The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-28
Sunday Sermon.
IN THE IMAGE OF GOD.


Genesis, f.. il.
In its essence the soul islillc IT'S Creator.
me best part CT lis Is what SOU has
bfeatned unto lis, AMI the worst part *
the result Of olu' conceit that we snow
better than lie what 10 work :or and
how 10 work tor il. Ii may be Il boil
h@ure of speech which declares that we
are made in His image, and yet the max
or IS TO de found in whatever he makes
Ny means OF Il fGcus!sirig glass you can
llght your candle with the gathered rays
OF the sun. The Stunning candle lis not
the sun. and it world be foolish to com
laare the two, and yet the candle can ill
Il room with light even as the sum fills
the universe. The finite and the htirLte
the bounded and the bOundless. the soul
and God, are related to each o,hcr TN n
very mysterious way
This is a very celebrating thought To
| dwell ON it and on the consequences
which follow drcm the fact is cnnobl.ng
1t is the fou1tiation eff the religious Efc,
and there can be no religious life widliout
it. 1t is the source OF aspiration. and
in lit originate unseifishness and self-slc
litlte 1t forces NIL that is good TO the
frollt and drives all that is bad 10 the
rear. 1t makes this earth Il subub of
heayen. and even death drops its Disguise
as "a terror and becomes n friend who
/ leads the way through darkness to the
eternal light of the upper regions.
IL God Is in me. then He and | must
work together, and / must believe that
thereby, and in no other way, the great
est good will accrue 10 me. When i
annlyZe myself | learn that / am so made
/ that all the varied experiences OF life
ranging from the bliss of the upper regis
ter TO the tears and struggles tf the low
q, are part of great plan by which
am TO be educated. developed ard chang
| cd from my present c17rdity into a pos
xible perfection. If, then. | can place
myself ON the right point of view, | can
| no more help governing my life by tho
highest modal and spiritual principle than
can help drink ing at Il folntain when |
! am thirsty. To govern my life in this
way is perfectly natural. and if through
any motive, | govern it I'M any other
way / not only injure myself, but am
acting along qrnnntural lines and using
unnatural methods. l am out Of harmony
with God and equally out of harmony
with my best Interests.
Religicn is not a mystery, il is simply
common sense. / am not at all concern
cd with Your dogmaS. Cherish thcdn or
reject them as YOU please The Lord
has no regard for silch things. They are
only the conclusions CT your intellect and
have Very little, If any, effect ON your
conduct. The member of an orchestr may
have notions c1' has CWn about the strings
Of his Instrument. He and i may agree
on we may not. II is matter of III
sort Of consequence But when he takes
his place on the platform ii is all import
ant that his Instrument should be in tune
| and that he should correctly play the
| score that lis set before him.
What. then. is evil, and how does it
originate? Examine yourself critically
| and You Will find an easy answer. We
are told that men are totally deprav
ed. but nobody believes it, We all
know better than that. Not total depra
witty, bat total misunderstanding. is the
/ root of our difficulty. If we saw things
as they are. if we had a fun and COM
| plete appreciation Of the inevitable eff
fleets of wrong-doing. we could never Doe
persuaded to do wrong, any more than
we could be persuaded 70 thrust our
hands into the fire. No man desires TO
hurt himself, hut every one wants to
benefit himself, and if he makes a mas
take as 10 the proper means Of getting
the benefit he reaps a harvest OF sorrow
and disappointment. The man who never
makes Il mistake about what will do
him the most good will never do wrong.
Ninety-nine hundredths of the evil in
this world is the result of ignorance and
bad Judgment. The man who thinks he
knows better than the Almighty what is
safe to do is like the grain of corn in
ing ground between the upper and lower
stones. The man who cheats his neigh
Dor in n bargain ard pockets a profit
thereby is under the impression that the
advantage is on his side. 1T is mistake
OF Judgment. The benefit he sought will
turn sour, like milk in 4 thunderstorm.
There is only one Ruler in the universe.
and you are not He. He has made things
in such fashion that when you follow
His law you float securely on the current
to the sea. and when YOU become a law
unto yourself you finish your career i'll
confessed and regretted failure.
Most of the crimes that are committed.
no matter what their nature. have behind
them as a motive the expectation that
they will help the man who commits
them. II is impossible to conceive OF any
deed however cowardly or vile, which
has not this motive at ats root. Lying,
selishness, avarice. envy, are mistaken
motives TO hoped for good. The man
who INDUCES i'll these or other vices is in
n search for happiness for himself, and
he thinks he can accomplish that result.
He never does, however. and he never
will. He can have MO peace. for he swal-
lows a slow poison with the vain hope
of becoming rugged and healthy.
God has made this world beautiful, and
all He asks is that our souls shall also
he beautiful. If we can smother our
self-conceit, admit that His laws are
worth obeying. are better than any laws
we can make for ourselves, and be loyal
to them at all hazards and costs, We shall
have the only kind of religions that can
save us either here or hereafter We shall
be courageous and strong and cheerful.
The present cannot harm, and the future
will be JOY.
GEORGE II. ITEPWORTH.