Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1918-03-08
Sermon Of Rev. Roberts
Sunday Morning
Resume of Interesting Sermon
BY Local Pastor.
The Ground Of Faith.

Nov Faith is assurance of things
hoped for. A conviction Of things not
yet seen. Heb, ILL.
This is only n way Of saying that
religion is grounded in our very nature.
The principle Of faith which resides in
our very nature is the ground of things
hoped for and the conviction Of things
invisible and eternal.
Religion is thus grounded in our very
natures. It is not a device Of priests.
1t is not something that belongs to
churches and students of divinity ex-
clusively. 1t is just as true that man is
a~religious animal as that he is a politi-
cal animal. Mans creator has stamp
ed down deep in his nature the mark Of
his mint. Emerson said, when the
maker Of the universe has points to car
ry in his government he impresses his
will in the structure of the minds. "
Conscience is The signal manuel of our
divine origin. Our moral nature is the
hallmark Of the father. Man naturally
has affinity for his father. Augustine
exclaimed, 20 Lord, l was made for
thee, and / cannot rest until l rest in
theel'
Origin Of Faith.
In the history of Christian doctrine
there have been two great theories as
to the origin of faith. Faith has been
considered as a gift of Goo directly be-
slowed upon the usual nature of man.
1t has also been thought that apart
from this gift it is impossible for a nan
to believe in God, Christ or the Bible, or
even in good deeds. One of the favor
lite proverbs of the people who entertain
this view is, eff ] ever we're converted
l could not help it; if l had religion /
could not lose it, and If / lost il / never
had it," This theory of faith is at the
bottom of all this program of getting
religion, , which is so popular among so
many otherwise Christian people. The
very nature of religion debars it from
those commodities which you can pur-
chase if you are willing to pay the price.
Religion is something you do rather
than something you get. The old Au-
~gustinian doctrine of total heredity de-
pravity is at the bottom of all this non
sense about getting religion, spontane-
Gus conversion, seeing a light, hearing
a sound, actually feeling your sins roll
ed away, and other chimericRl expert
ences that have been associated with
the Christian doctrine of conversion.
The other theory as to the origin OF
faith, and which l consider the true
one, is that religion is a slumbering life
of the soul awakened by the supernatu-
raj approach. IL is not something new
that you get, but rather a native slum.
bering life that is awakened into &C.
tivity by the divine call of the master
The prOdigal came to himself; he was
not himself when feeding swine. A mar
is incompletely human until he comes
to himself and accepts his Lord.
Revelation is Adapted to Human
Nature.
The great fundamental facts of tn,
Gospel of Christ are exactly adapted t.
mems needs and intended in their ma.
ture to awaken a life in the soul which
has been deadened by sin. The entir,
revelation bears on its face the idet
that it is intended for a human nature
that has been corrupted by sin and is
yet capable of redemption. The entire
life of Jesus was written with one dis
tinct view of producing faith (see Johr
20:3l). 1t was the preaching of the
Gospel that opened Lydia's heart. II
is Faith in Jesus that puriies the
heart. 1t is the Gospel which is the
power of God unto Salvation.
The soul therefore carries within its
bosom a lamp which when kindled with
fire from Heaven will shed an atmos-
phere of light and love in this dark
Jesus in fastening.
THAT far off divine event
To which the whole creation moves"
F. GAYLORD ROBERTS,
Pastor Christian Church.