Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-05-14
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN UPLIFTING AND ELOQUENT DIS.
COURSE ENTITLED "FAlTH."

COURSE ENTITLED FAITH"
Tho Rev. Roderick Terry Shows the Neces-
sity Of Establishing > True Spiritual
Lffo on Proper Foundation-Why We |
Have Hope Unto an Eternal Life.
NEW YORK Clyde. Roderick Terry,
pastor OF the South Reformed Church, |
Madison avenue. preached Sunday morn
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:
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 circum-
stances calling for the writing of the Epis-
tie further than the information we gain
regarding some of these facts from it's con-
tents. And inasmuch as this, as we'll 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 all
times, it is not Of so much Importance to
us to know precisely for whom the words
were 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 a 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
were dangers lest this faith might be lost
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
Christ's people to-day. The necessity of
contending for the faith, delivered once
Tor all to the Saints" is, in the present
state of religious opinion, something which
needs to be repeatedly insisted upon. By
mh 1alth tn IS Is! meant ne rt here not that quality or
typifies his feeling toward God it has ref
erence rather to that which is believed in;
which St. Paul calls @1The Faith of the
Gospel: 'The faith which is in Christ
jesus aud which is used universally by
the sacred writers as synonymous with the
self. sThis faith, y 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; it
l
Himself through all history. and His rela-
ton 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-
| slty that every one who is a child of God
should contend for this faith as thus by
revelation and miracle once for all deliv-
| 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 1nenaced 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-
hef, as they would reason out questions Of
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
speak swelling words" as though the
words came not from any deep thought
but he shows conclusively that they were
as conspicuous in the church then as they
are to-day; There is nothing harder fol
the natural man than to acknowledge and
live up to the acknowledgment of his ig
norance; there is no subject of thought OF
Observation-Disclosures connected with tn.
life in this world or in the world to come
which men will not seek to handle will
the tools of their own mental equipment
and therefore men are always jealous whe1
the Bible declares that there are some
things which they cannot understand, bu
that in regard to those very things the!
must have faith; so that the first class O
dangers to the maintenance of its true po
sition on the part of faith in human intel
lectual life, springs from mental conceit
from the unWillingness of men to believ
that which seems inconsistent with, O
above their own reasoning.
When this epistle was written this elias
of enemies to the faith, in that contention
against it which is always being waged
not If pday mere
danger to the purity and the simplicity Q
the Christian faith from them than fror
any other of its enemies, and it become
the adherents of the cause of Christ to b
strong and unyielding in their oppositio
to the modern tendency; to elevate huma
vealed will Of God. When God says: 9Th
: soul that sinneth, it shall die" and som
man rises In opposition and declares tha
call good and bad shall finally inherit eve
| lasting life, 1t IS time tor the servant
God to take firm positionin in support of th
, revealed will of the Lord and to conten
! for the "faith once delivered to the Saints
!, When men declare that this very Bibl
! which contains Gods revelation to men.
a somewhat uncertain guide to belief, q
r unreliable anchor to hope, and proceed
> tear it to pieces and to rob it of its s.
preme strength in its hold upon the CO.
sciences and minds of men, it is time f
J. the servant of Christ to announce wi,
emphasis his belief that it is the reveale
;. win of God, and that of all His revelatie
there shall fail not one jot or title, ar
l. that a curse shall come upon him who ia
; eth away from or addeth unto the wor'
. (which God hath given for our comfort al
8 our guidance. Surely there is need to-da
J. Ito all of Gods teachings, in regard to t
word Of Gods revelation. in regard to Il
plan of salvation, in regard to our hope
heaven, even to our belief upon God Hin
self, the Christian should stand firm, al
;. should contend, with courage and wi
zeal, in his own heart and in the world
). the faith as it is in Jesus.
a In very striking terms Jude calls atte
. | 4;o,, IN instances in history where G.