The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-03-25
SAYS MANS FINEST WORK
IS WHEN HE BUILDS HIS GOD
Pattern Should Be the God of
Jesus, Rev. j. A. Vance Tells
Lenten Audience

'Ihe Rev. Joseph A. vance, pastor OF
the First Presbyterian church. spoke
in the Monday MONDAY Lenten SER
vice. In the Detroit opera house. la
place OF his brother, the Rev. James
/. Vance, OF Nashville, Tenn, who
could not reach Detroit until Tuesday.
The latter will be the speaker the rest
of the week except Saturday. DR..
Vance spoke on Building God.
saying in part:
"A brilliant Frenchman thought he
was uttering biting sarcasm when he
said the Christian taught that God az
creation made man in His image, and
ever since man had been returning
the compliment and making a God In
mans image. Without knowing IL he
was uttering a profound truth We do
build our God, each man after his
own image.
I'VE belong to a race Of builders.
Witness not only our cathedrals and
temples, our dreams In stone. but our
philosophers, our poetry, our art. our
whole civilization, our character. But
mans finest work Is when he builds
his God. and here, as nowhere else.
the good is the enemy of the best.
One day an old king asked his court
poet TO give him a definition OF God,
The poet asked for day TO think /,
over. At the end of the day. he asked
for two days more; and at the end ~
these he still pleaded for time. The
king angrily rebuked him for trifiing,
at which the poet answered, The
more, o king, think of God. the more
is He still the Great unknown TO me.
els IL worth while to try TO build
a God? Out of the silences OF the
past comes the taunt that added tor
ture 10 suffering Job 'Canst thou by
| searching find out God? Canst thou
| find out the Almighty TO perfection.
| II is high as heaven. What canst thou
do? Deeper than hell. what canst
thou know
| but there is a later word on this
subject and of more authority than
these old agnostic vaporings from the
land of w. 1t is from the lips of the
great religious specialist, Jesus Christ.
Listen: No man hath seen God at
any time the only begotten Son, who
is in the bosom of the Father, he
hath declared Him. and This is HE
eternal, that they might know thee.
the only true God. and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent.
Most men have tried to build
God under the lead OF the philosopher
Not a little of II has been brilliant
work, and the material has been rs
available for the pagan as the Chris
tian.
THE real material out of which
man builds his God Is his own life.
We paint the Divine face out OF the
colors of our experience. In its maj
analysis. mans God Is shaped by
his personal attitude. The process by
which we get Him Is not speculative.
il is often not consciously logical. 1t
goes infinitely deeper. 1t Is deter
mined by the mood which we cherish,
by the bent of will in which we per-
sist.
"Atheiasm is born Of settled self
ishness. and a little mean God Is the
creation OF a little mean man. when
a man lives for mere pleasure, when
he contents himself with mere earth
Illness. when he drives out his moral
ideal. when his soul grows pitlless ana
deaf to suffering and he can fatten on
inhumanity to his fellowmen, the de-
NAL of Gods very existence comes
easy, and the creation OF an abortion
i'm the place of the true God becomes
inevitable.
I'VE begin TO build the true God in
our souls by cherishing a high moral
ideal. Blessed are the pure in heart
for they shall see God AS We cast
base designs out of our hearts ana
strive to grow the best in us. the face
of God takes on increasing distinctive
ness and spiritual beauty, and the still
small voice becomes Increasingly
clear and winsome. A clear vision OF
God comes to as just as belief in our
mother comes. The chiid's dawninS
consciousness shows him that his
whole life is infolded in her loving
care. Wherever he turns he finds a
loving ministry waiting on his every
need, a presence that renews lire 90
soothes pan, and grows power anu
gives victory, and makes 1t JOY to
live.
Every man has~hs God. IL you
will not have~tffe God OF Jesus. you
will serve poor substitute. The pen.
atty of rejecting the Heavenly Father
is to become the slave of a God that
IS little II not mean and cruel.
Get you a God, not with piles OIL
yellow gold, or even out or BEADS o.
wise philosophy, but out of your daily
experience in divinely ordered Ire.