The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-02-12
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
E'JHER or RELIGION"
A Remarkably Strong Delivers nee ON the
Subject of the Moral and intellectual
Force of Observation-Disclosures Gives
an Ideal, and an incentive to Reach 1t.

fttN. DTRftnPu Il NliHHs hlNli w
Moral and intellectual Power of Religion"
The text was chosen from Matthew V: AZ:
"Be We therefore perfect even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect"
NJ Knott said:
The Sermon on the Mount contains the
SIM and substance of Christianity. In
other words, we find it TO be the very
heart of the Gospel: its divine precepts
transcending in moral grandeur the Hottest
conceptions ever thought or spoken by
mortal man. Great souls aflame 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 oaVs 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 possihi|-
itv of attainment through the law and the
shirt hid in Calvarv's cross. by initiating
the example of holy self-sacriice we shall
rrow into that glorious nerfection of the
Father manifested in His only begotten
Son.
do not wish Won 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 tho created. In heing, for
mans immortality had q 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 om-
nipresent, everywhere. In power man a
creature Of environment circumscribed by
laws whether natrrraf or spiritual. free. vet
not free. mysterious PARADOX. his soul the
battle ground 'twiXt wills human and di-
vine: while God is the source of creation,
the Aloha and Omeca 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. unchar geabie in wis
dom, Justice and truth. Man, fallen. per.
verified, possessing no natural worth, bear
ing always the curse of sin, a subtle tend
epcv to thwart right. that supreme law of
spiritual life. BY nature prone to- evil. cor
rurted, helpiess. his only virtue that which
is derived through grace. No, he can never
be perfect as God is perfect, but through
the intellectual and moral power of relig-
ion and obedience to its commands he can
relatively climb undreamed heights of spir-
itual manhood, and bv the evolution of his
immortal soul in Christ win that glorious
crown of destiny which the heavenly Faith.
err 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
assurance of success; divine in its COM
mand, disclosing the possibilities of our
nature that we as Christians have divin.
ity stirring within us the source of a glor-
ious power to "press toward the mark for
the prize" life complete in its fulfillment
of that end which God intended it to at
tain, to be perfect in obedience to the Sill
preme 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 hin, to a sense of the
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 Il purpose
to be a son, worthy to stand before his
Fathers face and to live with Him in low
inr communion
You are all familiar with the story OF
Adams dreadful fall into disobndience and
sin. Through the marvellous faculties of
the soul MANY Christian men have, at one
time or another exDerienced momentarv
consciousness of what then was lost. To
enable lis to regain much of that pristine
state Christ came into the world, lived,
suffered. died and roade 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 lis
back from worldliress tn self-recollecton
and gives to SOILS fevered with sordid de-
sires nuickeninc princinle of HIGHER and
nohler life; inspiring intellect with truth.
and the heart with o pure and exalted
love. It animates conscience with su.
preme sense of dutv and places thought in
juxtaposition with the will of God. clothing
every asniration with purifying virtue,
thus leading All the faculties of orr being
upward and onward toward perfection.
only be satisfied by God. Every faculty.
we possess leads us to His feet There IS
no real hanpirnss apart from that which
comprehends His love and finds it's sr
preme good by stea dfast devotedness to
the precepts of His law. Unfortunately
there are men and women who lool, mon
religion az a means 10 corciliate the divine
power. which through sin they have Of
Tended. They imagine it places them in
conciliatorv attitude with Deity. and that
bv its medium they will obtain in the fu
ture some indefnahle reward, FORGETTING
that religion is life. a state, which calls
into oneration all the spiritual notentia}-
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 then, a
power Of endless life. Pevealino the char
acter Of God. He made it possible for mon
tn conform 70 that perfect original. In
His Cospel He laws down code Of morals.
90 sublime. That i we would absorb them
into thought and oction we should fulfill
while here our destinv. Religions blessing
is the supreme good For every man TO at
tain. IT is not an emotion. or MERELY be-
lief. it is a vitali7nq nrergv in The derths
of the hur,nr soul subdnirg to God all the
powers Of being ircarnatinr in tine heart