ZION’S LANDMARKS
151
r
Paul exhorts to work out, does no
doubt have connection with obedience,
because the Christian cannot build
himself up on his most holy faith
without works of obedience, neither
can he pray in the Holy Ghost and
keen himself in the love of God
while in acts of disobedience, for to
disobey is to live after the flesh, to
do which we are told we shall die—
die to that cherished love of God, cut
off from that gdowing view of the
mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
vtcrnal life. To live after the flesh
is to become wise in our own conceits^
to grow self-important, to imagine
we can do something to aid the work
of salvation, or of the building up
the church of Christ. Peter is a
beautiful example when he began to
rebuke the Lord while he was explain
ing something of the eternal purpose,
of God, and the work of salvation
through him. Christians may inad--
vertently fall into this error, but an
ti Christ lives and delicrhts therein :
O ^
anti>'Christ boasts of it, but the Chris
tians mourn over it; anti-Christ gets
angry to have this pointed out as evil,
but the Christian rejoices to be re
claimed from it; anti-Christ wants
more power, but the Christian wants
bT-c and pram's' t^Tat^ the
words of his mouth and the medita
tion of his heart might bo accepta
ble before God. The reason why the
Christian is liable to fall into error,
is because he is in possession of two
principles, antagonistic one to the
other, wdiich is called the flesh and
the spirit. 'Ihe soul, when born of
the Spirit and receives the gift of
eternal life, becomes spiritual, while
the flesh remains unchanged, being
yet carnal, only as it is (some how/)
brought partially in subjection to the
Spirit, but constantly keeps up a
warfare against the soul. This state
may be illustrated by Jacob and Esau.
Esau the elder was to serve Jacob the
younger ; yet for a time Jacob seems
to give way to Esau. So the Spirit
may in some sense shrink back from
the flesh, the old man. But the pro
mises of the Gospel are in this foun
dation, in Christ; they cannot fail;
the heirs of promise are the materials
in this building, they are members of
his body, they shall never perish ;
Christ has loved them with an ever
lasting love; no power, nor things
present, or to come, shall separate
them from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus ; and a promise is,
He will not suffer them to be tempt*
ed above that they are able, but will
with the temptation, also make a way
to escape, that they may be able to
bear it. Therefore, brethren, count
it all joy when you fall into divers
temptations, knowing that the trial
of your faith worketh patience, and
hath taught you, ye shall abide in
him Not only is the Spirit uniform
in delivering from the power of dark
ness and translating into the king-,
dom of God’s dear Son; but it is so
similar in its operations in guiding
patience experience, and experience and delivering the poor tempted child
of grace, that one speaking thous
ands of years ago gives joy to one
to day. David says thou hast de
livered my soul from death, mine
eyes from tears, and my feet from
falling. 0 how the soul just de
livered from the power of sin cor
roborates this. When David says
keep back thy servant from pre
sumptuous sins, let them not have
dominion ovei me ; how readily will
the Christian to-day say this is my
earnest desire ? l^aul says the good
that I would I do noi; but the evil
which I would not that I do ; how
Christian by the same
: view of the building of the Church | teaching to-day been made to feel
hope. When you have manifold
temptations, and you find supporting
grace, so that there is a way to cs^
cape, you have ground to hope you
are an heir of promise, and are built
upon this immutable liocK. To have
an evidence that we have these two
contending principles wdthin us, (the
one, the Spirit, lusting and warring
against the flesh, the other, the flesh,
lusting .’tgainst the Spirit, and v/ar-
ring against the soul,) turns to us an
evl-i;- lu'o we are born again, born of
die Spirit, and produces within us a
i'.ve to God, and a delight to obev
him. The consoling and comforting often has the
on this Hock, is its connection with
the eternal rvorks of Jehovah, or
that which is declared to exist before
tho world began—such as the elcc-
this to be his condition ? and that in
the flesh there dwells no good thing.
The operations of the Spirit cuts oft'
comidence in the flesh; Paul says
tion or choice of God ; (Eph. 1st, 4 ; - we worship G-od in the spirit, and re-
2d Col. 2, 13th;) promise of eternal . joice in Christ Jesus, and have no
life; (Titus 1st, 2d;) the ordaining ! confidence in the flesh. The chris-
and predestinating purpose of God ; witnesseth this, but m
nave
, t-unc doubts wdiether he worships in
Spirit as he ought or rejoices in
Christ as he should. And now,
brethren, while we have hope that
we are in this building, let us re*
member we are a new creature and
(1st Peter, 1st, 20th ; Horn. 8th, 20;
Eph. 1st, 5, lltb;) covenant of grace,
as expressed in Hebrews Gth, ITth
and 13-20; the eternal purpose of
God, including and connecting these
eternal works of God with this builcl-
ing; (Eph. 3d, lltb, and 2d, 20th ;) | have ail the promises of the Scrip-
the calling of the saints or elect, to : tures ; (I understand the church as
a knowledge, by faith, of the grace built upon this rock, as not including
given them in Christ Jesus before : the militant church alone, but as em-
the world began, is a work done by j bracing the entire New Jerusalem,
the Spirit in time, yet according to i the bride the lamb’s wife, and although
this purpose of God ; (Rom. 8th, : we may have a name and place in the
28th; 2d Tim. 1st, 9th;) the gifts church militant, yet if we are not a
of the Spirit are in time, but all for
the building of the church ; (1st Cor.
12th chapter through;) the opera
tions of the Spirit in the washing of
rageneration, quickening, calling,
enlightening, giving of faith, new
birth, &c., are so uniform, that it is
as a glass whereby one believer may
know another; (it is called the
Christian experience.) John, as I
understand him, calls it an unction,
new creature Christ has not built us
in the church upon this rock.) The
eternal God is Israel’s refuge, and
underneath are the everlasting arms;
Christ is the rock upon which the
church is built, let us rely upon his
promises, let us keep his command
ments, for they are not grievous; let
us keep ourselves in the love of God.
Jude says, ye beloved, building up
yourselves on your most holy faith,
when he says, “But yo have an nnc-: praying in the Holy Ghost, keep
tion from the Holy One, and yc know i yourselves in the love of God, look-
all things;” and also an anointing,! iiig for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
and says, “But the anointing which; Christ unto eternal life. Tliig I un-
ye have received of him abidotb in I derstand him to allude to, in part at
you, and ye need not that any man! least, of the common salvation. In
tench you: but as the anointing! tho world we are to have tribulation,
but if God be for us who can be
teacheth you of all things^ and is
truth, and is no lie, and even aa it
against us ? i. e. as I understand it,
who can prevail against us ? Christ
says the gates of hell shall not pre
vail against the church, hence not
against one little member. May
Go'd keep us from evil. Amen.
Your brother in the kingdom,
JAMES J. DAVIS.
Straaveriuge IDll, S. C., )
August 28, 1869. j
Bear Brother:—Through the good
ness of a merciful God, I am yet
spared. I am still suffering afflic
tion, and at this time I can scarcely
Avalk Avith the aid of two sticks. The
Lord has taken aAvay my beloved
Avife, after permitting us to live to
gether nearly forty years. She bad
been a member of the Primitive Bap
tist Church for many years. I have
no doubt that she died happy. She
Avas not afraid to die ; and I believe
she has met both our infants, in that
happy Avorld above. I try to be like
Job and say, the Lord giveth, tlu-
Lord taketh aAvay, blessed be ao
name of the Lord. I still receive
your little paper. When I get it I
set doAvn and read it through. I h'' c
the paper will find its ay ay to every
Primitive Baptist far and near.
Y’^ours Avith due resDeet..
' B. IIUCKABEL.
Brotherly Eebuke.
There Avas a faithfulness in the
performance of this duty among the
Primitive disciples of Jesus, Avhich is
a stranger in these degenerate days
of the church. Their own liableness
to fall is urged as an excuse by many
for neglecting to rebuke others. Such
persons harp much upon the decision
of the Saviour recorded in the 8th
chapter of John : “ He that is with
out sin among you, let him first cast
a stone at her.” Brethren, the se
cret of this affair is, Ave are too un
faithful, too much afraid of the cross
to discharge these duties as it be
comes the self-denying Christian.
The spirit of this plea for neglecting
to rebuke Avhen the good Avanderers
requires it, Avould relax if not de*
stroy every nerve of Christian dis
cipline. David remained insensible
of his crime until Nathan rebuked
him. And Peter had no compunc
tion of conscience for his profane
denial of Jesus till his penetrating
eye called up tho transaction of a
previous hour.—John Broton, 1841.
“He that goeth about as a talebear
er revealeth secrets ; therefore med
dle not Avith him that flattercth with
his lips.”