The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-06-16
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
!"DoES COD cARE7"
The Rev. Robert Macdonald Declares
That the Greatest Discovery OF the
Twentieth Century Will Be the Dis
covery of God.


That the Greatest Discovery OF the
Twentieth Century Will Be the Dis
covery of God.
BROOKLYN, n. Y.-"Does God Care? ,"
vas the subject of the sermon Sunday
morning by the Rev. Robert Macdonald,
pastor Of the Washington Avenue Baptist
Church He took his text from l. Peter
VI: Casting all your care upon Him, for
He careth for YOU" Mr.. Macdonald said:
"The greatest discovery of the TWEEN
tieth century will be the discovery of God.
and then it will be seen that God does not
care" Such is the latest assumption OF
science, If a certain learned professor OF
one of our largest universities Is deemed
trustworthy interpreter. He wisely drew
the line between Christianity and 'nhde,
ity as between believing that God cared
for us ard that He did not care. and
stated that the leading scientists were In
6dels.
Lest such statements upset or weaken
the faith of some of us, let us see what the
weight of probability is for the realizing
OF these presumptive prophecies. Let 1t at
the very start be remembered that any
more definite scientific discovery of God
than we now have is unlikely. And this
Is said, not because we now possess so
much. but that we are possessed OF so lit
tie Science will doubtless discover more
about God. Shame upon our developing
intelligence if it does not. Every discov-
cry is that But that is very different
thing from discovery OF God. His handi-
work will be more clearly traced, the
working of His purposes more definitely
realized; but think we can trust the IN
finite One to as successfully outwit the
scientific inquisitiveness of the twentieth
century as of any that has soul. am
een6deut that 1900 years hence the excla-
nation of the human mind will be about
as 1t is now-"Who can by searching out
find Gsdw One o. infinite retreats is not
going to be taken by surprise. The secret
of His presence will ever elude the discov-
cries Of man. The mystery of His person
shall still remain inviolate.
Why do speak as though God were an
tagonistic to human discovery! Because,
friends, this learned prophet whose state
ments we are considering sees the only
lack to the discovery OF God to be the
present incompleteness of human knowl-
edge and the present paucity of scientific
means, both of which will be remedied, he
is sure, before the present century closes.
I speak as I do because do not like to
have Him whom we honor as Creator and
Father stripped of His mystery and robbed
OF His yolitional power and referred to as
you would to an impersonal, objective fact
nents and seas and laws and good many
other things, but it does seem to me that
God Himself will have something to say
about the discovery of Himself. More.
over, have no right to believe that God
will ever be discovered by any man save
by Him whom God has discovered. he
only inds God whom God has found. l
Am striving to maintain tine integrity OF
the divine revelation as over against that
OF human investigation. We must take
God on His own terms, rather than on
ours. Therefore. he only discovers God to
whom God has revealed Himself, to whom
God permits such discovery. We need not
fear that any future discovery of God will
negative the revelation We now have
through Jesus Christ Science is mighty,
but not almighty Not more mighty than
God. We welcome it in the realm of well
defined data, in the realm of demonstra-
sion and proof But its advocates need to
learn that the Eternal transcends its scru-
tiny and the Supernatural bends not to its
demands. Reassure Your heart that II you
are so fortunate as to be habitant OF the
ilealm bounded by the Christian religion
the essence of your faith cannot be
harmed. Faiths form, as also the form of
revelation. will be scientifically questioned
and repaired Faiths content examined
and modified perchance, but its essence,
that spiritual thing We call the divine
grace, that precious consciousness OF His
care for you, and that you arc living in the
light of His face is too sacred to ever bend
to scientific formula, and too mystical to
be expressed III the cold accuracy Of scien-
tific terms
There is, Tor instance, that stubborn
thing called conscience to be dealt with.
That stands out as a very Gibraltar of
protest against the assertion that God does
not care. In all the history of mortals
conscience has been regarded as Gods
handwriting on The wall, telling man he
must do the right and must not do the
wrong. True, 1t does not tell him what is
tight and what Is wrong. That is a thing
OF fuctuating standard. Always differ
4eace Of opinion about that, because de-
pendent upon the mans intelligence that
owns the conscience. And any certain
type Of intelligence depends upon the age
aad civilization in which he lives, circum-
stances, moral and religious ideals. Thus
1T is that the truest standard for the en-
lzhtenment of conscience is Christianity.
Christian ethics. springing from the Ser
mon on the Mount, is universally recog-
med mans truest and highest standard
OF enlightenment.
But on what higher authority rests this
,ssnse of "oughtness" as to the doing OF
right and wrong: God demands it, We
say. The Creator has right to impose
terms upon His creation. We recognize
or obligation TO Him. Yes, but because
the moral sense rests upon an intuition Of
Gods perfect morality. We could not feel
any obligation 10 God unless we felt Him
worthy of that obligation. We believe
Him to embody tine ideal and perfect NOR
ality. HIS sense of obligation to us, then,
as the sanction of our sense of obligation to
HIM. 1t Is precious to read that I'VE love
Him because He first loved u.s. 1t is as
true that we are under obligation to Him
because He rs under obligation to us. We
never speak of it that way. We seldom, if
ever, think of it that way. The more ex-
pressive side Of the divine nature occupies
opr thought God is so pleased to do for
us, His blessings are so much more truly
the manifestation of His love than of any
other characteristic. But the divine IA.
tionaiity expresses itself in Justice and
morality as truly as in love. We are con-
scious ever Of our demerit, insignifcance,
dependence, see all divine favor to be an
ar,aoation nf His love The Crea to. must