The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-05-20
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN UPLIFTING AND ELOQUENT DIS.
COURSE ENTITLED "FAITH."
The Rev. Roderick Terry Shows the Neces-
sity of Establishing q True Spiritual
Life on a Proper Foundation-WhyW We
Have Hone Unto m Eternal Life.

Life on q Proper Foundation-Why we
Have Hope Unto an Eternal Life.
NEW YORK CITY.-Dr. Roderick Terry
pastor of the South Reformed Church.
Madison avenue, preached Sunday morn
ing on Faith" His text was chosen
from Jude 20 and 81: "But ye, beloved
building up yourselves on your most holy
faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep
yourselves in the love of God, looking for
the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life" DR.. Terry said:
We have no information concerning this
short Epistle of Jude beyond that which is
contained in the verses themselves. we
know not who he was, nor where he lived,
nor to whom he wrote, nor the circlm-
stances calling for the writing of the Epis'
regarding some of these facts from its con.
tents. And inasmuch as this, as well as
the whole of the revelation. though written
originally for certain people at certain
time, was intended to be universal in it's
scope, and was applicable to people of al!
times, it is not Of so much. Importance to
us to know precisely for whom the words
Rere first intended, as to ascertain their
applicability to the different periods OF the
church's history, and especially to the time
in which we live. It is written, as Jude
says, as warning to Christians; that they
should Earnestly contend for the faith
which was once delivered unto the Saints. =.
These words imply first, the Importance OF
guarding this faith once delivered to. the
Saints. and in. the second place, that there
In regard to the first of these, however
needful at that time, or at any succeeding
time in the church's history such warn.
ing may have been, it can never have come
with greater force than it should come to
Christ's people to-day. The necessity OF
contending for the faith, delivered once
for all to the Saints" is, in the present
state Of religious opinion, something which
needs to be repeatedly insisted upon. By
faith is meant here. not that quality or
grace which the Christian possesses which
typi6es his feeling toward God; it has ref
erence rather to that which is believed in;
which St. Paul calls "The Faith Of the
Gospel" 'The faith which is in Christ
JESUS" and which is used universally by
the sacred writer's as synonymous with the
teaching which God gives concerning Him.
self. "This faith" says Jude, "was once
for all delivered unto the Saints" and he
exhorts Christians that they should ear
nestly contend for it. When this faith
was delivered unto the saints, and under
what circumstances, we are well aware; 1T
included the revelation which God made of
Himself through all history. and His rela.
tion with His chosen people; it included
the life and the work of the Master, and
the influence which He shed upon His dis
ciples; it included the work and the teach
ings Of His followers; it was, in fact: the
revelation of God recorded through all the
Scriptures. Jude insists upon the neces.
sity that every one who is child OF God
should contend for this faith as thus by
revelation and miracle once for all dellV-
cred unto the Saints.
The writer of the epistle makes no secret
of the reason why he found it necessary to
insist upon the Importance of thus guard
ing the faith as given to us by God, for the
dangers which menaced it were two fold;
in the first place they sprang from the nat.
ural tendency of men to seek to reason out
for themselves all matters Of faith or be.
lief, as they would reason out questions OF
history or of science. These men, puffed
up with their own supposed knowledge:
were unwilling to abide by the clear and
simple words OF Scripture which came from
God. and not only interpreted them ac-
cording to their own judgment, but even
replaced them with ideas of their own.
The writer has little to say to these men,
whom he describes as those whose mouths
speak swelling WOTus, dS tHouSH Ihe
words came not from any deep thought.
but he shows conclusively that they were
az conspicuous m the church then as they
are to-day. There is nothing harder for
the natural man than to acknowledge and
live up to the acknowledgment of his ig-
norance; there is no subject Of thought or
discussion-whether connected with the
life in this world or in the world to come
which men will not seek to handle with
the tools of their own mental equipment,
and therefore men are ALWAYS jealous when
the Bible declares that there are some
things which they cannot understand, hut
that in regard to those very things they.
must have faith; so that the first class OF
dangers to the maintenance of its true no.
sition on the part of faith in human intel
from the unwillingness of men to believe
that which seems inconsistent with, or
above their own reasoning.
When this enistle was written this class
of enemies to the faith. in that contention
against it which is always being waged:
were not very conspicuous nor influential
in the church, but to-day there is more
danger to the nurity and the simplicity Of
the Christian faith from them than from
any other of it's enemies, and 1t becomes
the adherents of the cause of Christ to be
strong and unyiclding in their opposition
to the modern tendency; to elevate human
individual opinion as over against the re-
vealed will of God. When God says: "The
soul that sinneth, it shall die" and some
man rises in opposition and declares that
".all good and bad shall finally inherit ever
lasting life," it is time for the servant of
God to take firm position in support Of the
revealed will of the Lord and to contend
Tor the "faith once delivered to the Saints"
When men, declare that this very Bible,
which contains Gods revelation to men, is
q somewhat uncertain guide to belief, an
unreliable anchor to hope, and proceed to
tear it to pieces and to rob it of its su-
preme strength in its hold upon the con-
sciences and minds of men, it is time for
the servant OF Christ to announce with
emphasis his belief that it is the revea led
will of God, and that of all His revelation
there shall fail not one jot or little, and
that curse shall come upon him who tax
eth away from or addeth unto the words
which God hath given for our comfort and
our guidance. Surely there is need to-day:
more than ever in the past, that in regard
to all of Gods teachings, in regard to the
word of Gods revelation, in regard to the
heaven, even to our belief upon God Him.
self, the Christian should stand firm, and
should contend, with courage and with
zeal. in his own heart and in the world for
the faith as it is in Jesus.
For that faith is also in danger Of heing
undermined by the human characteristics
universally found among men which make
them unwilling to accept Of and to live up
to its moral and ethical teachings. The
standard of morality in the world being
much lower than that taught in the Scrip
lures. all men are apt to suffer their ideas
to drift lower and lower in sympathy with
the ideas of the world. In the first place
this result occurs to-day. as in the time OF
the writing of the epistle. from the creep
ing into the church of certain men who are
themselves ungodly filthy dreamers. de-
filing the flesh. despising dominion, speak
ing evil of dignities," criticising those
things which they know not. who in the