The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1909-11-26
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. ROBERT RODGERS
Theme: Consciousness of God.


day on "The Consciousness Of Cod
The text was from Ephesians 4:20:
"Ye Have Not So Learned Christ"
Dr. Rogers said:
The thought with which [ am i'm
pressed, and with which | would inn
press you-is that Christ-the God
man-stands facing the world of men
and women as the greatest and most
important factor in human life. Ev-
erything we do should be done in
consciousness of His presence; every
thing we do will be judged by Him,
and His Judgment will be visited up
on us and be felt by US. This we
have learned of Christ, if we have
heard Him and been taught by Him.
When I speak of Christ, I mean to eX-
press the thought that comes into our
hearts and minds when we speak Of
God.
This is the most important mes
sage that can be delivered to man
If he can be assured of its truth
and made to live under its inspira-
tions. When | open my Bible, its
first words tell the great story, "In
the beginning God created the heav-
ems and the EARTH" and as man has
learned the knowledge of the heav-
ems and earth, of the mighty force,
the beauty, the bounty in supplying
all that is needful for the millions of
mankind, the laws, which are so won
derful, man comes more and more to
enter into this knowledge of nature,
he speaks of God with alteration and
reverence. The infinite God Of in
finite power, infinite wisdom, infinite
goodness is our only explanation.
The greatest power of the might
est human intellect sinks into insig-
nificance before the ultimate analysis
of a drop Of water or grain of sand
when the scientist intimates to us what
is involved in it's creation. [ think
we can understand the cry of Brown
ing, 20 World as God made it, All
is beauty! or Wordsworth words in
the Excursion when the wanderer,
full of spirit of worship, says, 'sThe
clouds were touched, and in their 81
lent faces did He read unutterable
1ove!" In the same spirit Ruskin
speaks, '.It is quite certain it is all
done for us and for our perpetual
pleasure" How near into the pres
ence of the Infinite God these men
have come who have been able to en-
ter into the wonders and beauties OF
natures From Job to David, and
from David to the last thoughtful
student in the earth's book, has come
this feeling of nearness to God, and
happiness and comfort in being nes-
tied in the everlasting arms.
The thought that I am trying to
convey is not so much that our minds
shall rest on the wonders of nature,
but that the mind shall advance,
through these things, into the con-
sciousness of God-the supremacy Of
the Infinite, the Fatherhood of God,
to be able to say with Ruskin, 81 am
quite certain it is all done for us and
for our perpetual pleasure.
The poet of Israel, whose soul was
athirst for the living God, has this
consciousness. Listen, 'Whither shall
l go then from Thy spirit; or whittier
shall I go then from Thy presence?
If 1 climb up into heaven, Thou are
there; if I go down to hell, Thou art
there also; if I take the wings of the
morning and remain in the uttermost
parts of the sea, even there shall Thy
hand lead me and Thy right hand
shall hold me.
eff say peradventure, the dark
ness shall cover me; then shall my
night be turned to day. Yea, the
darkness is no darkness with Thee,
the darkness and the light to Thee are
both alike"
There is one test, and one alone,
which will satisfy men of the charac-
ter of any object 'By their fruits
We shall know them" When Robert
Fulton, century ago, speaks of
steam navigation, men say, let me see
what you can dc. The Clermont
steams on the Hudson, and men were
satisfied of his sanity and wisdom.
For century men have been speak
ing Of flying in the air, few have be-
Eeved it possible, but with millions
of doubters have said, we will wait
and see. And now we know it can be
done because we have seen it.
Let us see. What are the effects
of this new thing? In law, medicine,
science, the same test is required. 1t
is also Gods way of judging. Christ
said of trees what He meant to say of
men: A good tree cannot bring forth
corrupt fruit, neither can corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit. There
fore, ''by their fruits ye shall know
them" 1t is this universal standard
of judgment - Gods judgment and
mans judgment - that st. Paul is
using for his appeal in our epistle for
to-day. He is appealing to men who
were Gentiles or heather, but who
have recently learned of Christ the
Son Of God, and given to Him their
allegiance. New things are expected
from their new discovery, their new
faith. Let us see what your new faith
or religion produces. The whole be-
lieving world, with St. Paul, looks on
anxiously. How much it meant to
that early band of prosecuted follow
ers, who were condemned and charged
with hideous crimes, with being pesti-
lential fellows, corrupters of people.
How shall these few new converts
act? And the unbelieving world was
also looking on, ready to lind and
magnify the slightest wrong, amazed
TO see the slightest improvement. 1t
is one of the mighty things of the past
to which we can turn our minds and
from which we can draw comfort and
enccura cement.
To see and to know that these men
to whom the apostles are appealing,
formerly heathen in their customs,
won the world to the religion of Jesus
Christ. won it away from barbarism,
from idolatry and immoral corrup-
ton, what brave and good men and
women they must have been. What
mighty works can be done when peo-
pie are brave enough to do them. Lis
ten to ST. Paul as he appeals plainly
and practically: you must put off
the old things in which We walked
when We were Gentiles, when your
minds were darkened."
Put away lying and speak truth;
steal no more, but labor for your sub
stance; no corrupt communication
must come out of your mouth; let all
bitterness and wrath and clamor, NAL
ice be put away from you, but speak
words to edify and minister grace to
hearers, and be tender-hearted, for
giving one another, even as God for
Christs sake hath forgiven you.
The appeal of the great apostle of
Jesus was made nineteen centuries
ago. but | think we all feel how mod
ern it mieht be- How st. Paul might