The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-09-26
A Thoughtful Sermon Delivered bv the
Rev. B. p. Robertson, of Gaffney, @.
NetrS and Courier, nh.

Jesus himself as dead in trespasses
and in sins, and how can the dead
produce good works and through these
secure life? Impossible.
Then we are taught by the scientists
that true evolution from lower to q
higher state of existence is impossible
without help from higher creation or
being. Place water in a vessel and
,, apply the optic test and there will
spring up no life in that water. So
there can never be generated in man a
heavenly life without the presence Of
the Heavenly parent in that man.
The Heavenly life in man must come
from the Heavenly life, which is
Christ. Science teaches the impossi-
bility Of good works producing it.
Then people whose lives bear moral
fruits when there is no divine life
within them are religious parasites.
The mistletoe on the oak appears to
have life in itself, but cut down the
oak and where is the life Of this para
site? So take the so-called moral peo-
pie and remove all traces of the reli-
gions Of the true God from them, and
they will be the very image of Satan
himself. Their morality is kind of
respcctability which they have bor-
rowed from the people of God.
A friend of mine visited the Art
Museum in London few years ago.
AS he passed into one room he saw
lady lying on couch, breathing as if
she was then dying. My friend was
alarmed and called for help. But the
watchman reminded him that it was
nothing but wax figure with artificial
breathing. So it is with our moral re-
spectacle people; there is no real life
in them. Aad at the last day they
will realize that their superficial and
artificial morality hes done them no
good. 1t will not produce life.
This truth, which is substantiated
by science, Scripture and the Christ,
places all the heather among the dead
ones Of earth. Their religions, So
called, are only human creeds, more or
less, and manifest human efforts to
produce life in themselves by means
Of so-callcd good works. The heathe
religions are what we would term to-
day codes of ethics, which express the
ethical teachings Of the adherents.
Some of them. which give any empha-
sis to life hereafter, are simply efforts
to produce life through good works.
And as it is impossible TO do this,
then all the heather will miss the at
tainment of the divine life for man.
2. But this Scripture does not teach
that salvation will produce works.
The fact that we have some mem
bers 10 our churches who do not live
respectable and useful lives is no ar
gument against this statement. These
people resemble very much the hermit
crab. which in life crawls into the
shell of a molusk and there spends its
time seeking the protection Of an
others house. So these church men,
bers who have no life in them seek
shelter from the day Of visitation
within the church. But this will be of
no avail to them in the trying hour.
Activity is a universal l.w of life.
If we take the large telescope and
look at the heavens We behold activi-,
ty, and if we take the microscope and
look at the small atoms we behold
activity. The whole universe is alive,
from the smallest to the greatest part
Of it. The flowers of the field, the
trees Of che forest, the birds of the
air, the fish Of the sea, with all these
activity is Tho sign Of life. Life in
these will cause them to be in motion,
fulfilling their destiny.
So it is with the person; !. 40 has re-
ceivsa the divine life from Jesus
Christ. just SO she dead leaves on
the oak will begin to drop OF just as
soon as new life in the spring begins
TO course through its fibre, so the sins
and evil habits will begin to disappear
from the man who has obtained life in
Jesus Christ just as soon as this new
life begins TO spring up in him. You
can tell that this man has new! life BY
the activity In shedding the old dead
leaves Of sin. Jesus saves his people
from their Sins. Why doess man
come TO Jesus for the new life If he,
prefers the sinful lifo 10 the Christ:
life2 The ee=:.:: :. sh:Ss q: aui;ef Hea.i
ven 10 man claiming to be a Chris.
tian and still serving the devil. &
The person who has tie divine life
within him viii bring forth fruit to the
glory o. God. just AS the tree will
bend and blossom and produce fruit.