The Penn's Grove record., 1908-08-21
TIL PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. j.. E. ADAMS.
Subject: Mans Part in Gods Plan.

Subject: Mans Part in Gods Plan.
Brooklyn, N. YIN the Ross
Street Presbyterian Church, corner
of Wilson street, the pastor, the
Rev. John Erskine Adams, preached
Sunday morning on Mans Part in
Gods Plan" The text was from Ro-
mans S:2S: "And we know that to
them that love God all things work
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 a lessening sense of the i'm
portance of His death. They say
hat much of His writings was for
the Jew and couched in such figurative
language that the Jew alone could
understand and appreciate, and ac-
cordingly, He dweltatlength upon the
typical and sacrificial rather than
upon the practical and ethical. And
in the chapter from which u text
is taken we seem to have presented
the horrible doctrine of predestina-
ton, a doctrine which by many is ac-
cepted as synonymous with a fmatalis-
tic creed which eliminates mans
free agency and subjects all things
to an incontrovertible and change
less law of necessity. l 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-
plished. 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 its 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.
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
he meekly resign himself and his
shipmates to the inevitable? BY no
means. He becomes a 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 persis-
tence to save themselves and their
ship. He says to the Centurion and
the soldiers who had him in convey,
when the fear-stricken seamen
would have sought escape in a 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
Use and protection. And so, deliver
is wrought. All things were
work together for good; but in
that result one of the essential fac
tors must be human courage and
fidelity. The u shines to-day for
me, for all the world. That is GER
tain. Nought we a do may pre-
vent its shining. But it only shines
for me as l open my eyes to receive
its light. 1t is in my power to keep
my eyes shut. if I 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
come; 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
rearing, lest, having preac1ed to
others as a minister of Gods rae
himself might be a castawpy. He
lives again, he says; yet 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-
it; to make it perfectly re-
sponsive to the control and ordering
OF God. To Paul, this life is a con-
struggle; a warfare against
p~rincipalities and powers, with
enthroned; it is a race
in which, if he would win, he must
every nerve and stretch every
muscle and lay aside every weight.
and the sin which so easily besets:
must run with patience, with per-
.sistence, looking to Jesus. That
us the idea exactly. Use all
your own. power, looking to Jesus,
as your example, inspiration, stimu-
n strength. If he wrote the
letter to the Hebrews, and whether
did or another of the saints is
immaterial, the principle is the
same; he made out a list there of
and of women who were in
Gods keeping, and yet wrought,
achieved, suffered, triumphed,
through the exercise of dauntless
and of splendid faith. And
so we are led to say that Paul's
conception of life was that of al
lance with God. He was destined
of divinity for high achievement.
This is not pride, it is not egotism,
save of the right sort. All great men
have lived and achieved under this
conception and in this thought. Ths
who have done things have
done them because they have known
themselves called of God for achieve
ment. They are in the divine plan;
they are also agents in it's carrying
and out. Under this impulse,
David went forth from the sheep
fold to the sceptre. With the an
ointing oil of the prophet upon him,
he waged his battles against the
Philistines and conquered. Under
thfc imnu1cn Cauonor1t --l.-,