Newspapers / Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.) / Oct. 1, 1870, edition 1 / Page 5
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ZION’S LANDMARKS 165 been by grace divine permitted to Seethe plan ofealvation as revealed in God’s word, it was to me the grandest theme to my view that ever passed my vision. From the time tliat I have a hope the Lord Was pleased to manifest himself to tne in the pardon of my sins, (which was in 1855,) I was wrapt in won der how it was that God could save rt soul from death, and still bejust. My experience taught me that ban ishment was just, and how God could save a sinner such as I, was to me a great mystery, and with me, individually, it is yetj a mys>' tery. And when I am" pressed down by doubts and fears, I some times come to the conclusion that ^^irely 1 am not taught of the Lord. 0, my biother, the cruel heavings of the tempest tossed soul iu this condition! But, thanks be to God, I am not alw'ays thus cast down. He sometimes gives me the comfor table assurance that he is mv God, yea, that lie is my Saviour. But in the year 1856, Ijcined the Mission ary Bapti.sts, and having just ens gaged in the study of medicine, I gave that the greater part of ray at tention. I went that winter to College, and in the city I attended that church. I found it all fashion, and I confess I found it to me all folly. But I put it up that I was wrong, and all the rest were right. When I gi'aduated, and came to this State to practice my prol'ession, I confess that I had what I now suppose to be an impression to try ^tell sinners that Jesus has risen indeed andappeared unto me. Ac^ cordingly I put my letter into a Missionary church, and tlioughtby close attention to get rid uf that weight of uneasiness, AVlien the minister wmuld tell of experience, 1 eculd go with him; but when he would tell sinners that they could got religion by making the efiort, then I would have to thrnk that 1 was wrong ; f«r I well remembered how hard 1 had prayed, and strove, sndtoileil; and this kind of preach ing only kept me in a state of con fusion, and I often wanted to tell how helpless I was iu my travel, and then to hear them tell how easy it was to obtain it, 1 would conclude that I was deceived in the matter. But the weight of talking still res mained U|3on me, and I finally came to the conclusion to try to read God’s account of the matter. I tried to ask him to give me light an the matter, and I read night and day to try to establish the “do and live” system. I was driven to the wall at every point. About this time (1866) the church began to insist on ray taking the stand, and it was in this year that I hope the Lord fully established me in the doctrine of particular and eter nal election. I began to try to preach, and I promised him that I would not knowingly preach any thing which he did not teach. I would preach it the way I under stood it. But my brethren, the Missionaries, said it was too hard, and unpopular, and that the Avorld svould not believe it. And I fin ally grew bold enough to tell them that if the world believed it, I was sure it was not the truth ; for “the world by wisdom knows not God.” The contest went so far that the Missionaries would actually, some of them, leave the house when I Was called upon to preach. Brother Gold, I understand that the church had her standing in Je sus Christ, who was ever with the Father, just as Eve had her stand ing in Adam, before her manifes tation. The love of Christ for his b*’ide is an everlasting love.— Adam loved his bride wiien she was yet in his side; for “no maa everyet hated his own fle.sh.”— And when she was taken from his side, and formed into a woman, slie was none the less dear to him ; she was bone of liis bones, and flesh of his flesh. She was the object of his love, and w'hen she was beguiled and led away Irom him, she was still the object of his love. She could not return to him, but he could go to her. He had no one else to love. He was not deceived about the consequence of going ; he knew it would be death; but upon the principle ot his love for her, he went to her. Now Paul says that Adam is the figure of him that was to come. But, says the objector, now Adam has committed a wrong, and God sets about the work of making a plan to save him. I tell the objector that would be a little too late. The man is dead ; the plan will not reach his case. But 1 understand that Christ stood “a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Sin reigned unto death in the garden of Eden, so it ruled to the degree of producing death, and hence it became mani fest. What then? “Even so might grace reign through righteousness' unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” That is what makes grace sovereign. From this I un derstand that Christ could not le gally represent any body but his bride. Hence he was made of a woman, made under the law, to re deem them that were under the law. All of Adam’s posterity were create.i in him. Some dispute it. But God’s creation ended on the sixth day. And all being created in him, they all died in him. “If Christ died for all, then were all dead.’’ And all were concluded in unbelief, that he might have mer cy upon all. The husband then is t!ie only legal representative of the wife, and he must be her husband before she violates the law, in or der for the law to take hold of him. So Christ acknowledges that he was Israel’s Husband before he gave her the law. He stood as her security', and when God drove out the man, he placed a cherubim and flaming sword to keep the way of the tree of life. It pointed in every direction, and hence there was no way by which it could be ap prqached. If we approach it by the law, the sword will meet us; if we ap proach it by the blood of bulls and goats, the sword will meet us there. If we approach it by works, the sword will meet us there. What then ? This sword sleeps four thousand years, and is commanded to awake — against who ? Against the sheep ? No. If so, brother Gold, the sheep would all have, been destroyed. The offended God never looked to the sheep for reparation ; they had nothing to pay, and without a Mediator they must all suffer the penalty of death. He must pay the debt. When He comes, as it is written in the volume of the book, to do the will of God, as Husband he steps forward to redeem them from under the law. He comes to save them, not to make them his people, but because they were his people. He satisded the law in all its jots and tittles, and said, “It is finished; and bowed his head and gave up the ghost.” What then? He has satisfied the law, and it can no more come against her. Now he rises from the dead an almighty con queror, and she is justified. He then ascended to his Father, and to day is “exalted a Prince and a Sav iour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” He comes in f^he fullness of time. So in the full ness of time each and every one of the heirs of promise will receive his evidence of acceptance. Well then, brother Gold, I understand that the covenant is absolute, the election is absolute, the redemption is special, the calling is effectual and irresist ible, and the perseverance is by grace, and grace alone. The Fa ther begets, Jerusalem brings forth, and the ministers feed' the Lord’s children, the born children. Thi.s is the doctrine that is so dista-stcful to the world. The Missionaries in this country despise it, and the teachings of their preachers all dis pute it, and I, a poor offcast, had to leave, and hunt a home. About this time I was brought to see that I was not in the kingdom of God.— My cry was, Lord, to whom shall I go? Paul saith, “We preach Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.’’ But the Missionaries are servants for the money’s s-’ke. They tell us that if we withhold the money, then they will not preach. Where, brother Gold, is the wo to such preachers ? It comes in the want of money, and ends with its coming. Christ says, “I crive unto them eternal life.”— Then money cannot buy it. I find no promise for the evangelizing of the world; but I find that “the Lord’s portion is his people.” The Lord claims no more than his por tion, and he will not have less than his portion. Otlicr denominations blame us for not (as they say) preach ing to the world. But it appears to me that the world has ninctenths of the preachers, and they are preach ing to please the god of this world. But the Lord appoints ministers for poor languishing Zion, according to his heai t. He will, where ever ho has a work to be done, always qualify some one to do it. Then it is of grace, and not of works. But if the regeneration of the sinner depends upon his being preached to, and money must send the preacher, tlie money is the author of salvation, and Christ is of none effect. I under stand that sinners are as dead, spiii- tually, as Lazarus was tempoially.— But the call of Christ gave Lazaru# life, and nothing less will give the sinner life. This life is not given on account of works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy be hath saved us. And the preacher who claims that he is preaching to produce the regeneration
Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.)
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Oct. 1, 1870, edition 1
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