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28
ZIO
S I. A N D M A R K S
JlEiiliiCK, Ijradforr Co., Ta. )
Nov. 21ih, 1872. /
Dear Biic'tiierGoi.d.—Since\vc
their natural powers. “These things
are liid from the wise and prudent/’
thoUiili they may be thoroughly
parted at ISIiddletown last June, I have letter of doctrine, and
t.ften gone over again in my mind tne unto babes,”—babes in
time we spent together, and have felt YtT cxj>ericnce them before
thankful that you and bKitiiCi. liC.-?--, them in the word of trutli.
])Oss were enabled to visit om Asso- | -^yg wero-first enable to rejoice
(intions. I enjoyed } Pleaching . glory of God the
and our personal intercourse very i salvation looked so plain that
muf.n, and 1 hope it was a spiiitual thought we could show it to any
enjoyment. I am seldom (piitc free
from doubts as to the spiritual charac
ter of my csorciscs and enjoyments;
though there arc times Wiicn all the g^j* pg^rd, neither Irave entered
doubts and cpicstionings of my fleshly ; ^p^
one; but wm failed utterly^ in every at
tempt, and so have learned what is
writion, that “eye h.ath not seen, nor
into
j Lil^ injttlL V/A lIlcllA L i.o things which
nature are hushed into sdciicc (jg,| p^th prepared for them that love
I am permitted to enjoy foi a littic | p,j[. liath revealed them un-
season a Pill assurance of ^ ~ : to its by Ids spirit.” kVhen the Lord
"W hen tne Tarrd manilesm hinn^clt m ^ p„^ prepared any one of his children
his holy temple all the Liiith is com- u]ion any portion of his word,
manded into silence bcfoie 1dm. J ; then that p'oriion will be given to him
remember with especial^ comfoit opened to Ids understanding; and
]ileasant season at tlie^ i)elavaie As-; attempt to study it out before
noeiation, Avbeu we first met; and
#hal! not soon forget some of oui
conversation together^ nor the woiulcr-
never docs become a jioor, self-loath
ing sinner until lie is born again, for
without'tlie spiritual life he cannot
see nor hate his sins.
One has gone down to great depths
when he searches in vain througliab
his being for holiness and purity, and
while he loves righteousness and longs
and hungers tor it above all things,
has to give up that he is corrupt
throughout, mind, affections and all,
so entirely so that with Job he has to
acknowledge corruption as his father-
But in tijcse depths the Lord teaches
his children wonderful things con
cerning Ids vrisdoni and jiower and
goodness and mercy and righteous
tliat time veil] only result in the |>ro-
dnetion of some tlicory in whicli there
is no spiritual food, no life or power.
In m_y first cx])Gricnce of gospel
. liberty and joy it appeared to itivO that
w.'A good, ^jj^^ change which I felt -was a ctiaime
fu! sermon tliat brother Bespe.ss was
enaWed to preach. It was tlie last of
the fcasy and the wine
‘ ;-uch as goeth c.ov.ii .s>.cet.y, causmg ; iipo.-, niv natural jin-,vers and
the lips of them that arc asleep lo! j s|,g„p| l.r
speak.’ Our deal bioiuei troubled and harassed any more, a=^ T
witii wnom we weie rm:co togediei Py fjljif,|| tliouclitsand [ifo-
judgnieiits. lO the power of trutti
diirii;-’-those thr(;c dav.s, Lassmee been
crdled away from tlie.se ea.rtldy .scones.
Low little (lid we thlidithon that his
laliors WiWild .‘-o .soon L-e doin', liis
wartarc over. Truly lie was one
whose company and conversatidn
were plea.sant and p-rofitable to (lie
Saints. My iutereour.se with him was
very- iniimato and pleasant during the
jia.-'t eight years, and Ills friendsldp
and fcllow.siiip were among my valued
tren.'^ures. But thi.s is a sad and sor
rowful world, and I eanrot feel like
indulging in grief when (me of the
.Lord’.s ti’iod Servants is happily- re
leased trmn it, though wc feel the loss
bo deeply, and the -world appears
more and more lonesome as one by
one of our dear personal friends who
pensitics, nor ev'er have to bewail any
trimr;rres,sions of die law of the spirit
of life, wdii(‘h seemed ,«o sweet and
easy to obey. Audi have no doubt
, but my brethren generally - have h id
such fr-elings at some time, jtut tlie
Lord’s people arc not left in suei; a
previous mistake as tlris. PeLr nmst
be tauirht, though' it be througli bit
ter afilictions, that tliat which is horn
of the flosli 1ms not become spirituak
, A.nd how frightened and cast dov/n
the poor soul often is w-lien he finds
^ that he still has a heart that is di'C' it-
; fill and (h'spcrately wicked, a v/retch-
ed, ’wandering mind, a nature full of
, vile corruptions. Many a one has
been ready to conclude that lie has de-
ecived liimself and otliers wlmu these
sire klnureu ill Chn.A, are removea. depths of sin in his carnal nature are
Licept lOr uie SocieG (T the Lords opened to his astonished view-.
fmople tlierc are
liorc
no real attractions yet,’, ho can sav-, “I certainly
do see tlie King'lom of God; I do
alone can tliesc bo lifted out of such
depths, and when they corao up tliey-
kuowsometliing more of the way of sal
vation tlian they did before. They have
grown in grace, and in the knowl
edge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Chriftt.
JVell may the'poor, trembling,self-
hating soul question whether he has
been born again, when helms tliouglit
that in the.new Inrth a change passe,s
upon the po',vcrs of the natural mind
and tlie alihetions of the.natural licart,
sp that they hccome sjflritnai, and arc
uj longer vile and sinful, but pure
and lioly. Tliougdi lie loves God and
his peotile, and Jus felt unspeakable
loy- and s'.voet peace m bebevinp;; yet
now lie is ready to question'these feel
ings hecansc he finds the [bnntain from
wliich lie tiiougfit they flowed, his
mind and heart, not iniriiu'd as he
suppo-setlj but stifi corrujit. Xow lie
!s ready to und'erstund and rejoice in
the teaching of tire inspired Apostle,
ihat t'nesc tilings are the fruit of tlie
spirit, and not in any waj-, either in
wliole or in pru’t, piroducixl from,
though, manifested in, the flesh. A
poor, feeble and sore-broken sinner
still', he yet can look forward in sweet
abiding hope, waiting fijr the adop
tion, to wit: the rc-demptioa of tiie
body.
Th.e talk about a change of any
part ofour vile and sinful nature into
a holy- and divine nature in tne new
birlli, docs not suit mv experience at
dom of God-” He may be a man of
very siqx'rior intellectual powers, and
of the noblest natural principles and
affections, but tlie.se arc all the pro
ducts of his first birtli, and he yet boa
no capacity to see the Kingd-nn. “In
the wisdom of God the world by wls ■
(lorn knew-not God.” 1 Cor.
Mlien be is born again that natnr®'
w-liich \vas the product of the first
birth is not reproduced, but a ueyr
sjiirit, a new man of grace, v.-ith new
po-ivcrs and affections, is produced in
ns by- the Holy Spirit. H still ro--
mains true of oar natural powers tlm
Aye hath not seen, nor ear lieard,^
all, nor mv miderstandiii"-
tho siihjcets of. Scriptures of truth. There is
of tlie
dcvol-
1 have been thinking over my past
experience, a work that i am often tlmt Kingdom, and lo-ve them too; i opment, manifestation, a change of
al.H'iit, and It has led me to reflect up- gaviour has said, “except a | condition, hut no change of nature in
on the wonderful way- In wliich tlm inim be horn again he cannot see the|n hirth. This was true of our first
Jjord teaclu'S hi.s people the doctrine Kingdom of God.” How is thisg; hh’th, in -which our iiaLilral life tvas
d salvation, and Ieau.s them into Can it be ]io.ssible that one can be manifested. It is equally true'of the
all truth. Ilicy do not l..arii tne di- Povn again and vet remain
> iiie niv,Aerie.s out of any book, not self-loathing sinner?”
Yes,,
a poor,
that is
second birth, in w-hicli our spiritual
life was manifested. “Except a man
neither have entered the heart of man
the things Nv.liich God hath prepart'd
for them that love him.” But no%y
having received a new- life from Gol
tlirioMgh our Ixird Jessus Christ iur
the new birtli, wc have new eyes to-
see spiritual tliing.s, new cars to luxir
them, ne'.y heart.? to feci them, new'
minds to undor.st.and them. If it -^v-as
by our natural powers made sjiiritual
that we understand .spiritual things,
w'G should not be so often in ihe dark
about them, but could see as clejiriy'
at one tinre as anot'ier; as we can un
derstand natural thing.s as 'well one
day as .qg^ther. But it is only when
this new spiritu il life is in exercise that-
wc ('an understand spiritual thing.s.
In prc.scnting this vic\v I do not
differ from those -who say that in tlis'
nc'.v birth sonuAhing about us wliu-h
was dead i.s rnaclo alive. The man is
madeali-ve wlicn spiritual life i.s im
planted wlihin him. To quicken or
make alive is not to change the na
ture of thatw'hicli is thus quickened;
so if I should say- the soiil, imagining
that to be some distinct and separate
part of man, w-hich was dead is now
m.ade alive, still that w'ould not im]dy
tliat its nature w-as changed. Suppose a
dead body- lies before ns. By tlie
power of God it receives life. Its
nature is not changed, but it now
possc.sses life wliich it did not have be
fore. So it is with the sinner de.ad in
sin,-5. He ha.3 natural life, but i.s dead to
any holiness. He is qulckeneij and
born again- He now- has both a .sin-
Yul natural life with sinful natural
: pow-ers and affections, and a pure and
I holy sp'iritual lllc with pure and lioly
1 lowers and affections. He is thus
I made aliv(', not with tlie pure life of
I Adam before the fall, but with tha
’ life of Chri.st.
M’hen Kicodemu.s expressed the na
tural idea that in being born again
the jiroduet of the finst birth must by
some change heeorae the ])roduct of
i.
even the Bible, by tlio exercise of j^st it; and not only so, but a man be born again be (xmnot see the King- the secomi birth, our Saviour ds-