The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-05-14
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN UPLIFTING AND ELOQUENT DIS.
COURSE ENTITLED FAITH"
Tho Rev. RoderIck Terry Shows the Neces-
sity OF Establishing True spiritual
Life on Proper Foundation-Why We
Have Hope Unto an Eternal Life.

Tho Rev. Roderick Terry Shows the Neces-
sity Of Establishing True Spiritual
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 il
contained in the verses themselves. We
know not who ne 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 its con-
tents. And inasmuch az this, as we'll az
the wnose of the revelation, though written
originally Tor certain people at certain
time, was intended to be universal in its
scope, and was applicable to people of al
times, It is not of 80 much Importance %
as to know precisely for whom the words
were first intended, as to ascertain their
applicability to the different periods OF the
churchs history, and especially to the time
III WHICH we i've. NJ - Wrltted, as Juae
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 tins faith once delivered to the
Saints, and m 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-
m ha ha.~
with greater force than it should come to
Christs 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
erence rather to that which is believed in;
which. st. Paul calls '"rhe Faith of the
Gospel" ''The faith which is in Christ
Jesus" and which is used universally by
the sacred writers 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; it
included the revelation which God made OF
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-
sity that every one who is 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 epistledmakes ns.seaEet.
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, pulled
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-
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 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 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
rUhi 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 po-
sition on the part of faith in human intel
lectual life, springs from mental conceit,
from the unwillingness of men to believe
that which seems inconsistent with, or
above their own reasoning.
When this epistle 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 purity and the simplicity of
the Christian faith from them than from
any other of its enemies, and it becomes
the adherents of the cause of Christ to be
strong and unyielding 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
for the faith once delivered to the Saints"
When men declare that this very Bible,
which contains Gods revelation to men, is
a somewhat uncertain guide to belief, an
unreliable anchor to hope, and proceed to
tear it to pieces and to rob it of it's SUI
preme strength in it's 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 revealed
viii of God, and that of all His revelation
there shall fail not one jot or little. and
that a 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
plan of salvation, in regard to our hope of
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 being
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