Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-09-10

OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON

Vigorous Discourse on the Tremen.
dous Force of Practical Christiani-
ty at the Present Time.
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 ye therefore perfect even as your
Father, which is in heaven is perfect"
The Sermon on the Mount contains the
sum and substance of Christianity. In
other words, we find it to be the very
heart of the Gospel. it's divine. precepts
transcending in moral grandeur the loftiest
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 command ut
tered by One who gave to humanity the
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-
lty of attainment through the law and the
spirit hid in Calyarry's cross: By initiating
ULC CAdIIp1C VI IO1y SCll ll-SdCIluCC VIC SIIdil
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
while God has even been in an eternity Of
time. In space, man subject to localiza-
ton, here Or there-the infinite Father om-
nipresent, everywhere. In power man a
creature of environment circumscribed by
laws whether natural or spiritual free. vet
not free, a 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
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 o1
spiritual life. By nature prone to evil, cor
rupted, helpless, his only virtue that which
is derived through grace. No, he can never
be perfect as God is perfect, but through
ion and obedience to its commands he ca,
relatively climb undreamed heights of spir
itual manhood, and by the evolution of hi
immortal soul in Christ win that gloriou
crown of destiny which the heavenly Faith
er has willed all born of woman shoul
we derive the full meaning of the text
wonderful in its implication, giving US tn
assurance of success; divine in it's com
mand, disclosing the possibilities of ou
nature that we as Christians have divin
lty stirring within us the source of glo1
ious power to ."spress toward the mark fo
the price, a life complete in It's fulfllmen
of that end which God intended it to al
tain, to. be perfect in obedience to the su
preme law of it's existence, even as it
Creator is perfect.
Without religion a man can never rea,
ize the possibilities Of his spiritual nature
With, natural tendency toward the pass
ing. the finite and the .ehangeable. he need
an influence to call him to sense of tn
internal and infinite. Many people take
superficial view of Christianity and neve
really understand what blessings it cor
fers. Man was not created to be the play
thing Of the Almighty, but for a purpose
to be a son, worthy to stand before hi
Fathers face and to live with Him in lov
ing communion.
You are all familiar with the story G
Adams dreadful fall into disobedience an
sin. Through the marvellous faculties 9
the soul many Christian men have, at on
time or another. experienced momentar
! consciousness of what then was lost. T
enable lis to regain much Of that pristin
state Christ came into the world, ive6
suffered: died and made it possible for u
by making known its glories in His oW
perfect life, to once more become the son
and daughters of God Religion leads L
back from worldliness to self-recollectio
and gives to souls fevered with sordid d.
sires ouickening principle of higher an
nobler. life; inspiring intellect with trutl
and the heart with a pure and exalte
preme sense of duty and places thought
juxtaposition with the will of God, clothin
every aspiration with a purifying virtu
thus leading all the faculties of our bein
/ upward and onward toward perfection.
The immortal longings of the soul ca
only be satisfied by God. Every facult
, we possess leads us to His feet, There
comprehends His love and finds its s.
> preme good by steadfast devotedness
y the precepts of His law. Unfortunatel
there are men and women who look upo
religion as a means to concillate the divi1
> power, which through sin they have Q
conciliatory attitude with Deity, and th
bv it's medium they will obtain in the f
4 ture some indeinable reward, forgettir
that religion is life, state, which cal
into operation all the spiritual potentia
ties of their glorious nature and throus
> temptation, sorrow and suffering crow
= them at last with victory over the wor
! and SELF
Thus we perceive that Christ came upe
!, the earth to save sinners, giving them
power of endless life. Revealing the cha
: acter of God, He made it possible for mt
to conform to that perfect original.
. His Gospel He lays down a code Of mora
l so sublime. tnat if we would absorb the
8 into thought and action we should full
: while here our destiny. Religions blessi1
is the supreme good for every man to a
tain. It is not an emotion, or merely
e lief, it is vitalizing energy in the dept
/. of the human soul. subduing to God all t.
!, powers of being, incarnating in the hea
consciousness Of magnificent futu1
ouickening the intellect, conscience, .affe
, tions and will into vigorous and holy a
!, ton, inspiring the mind with a profou1
! love of truth and flooding the soul with
? peace which the crash Of worlds could n
disturb. Religion, then, is a necessity
life. Without it existence is a delusion
A | - ],o11.uor c,,hc+onoo ond M niur