Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-08-05
"CHRIST WAS A MAN"
SAYS REV. C. C. PETERS
Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church
Saws "He Had More of God Than
Any Man Who Ever
Lived"

Rev. C. c. Pierce, pastor of Memorial
Baptist church, preached on Mans
Origin and Destiny" taking for his text,
For both he that sanctifieth and they
who are sanctifed are all of one. lie
said in part:
1.-THE physical origin of man is lost in
the vast stretches of the unrecorded past
and there is much about the future whicn
we should all be glad to know Some
things. however are clearly revealed
| both by mans past and by his present.
We have the same origin as Christ. we
| are akin to him. He Is our elder brother.
| God was Christs father He is our
| father We were created in his image.
| This is not merely matter OF revela-
ton, it is likewise necessary deduction
growing out of any intelligent conception
of a creative being.
1--WE speak Of the difference between the
human and the divine, but no one has
yet risen who is able to tell us precisely
what this difference is. Christ Is the
head of the race, but 1t is still our race
at whose head he stands. Christ was a
man. He was the son of Mary. he called
himself the Son of Man. He was born
into this world lived, grew, thought.
PRAYED, ate slept, toiled, loved, suffered
and died. He was the divine man, but
here again we find it difficult to tell what
we mean.
"EIe had more of God in him than any
other man who ever lived. But we know
God only as we know man. We know
God by looking upon what he has created
and by letting his spirit of truth teach
u.s. We are akin to Christ. We are akin
to God. We are all of one. We are like
Christ in having a common parentage.
We are like him in our physical. mental
and spiritual endowments. Men become
like Christ In purpose.
Hence the true man is working with
God and with Christ for the same great
end. All things, every historical move
ment of the race is tending toward the
same great end, when. as Paul puts 1t,
God shall be all in ALL
There is one great soul, one great
process, one final goal and everything
that we see, all we know, all we do, all
the processes of nature and all the move
ments of history, help the rising tide
which Is to eventuate in the fulillment of
the divine and beneticent purposes of the
omnipotent and overruling God. All
things are working together for this great
end This is the view of the optimist, but
it is the optimism of faith. God Is the
architect and builder. In this postulate
we rest.
1--WE cannot see the movement at pres
ent We do not see how the victory is
coming. The battle is too large and
covers too much territory for us to know
how it goes all along the line, but the
great Commander has his eye on all the
forces and we believe that he will not
see anything but victory in the end.
But Christ is the sanctifier. 1t is his
truth and his vision of life, and of man
and of God, and 1t is the service to which
he calls all his brethren that is to bring
the victory. Following him we are set
apart for human service. If we will not
serve, If we will not take our place In the
great structure that God has planned,
then we will be cast aside to the rubbish
pile and other material will be used. for
the immutable purposes of God must
go on.
And not only are we the material that
the great Builder is using, but we are
the intelligent laborers working with him
for the glorious contamination. We need
a clearer vision of our oneness with him,
a greater love for humanity, more definite
ness in our purposes, more invincible de-
termination, more of the spirit of sacri-
flee and a determination to crown the
Head of the race. leader in everything that
goes to make up human life, which will
bring the victory"