The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-07-22
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A STRONG DISCOURSE ENTITLED.
GODS LOVE FOR MAN"
The Rev. Dr. Robert Rogers Delivers n
Thoughtful and Convincing Address
Urging Us To Abjure seihshness and
Aninalism-Christ the Ideal.

] AOl LONt ThE man. nt ktAkc were
from John mi:l6 God SO loved the world
that He gave His only besotten Son, taet
whose beleveth on Him. might not perish,
but nave everlasting hte, and Mark TX "a:
Lord, l believe, help Thou mine unbe-
.ef." DIR. Rogers said among other things:
l begin our thought this morning with
the great declaration of the beloved Apos-
tie John who, better than any other Of
\ Christs disciples, understood the vital
meaning underlying the Masters life. Jesus
! was 10 John distinct personality with
I whom he was acquainted, a man among
men, but lie was more than this He was
also at the same time the love of God IN
earnate In this Mans nature, SO that lie
represented the nature OF God, and His
\ feeling and desires and purposes toward
mankind. God loved the world. Now, af-
/ ter beginning with this thought, / have
taken another verse from Scripture, TO in
| dcate mans attitude Of mind toward
Johns declaration, Lord, ! believe, help
/ Thou mine unbelief."
Johns statement is a condensed but
very complete outline of what the Chris
\ tian religion aims 10 teach men. Ii is the
message OF the Christian Church that Jesus
I Christ Is the personal demonstration Of
/ Gods love for man. The life and words
/ OF Jesus are the Illustrations of how God
/ loves and how He acts toward man, and
also what God desires that man shall
J think and do toward God and toward has
/ fellow man.
Now this kind of thinking leads US into
/ the acknowledgement OF the supernatural.
/ 1t brings Us 10 the admission that our Di-
/ VINE rather loves man, and teaches him.
and guides him by laws and standards
which He reveals TO man according 10 his
needs. In other words, the Christian re.
4 ligion stands for the presence OF God IN
this life we are now living, and that He
has help TO give TO man, and demands TO
make OF man.
There are countless men and women
who believe implicitly in this statement Of
Gods presence ruling over life, and who
live m their belief, Offering UP themselves
TO divine guidance, regretting their sins
and lmporlng pardon IN perfect faith that
it will be granted. There are, on the other
hand, some perhaps, who say they have
no belief in the divine and spiritual. and
who would place themselves outside Of the
declarations OF the Christian religion, but
i believe this number to be few and grow
ing smaller every day, as the fuller vision
OF the world and Its rich spiritual meaning
dawns upon their intelligence. But there
Is another large class with whom / am
specially concerned, who believe and yet
do not believe. They would not deny the
/ Christian faith, neither are they ready to
give their full allegiance to it. There is a
multitude OF such people among our men
and women, and may we not ask seriously
] a
| teaching aud His life are so hard to be un-
derstood that spiritual things can make no
derstood. Are some kinds so constituted
naturally that spiritual things can make
no effective appeal to themg
AZ we were tor a moment to admit this
/ II would destroy the greatest power which
! we believe inherent in Christc religion,
/ namely, that TO every man, bond or free,
black or yellow, barbarian or Scythian,
/ dew or Gentle, learned or unlearned, rich
/ or poor, At has the power OF entering into
/ ms heart and Transforming his life. There
/ IL no respect Of persons with God. / grant
/ you that Christ found that there were Ger.
tain places where even He could not pre-
sent HIS message with conviction, but the
cause OF His failure was the hardness of
mems hearts and not the difficulty 81
comprehending His gospel, and this same
reason Will be found to hold good IN these
days.
7 Atheism is no longer supposed to be a
necessary adjunct OF the scientist; but on
the contrary, the men who are opening the
widest visions OF new truth to the world in
these days and teaching the profoundest
! lessons To mankind are men who are sin
/ cere believers IN the message of Gods
presence az revealed by Jesus Christ or at
/ least are able to say with earneetne
Lord, j believe, help Thou mine unbelef."
/ Nhen we come TO consider our own lives
and those of the ordinary men and women
/ around about whom we can understand
what Is II that prevents the message of
Jesus Christ from having the eject upon
US all that 1t ought to have?
There has been for the past few years n
( warning sounded that men are not attend
ing our Christian churches, and the rea-
sons are being given in various ways Cler-
/ gymen are unlnteres ing; churches are cod
unlnspring places; doctrines are anti.
/ quated and illiberal and meaningless to
/ man IN the struggle for life Perhaps
| there IS truth In all these statements; it
/ Is not difficult for even stupid man TO
/ Ind plausible excuse for anything he
cares to do, or to leave undone Parents
, VINO are bringing up children, teachers
/ who are educa'ing them. understand the
readiness of plausible excuses.
but these excuses, whenever given, are
! not the real reasons why some men do not
| attend church. Let me say, first. that |
believe 1t Is open to denomination that
! larger number OF men are interested I'm
/ the work of the church and attending its
services and obeying It's inspirations than
at fny other time IN history. And what
Is more important, they are attending
! churches willingly without the commission
OF ancient times when heaven and hell
were regarded as in the sole power Of the
/ church, and men were afraid TO absent
/ themselves. Our Y. NJ c. As were never
so prosperous. The religious nature of our
college students was never more genuine
than IN our own days.
But 20 speak of those who are not at.
/ tending our churches. u IL not because
they have never had a true vision of the
. vital reality and practicabiiity Of Christ's
/ mes sagcs: The great majority OF men IN
this country, at least, are nominal Chris.
tians. They send their children to Sunday
school, they like 10 have their wives and
/ sisters IN union with the church. and n
I asked whether they themselves believe In
I the teachings Of Christ and HIS Church.
| would either evade the question CT else cay
/ they could follow Christian precepts with
/ out attending church. j. not the fault Of
/ lack OF attendance on Christian worship
due rather 70 the manner Of life we are
I hvlng than 10 a definite unBelief in the
/ virtue OF the Christian religion They are
/ 90 much absorbed i'm the struggle for
/ money that they have neither time nor
I desire 10 see anything else. Every one is
I hunting for II, the business man, the poll.
tlcian, the professional man. the laborer.
| the coachman, the waiter, the conductor.
7 the porter, the barber, the messenger, the
/ clergyman who is paid for burials and bap-
/ tlsms, the corporation. This one craze
seems TO leave no part of American so
ciety intact, rich and poor. high and low.
/ alke, are infected with this disease. which
10 sapcinc all the spiritual and moral en-.
ergv Of the generation
4 be church - not the only place from
I which such men and women absent them
selves. Oar lectures on history and travel,
/ and science and art are giving up their
business because the cry has gone forth
/ that men will not attend lectures. The
u literature that auueale 10 ucOule IL not that