The Brandon news., 1903-09-10
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
POWER OF RELIGION"

A Remarkably Strong Deliverance on the
Subject of the Moral and intellectual
Force of Observation-Disclosures Gives
an Ideal, and an Incentive to Reach 1T.
PARIS, KY.-The Rev. Henry Knott,
rector of st. Peters p. E. Church in this
city, preached strong sermon on "The
Moral and Intellectual Power of Religion" !"
The text was chosen from Matthew v: 48:
'Be We therefore perfect even as your
Father, which is in heaven is perfect" !"
Mr.. Knott said:
The Sermon on the Mount contains the
sum and substance of Christianity. In
other words, we find it to be the very
transcending in moral grandeur the loftiest
conceptions ever thought or spoken by
mortal man. Great souls afame with the
sacred fire of inspiration have but mir
rored the shadows of the tremendous real
tiles of the future, and the mind of genius
searching for truth apart from revelation
has failed to discover the meaning and the
end Of life: Here we have a command ut
tered by One who gave to humanity the
key to perfection. The Christ has drawn
the veil aside and disclosed the way, the
truth, the life. By revealing the character
of Coda holiness radiant with love--we
are brought face to face with the possibil-
ity of attainment through the law and the
spirit hid in Calvary's cross. BY initiating
the example of holy self-sacrifce we shall
grow into that glorious perfection of the
Father manifested in His only begotten
Son.
do not wish you to misunderstood the
inference just quoted. Man shall never at
tain the absolute perfection of God, for
there is an impossible gulf between the
Creator. and the created. In being, for
mans Immortality had a starting point
while God has even been in an eternity of
time. In space, man subject to localiza-
ton, here or there-the infinite Father ON
nlpresent, everywhere. In power man a
creature of environment circumscribed by
laws whether natural or spiritual. free. yet
not free, mysterious paradox, his soul the
battle ground 'twixt wills Human and di-
vine: while God is the source of creation,
the Alpha and Omega of all things in heav-
en- and earth, even holding in His almighty
hand the first link of that wondrous chain
of causation.
God. is perfection: All His love and
mighty attributes blended together in one
harmonious whole, unchangeable in wis
dom, justice and truth. Man, fallen, per-
verted, possessing no natural worth, bear
ing always the curse of sin, subtle tend
ency to thwart right, that supreme law of
spiritual life. By nature prone to evil, cor
is derived through grace No, he can never
be perfect as God is perfect, but through
the intellectual and moral power of reig-
lo1 and obedience to it's commands he can
relatively climb undreamed HEIGHTS of spir-
ltual manhood, and by the evolution of his
immortal soul in Christ win that glorious
crown of destiny which the heavenly Faith
er has willed all born of woman should
through obedience acquire perfection. Thus
we derive the full meaning of the text;
wonderful in its implication, giving us the
a7Sluance of success; divine in its COM
nand, disclosing the possibilities of our
nature that we as Christians have divin-
itv stirring within us the source of glor-
ious power to 'press toward the mark for
tho nrize;" life complete in it's fulfllment
Of that end which God intended it to at
tain, to be perfect in obedience to the s,l-
irene law of its existence, even as its
Creator is perfect.
Without religion man can never real
ize the possibilities of his spiritual nature
With natural tendency toward the pass
ing, the finite and the changeable, he needs
an influence to call him to sense of the
internal and infinite. Many people take a
superficial view of Christianity and never
really understand what blessings it con-
fers. Man was not created to be the play
thing of the Almighty, but for a purpose
to be son, worthy to stand before his
Fathers face and to live with Him in low
ing communion.
You are all familiar with the story of
Adams dreadful fall into disobedience and
sin. Through the marvellous faculties of
the soul many Christian men have, at one
time or another. experienced momentarv
consciousness of what then was lost. To
enable us to regain much of that pristine
state Christ came into the world. lived.
suffered. died and made it possible for us,
by making known its glories in His own
perfect life. to once more become the sons
and daughters of God RELIGION leads us
back from worldliness to selfrecollecton
and gives to souls fevered with sordid de-
sires nuickening principle of hieher and
nobler life; inspiring intellect with truth
and the heart with pure and exalted
love. 1t animates conscience with SUI
preme sense of duty and places thought in
juxtaposition with the will of God, clothing
every asniration with purifying virtue.
thus leading all the faculties of our being
upward and onward toward perfection.
The immortal longings of the soul can
only be satisfied by God Every faculty
we possess leads US to His feet. There is
no real happiness apart from that which
comprehends His love and finds its su-
preme good by steadfast devotedness to
the precepts of His law. Unfortunately.
there are men and women who look upon
Tet1g1On as means TO cOnclllate the divine
power. which through sin they have Of
Tended. They IMAGINE it places them in a
conciiatorv attitude with Deity. and that
bv it's medium they will obtain in the fu-
ture some indefrahle reward, FORGETTING
that religion is life, a state which calls
into oneration all the spiritual potentiali-
ties of their glorious nature and through
temptation, sorrow and suffering crowns
them at last with victory over the world
and self.
Thus we perceive that Christ came upon
the earth to save sinners, giving them a
power of endless life. Revealing the char
acter of God. He made it possible for men
to conform to that perfect original In
His Gospel He LAYS down code of morals.
SO sublime. that if we would absorb them
into thought and action we should fulfill
while here our destiny. Religions blessing
is the supreme good for every man to at
tain. Tt is not an emotion, or merely be-
lief. it is vitalizing energy in the depths
of the human soul. subduing to God all the
powers of being, incarnating in the heart
a consciousness of magnificent future.
uuickening the intellect, conscience. affec-
tions and will into vigorous and holy ac-
tion, inspiring the mind with a profound
love of truth and flooding the soul with a
peace which the crash of worlds could not
disturb. Religion, then, is necessity of
e. L H. IL