“TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY.”
Tiii-No, 34.
Wilson, N. C., November 1, 187'5.
WJioIe No. 193.
Zloivs Lamlmarks,
P. D. GOLD, ICditor.
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because he hath not believed in tiie
name of the only begotten Son of
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fEaraiiimunilBir.
rt
jS’ewpgrt, Cartel ett Co,, N. 0.,
>Sep. 21st, ]!j575.
2'o (he Readers of the “ Landmarks, ”
and the Dear Brethren Scattered
Abroad:—
. /
||)j|EING confined at home by
'■^^1 iiffliction, so that I
W have not been able to visit
you, as I have done hereto
fore, 1 thus address you.
I feel to try co aa rite on heavenly
and divine things, for the fir.st time,
and will offer for your consideration
such vieAAAS :is present themselves to
any poor, Aveak, narrow mind, on,the
following text: ITeb. 4:12. “For
the Avord of God is quick and power
ful, and sharper tlian any tAVO edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of
the joints and marrow, and is a dis-
eerner of the thoutrhtsand intents of
the heart.”
Before entering upon the subject
Ave will briefly notice that the Apostle
^^is exhorting the holy brctlireii, and
not tlie unregenerate world of sin
ners, and refers to the condition of
national Israel; how the gospel
preached aid not profit tliein for want
of faith in them that heard it, and
we are informed that “ without faith
it is impossible to please God,” and
speaks of God’s resting on the .seventh
day from all his work; shoAving
thereby a rest for his people, an
eternal rest: “and it remaineth that
some must enter therein, and they to
whom it Avas first preached entered
not in, because of unbelief.” Plainly
showing that unbelief is that Avhich
condemns the sinner. See St. Jo^'n,
3: 18; “He that believeth on him is
God.” So} ’ou may see that every
unbeliever, AAlicther Jew or Gentile,
is already condemned, and is equally
guilty before a righteous God : and
yet there remaineth a rest for the
people of God. Showing clearly, as
do also the othe* Scriptures, that God
has a people AAdiich he claims as his
own in right of iiis OAvn Sovereignty,
designated a,s “a chosen generation,
a Royal Priesthood, a holy nation, a
peculiar people, (for a special purpose)
that they should shevA’ forth the praises
of him that called them out of dark-
ue.s3 into his marvelous liuht,” 1st
Pet. 2 : 9. And these chosen people
were by nature (natural generation)
the children of wrath, even as others,
and as such AA'cre unbelievers.
Noav, my object for the present is
to hunt up and search out, accordiim
to God’s word, this chosen people,
and also find or locate the (for want
of better language) date of the choice.
St. Paul dates, or says, it Avas be
fore the foundation of thlc Avofhl, a,ivT
cording^tfie'foreTamwiaige cT od
the IMtlier, through sanctification of j
the spirit, unto obedience and sprink- |
ling ofthe blood of Jesns Christ: hence
the testimony is, that they Avere
chosen in Christ Jesus before the
Avorid began, (for a .special purpose)
that they should be holy, and Avith-
out blame before God in love, and
predestinated to the adoption of chil
dren by Jesus Christ to himself, ac
cording to the good pleasure of his
Avill. It is sufficient then, for us to
know that the choice Avas God’s choice
before, the foundation of theAvorld.
Now if we believe that God had the
Sovereignty to purpose the creation of
the world, and the poAv.qr to create,
and sustain the same; Af^e must also
believe, he, by the same sovereign au
thority, had the right to choose jast so
many sinners in Jesus Christ (as a
Savior anointed) as he would have
to be saved, and also that he had
the poAver and right to give them to
Jesus Christ, and make the title good
and sure to him, and thereby did
make and ordain them heirs of eternal
life in Je.sus Chrl.st, and him the
author of eternal salvation for them,
and that on the cross he paid the
price for them, which Avas his OAvn
precious blood ; and rising from the
dead obtained eternal redemption for
them, and made the prorai.se sure to
all the chosen heirs; and, in the di
vine arrangement for their salvation,
did duly, properly and permanently
arrange all the means Avithin thetrin-
ity of persons in the Godhead for
the full, complete and certain accom
plishment of the promise or end de
signed ; leaving no part to be finished
by those sinners Avho Avere by nature
the children • of wrath. And it is
said by St. John, “ there are three
that bear record in heaven,” Avhich I
understand to be tlie eternal heav'cn,
and if so there is a record in that
hea\"en, kept by the Father, lYord
and Holy. Ghost, Avhich I think is
the word spoken of in our text, which
is quick and pQ.Avcrful.
Noaa', you wiM' ohserA'-e that these
three personsiii the Trinity, that bear
and keep the record are one, and tliat
as God the Father created and up
holds all things by the word of his
power, (which is the same Avord in
the text) that same AAmrd became fle.sh,
and related to that chosen people in
flesh and blood relationship, Avhich
makes him one AAuth that chosen peo-
jile, and as sucli he is recognized as
the husband of that people, and they
as a body are recognized the bride of
that husband according to the Scrip
tures, and that brouglit or made him
legally bound for all their sins; and
Avhile that AAmrd Avas made flesh ami
dwelt among.st us, he tells us that he
not to do his own aauII
came
aN^'va ill of him that .sent
but
itiytryciu*
1 and
uisT 'gi vLn iTifr
.shoula
yknowledging the
gift) 1
o.«e nothing; but that I
should raise it up again at the last
day,” and on the cross, Avith his ex
piring groan said : “ it is finished,
and gave up the ghost.” And as
such, he according to the record rose
from the dead a glorious Redeemer,
Husband and Head of that “ chosen
generation ” or people, and uoav ap
pears iu the pi’e.seiice ofGod for them,
and makes intercession for them ac
cording to the Avill of God. And
Lsaiah said, “ the Lord is Avell pleased
for his riglueousne.ss sake; he Avill
magnify the laAv and make it honor
able,” Isah. 42 : 21.
Noav Avith such a Savior and In
tercessor as this, 1 cannot see any
possibility for a failure to accomplish
all that God e\mr designed or intend
ed to do. He (God) has promised to
save his people “with an everlasting
salvation; they shall not be con
founded, Avorld Avitliout end.” Isah.
46: 17.
”And the strength of Israel
Avill not lie nor repent,” 1st Sam. 15 :
29.” So that the Apo.stle might Avell
“ the Avord of God is quick and
saAA
s.
*
called the soul, and a part called the
spirit iu the text. All animal crea
tures, human and brute, have an an
imal or fleshly spirit; and the human
family ha\mboth, soul and spirit, and
by the transgression of God’s holy
laAV’ the soul became legally dead,
condemned and AAmnt into darkness,
and .there remains until delivered
from the ]iower of darkness by the
spirit of God.
The soul, I understand, is that in-,
tellectual, immaterial, rational part cf
onr exi.stence, AA'hich neAmr will or
can cease to exist, in this or the Avorld
to- come, though by sin
it is in darkness, and is deliA'erod
from the poAver of darkness by the
poAver of the voice of tiie Son of God,
through the operation of the Spirit,
aaJio communicates the voice ofthe
Son (or Avord) of God to the darkened
soul, and not to the fleshly spirit,
Avhich has had control ofthe sinner
alibis life heretofore ; and this ad
dress of the voice of the Son or Word
is quick and poAverful, giving life to
the soul by piercing even to the di
viding asunder of the soul andfleshlv
spirit; aud. here, .phs
‘ ’ 'T-cue neart or
mrntTui
jjMf: nea
. spimpi'
e . /IniWllir
n ifia two,
:t)r-enqrrrc-~ -tTrcTrcr-vr
glc now goes
on betAveen the rrcat
of darkness, and the greater
power
poAA^er of light; and as every inch of
ground in the soul is fiercely and hot
ly contested by the prince of the power
of darknes.s,and the soul being quick
ened by the Avord of God, or poAvor
of light, and as light advances, Avith
AAfliat astoni.shment is that soul exer
cised, while the light of truth, yes
eternal truth, is mysteriously pene
trating all the dark and hidden cham
bers ofthe soul, as the AAmrd of God
by the Holy Spirit advances storm-
m
g, noAV this and then that, fortifica-
poAverful,” &c.
I come now *o treat upon the
quickening and powerful operations
of the Avord of God upon the soul of
the sinner. It is said by tire Savior,
John 5 : 25 ; “ verily, verily, I say
unto you, the hour is coming and uoav
i,s, Avhen the dead shall hear the \'oice
of the Son (or AAmrd) of God, and they
that hear shall live.”
NoAAq Avill you alloAv me here to ex
press my views of Avhat the soul is,
as there is sudh a part of our existence
tion of darkness, dividing asrrndcr
the soul and the fleshly spirit; re
vealing as it ad\mnces the eternal
truths ofthe Avord Avhich is quick
and poAverfuI. Aird this Avork ot
the AAmrd and spirit produces a deep
heart-felt repentance in that soul, !rc-
cause it is thereby convinced aird con
victed of sin, and made to feel tlie
strength of the holy laAV of God, and
his power to mete out strict justice ;
he (the sinner) now feels the full
strength of all the attributes of the
Deity. The struggle continues until
the last fortification of the poAver of
darkne.ss is carried by the point of the
Avord, (or two edged sword) and tlie
endlc.ss soul and fleshly spirit are di
vided asunder’, and . the joints and
maiTOAV, (whiclr I think signifies tire
imaginary strength of the sinner iu
darkn8s.s) are discerned to t'.rat sinner
and the thought! of his heart, tire
very imaginations of Avhich are only
evil and that continually—Gen. 0 : 6
—Avhich makes Irim cry. Lord, save
or I perish ! or, say as the Publican
.its