The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-08-14
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. J. E. ADAMS.
Subject: Mans Part in Gods Plan.

luen IudL rove 1Ou all tuliSS "oIh
together for good" Mr.. Adams
said:
The Apostle Paul has been called
a fatalist. Perhaps, in late years,
he has been the object of more dis
cussion and criticism than any other
New Testament writer. Preacher
and pew alike have striven to under
mine his system of theology. They
have sought to avoid many of the
fundamentals of his faith. They
have told us that it is high time we
should come into a larger concep-
ton of the ethics of Christ's life,
and lessening sense of the i'm
portance of His death. They say
that much of His writings was for
the Jew and couched in such f1gurative
language that the Jew alone could
understand and appreciate, and &C
,, cordingly, He dwelt atlength upon the
typical and sacrifcial rather than
! upon the practical and ethical. And
in the chapter from which our text
is taken we seem to have presented
the horrible doctrine of predestina-
ton, doctrine which by many is &C
cepted as synonymous with a fatalls-.
tic creed which eliminates mans
free agency and subjects all things
to an incontrovertible and change
less law of necessity. wish to show
you, if possible, to-day, how different
was Pauls conception of our rela-
ton to God and Gods relation to us.
Let us not doubt that Paul had
absolute convictions that in all
things Gods will would be accom-
plish ed But let us not doubt, also,
that he had absolute convictions that
men must become co-workers with
God in the out-workings of the di-
vine plan. There was one occasion
when he fully illustrates these
truths. 1t is when, as a prisoner.
he is being brought to Rome to stand
before Caesar. This is the message
of revelation to him. In this he
sees the will of God. With this pur-
pose he has nothing to do. He may
not modify it nor change it. He
resigns himself to it. Nothing
can prevent it's accomplishment. 1t
is Gods will that he should come to
Rome But shipwreck threatens.
The ship on which he is captive is
overtaken with disaster. Fog, storm.
| darkness, danger, all seem to indi-
cate the defeat of the divine plan.
f, 1t seems as if all on board must be
| DESTROYED. And again. the divine
| will is manifest Paul is assured of
| safety for himself and all on board
| that ship. But what does he do?
Does he, in view of this assurance,
| make no effort to avoid the dangers
| and overcome the difficulties? Does
| be meekly resign himself and his
shipmates to the inevitable? BY no
! means He becomes co-operator
with God in the fulfillment of His
| purpose. He heartens all on board
that ship. He feeds them. He as
| sures them of safety; but of safety
| only as they use every precaution,
/ as they overcome treachery; as they
strive with all courage and perss-
! tence to save themselves and their
snip He says to the Centurion and
the soldiers who had him in convey,
when the fear-stricken seamen
would have sought escape in small
boat: Except these abide in the
ship. We cannot be saved In other
words, he couples human endeavor,
courage and skill with divine prom
ance is wrought All things were
to work together for good; but in
| that result one of the essential fac
tors must be human courage and
| fidelity. The sun shines to-day for
| me. for all the world. That is GER
tain. Nought we can do may pre-
vent its shining But it only shines
for me as l open my eyes to receive
it's light. 1t is in my power to keep
my eyes shut, if will.
Paul declares in this chapter that
| nothing can separate us from the
love of Christ; neither tribulation,
distress, persecution. famine. naked
ness. peril, sword, principalities,
powers, things present, things to
rome; none of these things shall in
terfere with the keeping, saving
power of Gods love, in Christ. And
vet, we hear him on another occasion
fearing, lest, having preached to
] others as a minister of Gods grace,
| he himself might be a castaway. He
lives again, he says; vet not he, but
Christ in him; and still he is using
all the powers of determination and
will to keep his body under, to re-
strain it; to make it perfectly re-
sponsive to the control and ordering
Of God. To Paul, this life is a con-
slant struggle, warfare against
principalities and powers. with
wickedness enthroned; it is a race
in which, if he would win, he must
strain every nerve and stretch every
muscle and lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily besets;
he must run with patience, with per-
sistence, looking to Jesus. That
gives us the idea exactly. Use all
your own power, looking to Jesus,
As your example, inspiration, stimu-
lus and strength. If he wrote the
letter to the Hebrews, and whether
he did or another of the saints is
immaterial. the principle is the
same he made out a list there of
men and of women who were in
Gods keeping. and yet wrought.
achieved. suffered, triumphed.
through the exercise of dauntless
courage and of splendid faith. And
so we are led to say that Paul
conception of life was that Of al
lance with God. He was destined
OF divinity for high achievement.
save Of the right sort. All great men
have lived and achieved under this
conception and in this thought. The
men who have done things have
done them because they have known
themselves called of God for achieve
nent. They are in the divine plan.
they are also agents in its carrying
OH and out. Under this impulse,
David went forth from the sheep
fold to the sceptre. With the an
ointing oil of the prophet upon Kim.
he waged his battles against the
Philistines aud conquered. Uo Ger
this impulse, Savonarola achieved.
Under this impulse John Knox
wrought. defying throngs and dew
ills. Lincoln and Washington were
the men they were, and did the
things they did because they were
allied with God, and through their
personality expressed the divine pur-
pose and power. 1t was because of
their certainty that God was above
them and in them, and that right
would triumph, that they went stead
lily forward to accomplish the high
mission of their lives. We are told
by Plutarch that Julius Caesar, on a
night of storm. crossing a channel
in a light, open boat, quieted the
alarm of the oarsmen who were with
| him by telling them: PLUCK I'D your