Newspapers / Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.) / Oct. 1, 1875, edition 1 / Page 5
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i A Zion’s liaiMlinarivs : Wilson, N. C. a-iid quantity of fuel; while God is the fire, the peo[>le and their -wicked- iiess are the fuel, and wlien applied tile fire shows its qualities. ‘‘Fury is not in me, who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle, I would go through them, I w'ould burn them together,” Isa. 27 ; -1. And as tn its grieving him at his heart, this is not to show' us that the eternal I AM in his glorious perfections is even capable or siiseeptihle of grief, or sor- I'ow'; but as he often speaks of things that are not, as tiiougli they Avei’e. It may he a[tp!icable to God man ifest in the flesh, Jesus Christ, w'ho did weep, and w'as grieved for the liardness of the hearts of the people, Mark 3; 5. In the ease in the text where the anger of the Ijord waxed hot, there was plenty of fuel, because while Moses tarried long upon tiie mount, the jieople in tiieir lasts and impa- timcc got Aai’on to mould them a gol- den calf out of their owm jewelry, fad they \yorshipped it, singing and dancing, and ascribing their great ilelivery from Egyptian bondage to it; and the Lord let Moses know be fore he v\C!it down to them wliat they had done, and said, “ How therefore let mo alone that my wrath may wax hot against tiicni, and that I may con sume them ; and I will make of thee a great nation;” but Moses tli inking more of them than lie did of his owm ag grandizement or ])iofii, prayed to God for tliom, and tiie Lord repented or turned frura cioing the evil which he had thouo;ht to do unto them ; but when Moses went down his anger .waxed hot, when he saw' their tlanc- Ing, and hetud their singing, and he jthrew' down the tables of stone, on which both sides had the work and writing of God, and they w'ere broken to pieces, in this Moses appeared the national intercessot of his people, under a conditional covenant, w’hioh was brittle, and to be done away ; represented by the tables of stone (■eing broken : and the remnant, ac cording to the election of grace, is represented by tiie men of Aaron, w'ho came out to Iiloses, declaring them selves to be on the LorFs side, and were commanded by Moses to slay the people, so ttiat about tlirce thousand fell that day. Saul was anointed from a vial which was brittle to be king of Israel, but David 'was anointed from a horn by Samuel. These are figures pointing to Jesus Christ the great representative and intercessor of the Church of God, under the Hew and unconditional covenant; for the law' was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Types never come up to the substance ; for many of nation al Israel fell in death, but none for whom Jesus intercedes shall ever perish and be lost. “ In that day tiiou shalt .say O Lord I will praise thee, though thou w'ast angry with me thine anger is turned aw'ay, and thou comfortesfc me,” Isa. 12: 1. Jesus Gurist is the great High Priest ofhis Church, and in and w'ith him, his people are made kings and priests unto God; called a royal priesthood; a holy nation, a penuliar people, 1st Vet 2:9. Pcor, sinful, changeable mortals are ; plea^ed to imagine to themselves a god-like, or rather inferior to them- selve.s, such as the religionists of the world exhibit in their devotions.— One they imagine they can move by their united efforts in prayer; who will bless their labors in the use of means in their ow'n hands, in tlie salvation of themselves and of others. One W'ho offers .salvation to every body, and saves only such as w'ill ac cept of offered mercies upon what they call iernis of tlie gospel; faith and repentance on their part. One tVho will come at their call, wlien they set a time to have what they call revival seasons, and continue often, day and night, till they get him to move in the direction tliey *ing to be gracious But the only true and living God, wlio creatcil all things by and for himself, waiteth for n^ man, and he controls all events : is of one mind and who can turn him ? Job 23 : 13. Israel under the conditioiuil c.,v- cnaut W'ere promised blessings, and prosperity in obedience, and were threatened with judgments and ad versity for disobc-dience, which they often realized. While blessinrs in O obedience, with the curses for disobe dience, all belonged to this life ; even so the ble.'singsand comforts, enjoyed by saints in olx'dience to the new covenant rule, and the rod of chastise ment for disobedience, are allrea!i£el in this life, during their pilgrimage in thi.s woi*l] of sill aftd .shrrow. But tlie eternal God und'ergws no change, neither can or will anything ever occur that was not before as well knowm, and as fully determined l>e- fore it comes to pass as after : “For he worketh all things after tiie coun sel of his own will,” Eph. 1 : 11. “The wrath of man shall praise him, £tnd the remainder of wrath he shall restrain,” Psa. 7G : 10. “ He will have mercy upm whom he w'ill have mercy, and w'hom he w'ill he harden- eth,” Horn. 9 : 18. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy : Horn. 9 : 16. The same opposition and irrecon- ciliation to the divine sovereignty of God remains in depraved nature yet, and sometimes is manifested by pro fessed Christians, w'hen they try to apologize for God Almighty., by saying that “ he lias a positive will, and a permi.ssive will.” How put both togefclier, and they make the one immutable will of the Eternal God. Others say he never actually hard ened Pharoah’s heart, but simply left him to himself and he was hard enough. All such conclusicns are the productions of depraved nature. God needs no apologies made for him in anything he does or permits to be done. Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? for who hath resisted his will? Hay, but O man, w'hoart thou that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over tiie clay, of the same lump, to make one ve.sscl unto honor and another unto dislionor? What if God w'illing to 'shew his wrath, and to make iii.s nower known desire. One who they say is wait- endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruc tion, and that he might make known, the riches of his glory on tlie vc.ssels of mercy, which lie had afore prepared unto glory; even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles, Rom 9. I have written more tlian I intend ed and will close by saying I have given the best views on the subject propo.sed that have occurred to me, and hope they may prove satisfactory, and would feel better satisfied if! knew who desired them, and hope next time he or she will give their name and place of residence. Your unworthy brother in tribula tion, yet in love to all the saints. D. W. Patman. Eocky Motjxt, N. C., May 7tli, 1875. Dear Urothcr Gold :— I have seen many of thedeai’ brethren and sisters’ travails Irom darkness unto light, I wish to make a teebie eflbrt to relate some of my many trials: September 1856 I had a chiil and was lying down, I reckon asJeep, when a man came in the door and said—Good morning! I bade him good morn ing; but as he (Lew near me I saw that he had a cloven foot, and 1 thouglit it was the Devil. It .seemed that he thz’ew a load oa me t'iatseeuied as heavy as a house and I could not move hand nor foot. I called to an Old Baptist woman that me iiou.se Uuil le me, and after 1 got so I could move I thought I asked her if she heard me. She said siie did, but thou; lit she would lot tlie Devil have When 1 ills own way over me. awoke I lelt sure I was going to die, and would be forever lost. There was something seemed to say, Why don’t you pray ? I did not know how to pray, i was miserable and wreteh- ed, and did not know what to do to be saved. In a night or two after that I dreamed I was over a dark nnd dis mal gulf, standing on a sleniier plat form, on either side there was a river : one was as clear a,s crystal and the other 'was black and muddy. It seemed to be my desire to reach the l>eaut:ful river, but every effort leould make was of no avail. I was about to be swept into that dark and turbid stream. In the midst of my vain struggles I was carried away to an old field where there was a beautiful tree with spreading' bramhes and I was in its protecting shads. I did not know then, but have thought since, that the tree was Christ reveal ed to me as the only way by which I could be saved; but I was so misera ble and felt myself to be such a hell- deserving wretch I did not know what it meant. I felt that I was go ing to die and forever be lost in that black river. One night sometime afterwardsl thought I was in a large field and there was much smoke or fog around me. I could not see which way to go. I groped along the best I could until I got on the brink of a deep and rapid river—so close that it was all I could do to keep from falling in—I could sec once in a while people in it who looked like they were drowning. While in this condition I heard a song that seemed to come out of th» depths of tlie river— From evei’y storm}' wind that blows, From every swelling tide of woes : Tlure is a calm, a sure retreat — ‘Tis found beneath the mercy seat. It seemed that all at once the fog cleared away and I could see to get away from the river; but, still I was burdened and loaded down with sin. I dropped in a troubled sleep one night after this, and awoke by heav- 111 ig a song that sounded as plain to me as if some one was singlno; it: “ Oil, when shall I see Jesns, And reign with him above?” I got up and went out of the house to see if some one was not singing'— but eveiy one M'as asleep. Oh, wretched me! I felt as if mine was an outside case. I could not take that song to myself. I tried to pray as I had done many times befo”c, hiifc my prayers seemed to get no liigher than my head. I could not sleeji but it seemed tliat I was suspended over eternity, ready to be plunged into everlasting woe. At last, one night I went to sleep and dreamed Judg ment Day had come and the world was on fire. I said to myself, I haye often heard of Judgment Day, and. now 1 shall see who is to be .saved and v.’ho is to be lost! AYhile I wa.s standing awaiting my doom, I heard a voice say, You are not just now to be saved : you were savyd in Christ Jesus before the world began. Tiiere no. one knows, excejit tho.se who lave fete it, how happy I was ; I felt so light, so rejoiced. I .saw my Sav ior standing near me and I burst forth singing " Awake my soul in joyful lays,” Ac. My burden was gone—I was free. I could then see Jesus as my great Re deemer. I had jiromised myself if the good Lord should b.e so kind as to pardon my sins I couid be just a.s good a Christian out of the Cliurch. a» I could ill it. So it was four yeai-s alter I recei .’ed a luqie before I went to the Church ; I felt It was my dutv to be baptized, and I was dissati.sfied away from the Church. I dreamed one night of giving in before three preachers, but did not know who they were at the time ; so, in September,. 1854, I went before Conference and was received. Elders Purvis, Hare and Leachman were present as I dreamed. I am a colored man and unlearned. It is by the grace of God I am wli:i£ I am, if anything at all. May the Lord comfort all his }>eo- pie, is the humble prayer of yowt un worthy hrotlier in hope of eternal life, Afeica Battj.k. WAmm'T Hill, Tallapoo.^a Co., Ala., Julv, 187.J. “ And as Mo.ses lifted up the serpent in ttie wildenie.ss, even .so inu.st tlie .°on of man (;e lifted up; ihat who.soever believeth in him .slionld not perish, but have eternal life,” John o : i-i. i5. IS dividing the word of trutii, M iliL \iOi’kman should be careful ..? not to take that whicli belongs 11 ih 3 manifested people of God and apply it to the world that “ keth 1 \ 1 1 I hics.s.s.” Lot the reader turn back to the twenty-first chapter of Hurabers and lead a few verses (vei sc 5:) “And the people spake again.st God, and against Closes, Yfhert.fore •V.
Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.)
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Oct. 1, 1875, edition 1
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