The Penn's Grove record., 1904-07-22
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A STRONG DISCOURSE ENTITLED,
GODS LOVE FOR MAN"
The Rev. DR.. Robert Rogers Delivers a
Thoughtful and Convincing Address,
Urging Us to Allure S~eIfshness and
AniInaIism-ChrIst the Ideal.

tIOhSHGlQl anu CONVINCING sermon OH
Gods Love For Man" The texts were
from John iii:I6: "God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whose believeth on Him, might not perish,
but have everlasting life" and Mark ix:24:
Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbe-
lief" DIR. Rogers said among other things:
| begin our thought this morning with
the great declaration of the beloved Apos-
tie John who, better than any other of
Christ's disciples, understood the vital
meaning underlying the Masters life. Jesus
was to John a distinct personality with
whom he was acquainted, a man among
men, but He was more than this, He was
also at the same time the love Of God in
carnate in this Mans nature, so that He
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
dictate mans attitude of mind toward
Johns declaration, Lord, I believe, help
Thou mine unbelief."
Johns statement is a condensed but
very complete outline of what the Chris
tian religion aims to teach men. 1t is the
message of the Christian Church that Jesus
Christ Is the personal demonstration of
Gods love for man. The life and words
OF Jesus are the Illustrations of how God
~ 0Ao AOW Liz dGIS lONdEu man, anu
also what God desires that man shall
think and do toward God and toward his
fellow man.
Now this kind of thinking leads us into
the acknowledgment of the supernatural.
1t brings us to the admission that our Di-
VINE rather loves mi and teaches him,
and guides him by laws and standards
winch lie reveals to man according to his
needs. In other words, the Christian re-
llglon 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.
who believe implicitly in this statement of
Gods presence ruling over life, and who
live IN their belief, offering up themselves
to divine guidance, regretting their sins
and lmploring 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
| 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 I am
specially concerned, who believe and vet
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 WI not ask seriously
why Is this the case? Is it because Christ's
teaching and His life are so hard to be I'M
derstood that spiritual things can make no
derstood. Are some kinds so constituted
naturally that spiritual things can make
no effective appeal to them?
Ii we were for a moment to admit this
1t would destroy the greatest power which
we believe inherent in Christ'g religion,
namely, that to every man, bond or free,
black or yellow, barbarian or Scythian,
Jew or Gentle, learned or unlearned, rich
or poor, it has the power of entering into
his heart and Transforming his life. There
is no respect of persons with God. / grant
you that Christ found that there were GER
tam 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 of
compromising His gospel, and this same
reason viii be found to hold good in these
days.
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
:ere believers in the message of Gods
presence as revealed by Jesus Christ, or at
least are able to say with earnestness,
Lord, l believe, help Thou mine unbelief."
When we come to consider our own lives
and those OF the ordinary men and women
around about whom we can understand,
what IS it that prevents the message of
Jesus Christ from having the effect upon
Us all that it ought to have?
There has hpeD for fha mast fon vaorS q
warning sounded that men are not attend
Ing our Christian churches, and the rea-
sons are being given IN various ways. Cler-
gymen are undressing; churches are cold,
hn%inspiring places; doctrines are anti
4uated and illiberal and meaningless to
man in the struggle for life. Perhaps
there is a truth in all these statements; it
IS not difficult for even a stupid man to
ind a plausible excuse for anything he
cares to do, or to leave undone. Parents
who are bringing up children, teachers
who are educating 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 l
believe it is open to demonstration that a
larger number of men are interested in
the work of the church and attending its
services and obeying its inspirations than
q ~ any OtAlG lluc LII ulStOINs AuQ W0dL
IS more important, they are attending
churches willingly without the %compulsion
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. G. AS were never
so prosperous. The religious nature of our
college students was never more genuine
than In our own days.
But to speak of those who are not at
tending our churches, is it not because
they have never had a true vision of the
vital reality and practicability of Christ
messages? The great majority of men in
this country, at least, are nominal Chris.
tians. They send their children to Sunday
school, they like to have their wives and
sisters In union with the church, and il
asked whether they themselves believe in
the teachings of Christ and His Church.
would either evade the question or else say
they could follow Christian precepts with.
out attending church.. Is not the fault OF
lack OF attendance on Christian worship
due rather to the manner of life we are
living than to a definite unbelief in the
virtue of the Christian religion? They are
so much absorbed in the struggle for
money that they have neither time MOI
desire to see anything else. Every one is
hunting for it, the business man, the poll.
tlclan, the professional man, the laborer,
IHS c~OdcHndns the waiter, the conductor,
the porter, the barber, the messenger, the
clergyman who is paid for burials and bap.
tisms, the corporation. This one craze
seems to leave no part of American so.
ciety intact, rich and poor, high and low
alike, are infected with this disease, which
is sapping all the spiritual and moral en-,
ergy of the generation.
The church is not the only place from
which such men and women absent them
selves. Our lectures on history and travel
and science and art are giving up theil
business because the cry has gone forth
that men win not attend lectures. Tn,
literature that appeals to people is not that
which lifts the mind and heart to higher
thoughts, but the type or fiimsy novel thai
simply entertains.
The Church of Christ is no longer a com
Portable place in which the unrepentant
sinner can sit. Religion has become mucl
more of a reality to every man. 1t fills
more sacred place. 1t is not regarded il
these days as simply a combination of rites
and ceremonies, performed in a specia
building, but religion is known by all mer
to be coordinate and .co-extensive with lf,
and the man who willingly lives sinfully
and in disregard of Christ's standard viii
mt add m hic da0ra1a4,on br Dlaxsn~ Al,