Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-07-21
GOODS LOVE FOR MAN"
An Eloquent Sunday Discourse By Rev
Dr.. Robert Rogers.
Urging Us to Allure Sclflshuess and Animal
ism-Christ tn. Ideal

thoughtful and convincing sermon on
Gods Love For Man." The texts were
from John ii:l6: God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that
but have everlasting life and Mark lx:2i:
Lord, | believe, help Thou mine unbe.
lief" DR.. 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
Chrst's disciples, understood the vital
meaning underlying the Masters life. Jesus
was to John distinct personality with
whom he was acquainted, man among
men, but He was more than this. lie 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, l have
taken another verse from Scripture, to in.
dictate mans attitude OF mind toward
Johns declaration. Lord, l believe, hep
Thou mine unhelief.'
Johns statement is 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
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 us into
the acknowledgment of the supernatural.
1t brings us to the admission that our Di.
vine Father loves man, and teaches him,
and guides him by laws and standards
which He reveals to man according to his
In, Of hn, IL ha hr,,t
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 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
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 | 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
multitude of such people among our men
and women, and may we not ask seriously
why is this the case? Is it because Christ's
teaching and His life are so hard to be UNI
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 in Christ religion,
namely, that to every man, 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. ] 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.
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 as revealed by Jesus Christ, or at
least are able to say with earnestness
Lord, 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 1t 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
warning sounded that men are not attend
ing our Christian churches, and the rea.
sons are being given in various ways. Cler-
gymen are uninteresting; churches are cod
unlnsplrlng places; doctrines are anti
quated and illiberal and meaningless to
man in the .truggle for life. Perhaps
there is truth in all these statements; it
IS not difficult for even stupid man to
hnd plausible excuse for anything he
cares to do, or to leave undonc. 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
belleve 1t is open to demonstration that a
larger number of men are interested in
services and obev;ny ;ts ;n.n; "vt a,'
at anv Other lima n 'I i.tnrr 'v AnG ,n"
ia more ;mnortant the,, ro n at,a "nat
churches wiiInulv withnut t h.e co "r,.l.in
of ancient times when " be ~. nI hoi1
were REGARDED as IN tho sn'" , en anu . ,Ln
church and mon ,nre ' afroi rJI t a ~ ont
themselves Omr Y NJ r. '' AZ v ~ ansrn.
40 nrosnerous rho rnli,o,,s ,,t,,, - ,n
college students was never m ",e'e a ", "uo
than in onr o,,'n d n1.s "e'ei '''o'e genuine
But to sneak Of those wh, ,r0 -. -.
.on nIv ~ SPEAK Oh .hose VINO are not at
tbey bsv o"r rm.t h. Is II not oecau use
vital resltr" ond nra eiue v's,9' OF ne
messogesa T Inu o p,at'."ao,mN Oh .nr,st
tb;s oe,rtr,. so"t 49, ill"JoiiE VI men zen IN
t;ans Thoyy e co. 't th ait holl''na' mrs
scbno they IT lo ~ tne h cn'. .h TO sunday
sisters in union with the church. and il