The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-08-10
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A STRONG DISCOURSE ENTITLED,
GODS LCVs FOR MAN"
The Rev. Or. Robert Rogers Delivers a
Thoughtful and Convincing Address
Urging Us TO Allure S%elfishness and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS tho Ideal.


Urging Us TO Allure selishness and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS tho Ideal.
BROOKLYN, N. Y-Sunday morning the
Rev. DR.. Robert Rogers, rector of the
Church of the Good Shepherd, preached a
thoughtful and convincing sermon on
Gods Love For Man." The texts were
from John iii:l6: 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:
lief" DR.. Rogers said among other things:
I 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 Mastcr'slife. 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, I have
taken another verse from Scripture, to in
dictate mans attitude of mind toward
Johns declaration, Lord, I believe, help
Thou mine unbelicf."
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
loves and how He acts toward man, and
also what God desires that man shall
think and do toward God and toward his
fellow man.
Now this kind Of thinking leads lis into
the acknowledgment of the supernatural.
1t brings us to the admission that our Di-
vim Father loves man, and teaches him,
and guides him by laws and standards
which He reveals to man according to his
needs. In other words, the Christian re-
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
hive in their belief, offering up themselves
to divine guidance, regretting their. sins
and imploring 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
OeCldratlOlS VI Vie SItlSIid!l IeilSlou, Jul
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 -nr,o AVID q ,,a rof oS1- eor,N,,sly
why is this the case? Is it because Christ's
teaching and 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 them?
If We were for a moment to admit this
1t would destroy the greatest power which
we believe inherent = Christ's, religion,
namely, that to ever. IAN, bond or free,
black or yellow, barbarian or Scythian,
Jew or Gentle, learned or unlearned, rich
or poor, 1t has the power of entering into
his heart and Transforming his life. There
is no respect Of persons with God. I 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 of
comprehending His gospel, and this same
reason Will be found to hold good in these
days.
hAtheism is no longer supposed to be a
necessary adjunct OF the scientist; but or
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 as revealed by Jesus Christ, or at
least are able to say with carnestness,
Lord, | believe, help Thou mine unbelief."
When We come to consider our own lives
and those of the ordinary mel 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 been for the past few years a
warning sounded that men are not attend
ing our Christian churches, and the rea-
sons are being given in various ways. Cler-
gymen are Unlnterestipg; churches are cold,
uninspiring. places; doctrines are anti
quated 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
lind 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 |
believe it is open to demonstration that a
larger number OF men are interested in
the work of the chnrch and attending its
services and oheylng its inspirations than
at dny other time in history. And what
is more important, they are attending
churches willingly without the compulsion
nf ancient fInnc whom hooyon o,l ho11
were regarded as in the sole power of the
church, Il 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 W 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's
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 if
asked whether they themselves believe in
the teachings Of Christ and His Church.
would either evadc the question CT else say
they could follow Christian prccepts 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 unEcliei in the
virtue of the Christian religion? They are
so much absorbed In the struggle for
desire to see anything else. Every one is
hunting for it, the business man, the poll
tician, the professional man, the laborcr,
the coachman, 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
o.a4,- ,s,toat r;nh ,~1 -4a- l,-h al L..