI OSoAAiS oAo oAaASSS
the youth. Reared among laborers, and serfs OF the soil,
Ibis true rank and nobility asserted itself, was recognized,
and he became a knight. And so, my friends, men are
sons of God and in spite of sin and all entlcements-all
that would obscure and blot out this, it will assert itself.
Men are sons of God, their hearts created for God and it
matters not what else they have, they will be unqulet until
lthey rest in God. In spite of all that would obscure and
eface it, this birth, this high rank and origin, will assert
Itself its aspirations and desires cannot be filled and salts
fled with these things of sense and appearance the heart
IUoc created for God and is unOulet until IT rest IN Him.
Let me say that to you this morning, for the hope and
encouragement there is in it let me say it tor the truth and
message there is in it for every man. You are sons OF
God, and t is useless for you to strive to be content with
anything less than God.
"Adam, which was the son of God" That is the opin-
lion and estimation which the Bible has of our humanity.
This is it's gospel Of humanity-tha it is son OF God. Man
then, we learn, is a religious being-designed and made to
be so. We learn, too, that he is not wholly bad, although
straying very far away from the ideal which he meant to
attain. Shining and rebellious, we yet hope for him,
because he is son of God. Very far gone in evil and sin,
man then is not wholly bad. He is not child OF the devil,
but son of God. But, my friends, do we realize this i?
When we think of men, and of their religious dispositions
and characters, their efforts to live for Christ, do we realize
this That men are by nature designed to love and serve
la Father in heaven? Do we not fall into the mistake Of
supposing that religion is something foreign to a mans
nature? Something that is unnatural and abnormal! DO
we not 90 on the assumption that human nature is utterly
opposed and hostile to God? That is the underlying prin-
ciple and assumption in much of the preaching and presen-
tation of the gospel that is heard weekly from the pulpits
of this land. Men are treated and addressed as utterly hos
tile to God, and averse to loving and serving Him. Men
are told that they are thus utterly evil that the religious
life, something very necessary and good, is yet some
thing foreign to their Utmost beings. Now, this being
the current thoughts about men-their nature and DISPOSE
tion-and about the religious life, is it any wonder that
men find the thought of God a difficult and %forbidding one ?
find themselves averse to undertaking the service of God
find no inspiration to live in the thought and love OF God ?
Is it wonderful, that if we present religion as a strange and
unnatural thing, men should accept our statement and turn
away from it? If we do not expect that men shall be rehg-
ious, shall be attracted and held by the thought of God, by
the divinely perfect life of Christi we do not expect and
look for this-we most assuredly will not find it. If we do
not expect that men will love and serve God, we will not
find them doing this. Now, the Christian life does require
effort and struggle, long continued, and unceasing and
yet does not the deepest needs of mans soul demand that ne
should be putting forth this effort, urge him on to waglng
the contest? Difficult and painful as the life may be, the
deepest wants of a mans heart inspire him to undertake t
because every man is a son of God.
Finally, then, Adam and his descendants 'sons of God
that is the great charter of our humanity. For this
reason the eternal Son came into the world that we
might live as sons-sons of God: Let us realize that
let US believe that of men let us tell that to men. There
is blessing and healing in it. Believe that men are sons
tell them this expect to find them this and they will
live as sons.