’I
190
Zion’s Landmarks : Wilson, N. C.
precisely opposite to the nature of his
kingdom, and therefore no such sign
was given them. The signs and
wonders which he did work, they
could not perceive in their real mean
ing, and so they rejected both him
and them. I say him and them,
for the difficulty was at the very root,
tliey were opposed to him. He was
the very fullness of all heavenly and
spiritual things in himself, while they
wcie of the earth and subjects of
Satan, for he said, “ ye arc of your
father the Devil.’’
But to those who were the true
Israel he gave signs, and wonders,
miracles, and in these miracles they
could behold the presence and power
(if a divine Savior shining forth, and
could catch glimpses of just such a
redemption as they needed.
In proof that they were all intend
ed to present the mystery of salvation
it is only necessary to refer to some
of them. His first miracle was the
turning of water into wine, at the
marriage feast in Oana of Gahice.
'There could be nothing better calcu
lated than this to exhibit the nature
of his work, in which he was to make
the dead alive, and translate his peo
ple from the power of darkness into
tlie kingdom of his dear bon, and
make those who were ‘'sometime
darkness, light in the Lord.” Once
they were of the earth, or like the
water, the earth’s most common ele
ment. How they are the new wine
of the kingdom.
The condition of the people of God
is compared to blindness by nature,
..,0 he healed ,the blind by a touch ; it
Is compared lo leprosy, and so he
iiealed the leprous men ; to the palsy
and these too he healed ; to deafness,
and he gave them power to hear ; to
impotency, and at his word the Ion:
(liseascd man Avalked ; to the posses
sion, by devils and they were cast out;
and lastly, they are dead in sins, and
^o three times he raised the dead to
life.
God’s people arc subject to trials
and storms all through this life, and
therefore, twice upon the sea he sjiake
and it obeyed him, he walked upon
it and its yielding waves opened not
l.eneath. Yea, Peter could walk
there until he began to doubt and
?o the Lord controls all nature for the
oood of his Zion. Yea, he said, ahh
power is given unto me in heaven
niul in earth, and therefore he pre
serves his Church in the midst of all
t'le storms of life: yea, he makes
even the strong wind of adversity to
become a calm, or to blow us mote
>,vlfcly on to the appointed haven.
The disciples of Christ need to be
f. d daily. He has taught them to
pray “ give ns this day our daily
bnawl.” bo, twice he fed the multi
tude with the fetv loaves and fishes,
Plowing that our bread was In his
hand, and that beneath his blessing
hli children shall receive due supply
ibr all their needs.
Lven so, in all this variety of ml-
I'ades, the things of the kingdom
;.re pointed out, and some part of the
-.'.-ork of redemption is made promi
nently to appear. I say “ some
UAIIT,” for tiie Bible does not copy
itself; however near two sentences
.contained there, or two works reaord-
-:d, may agree, there is always some
shade of differenc, even as it is in all
that pertains to his kingdom. Ho
two experiences are just alike—in
some detail there is a difference, and
thus each supplements the other until
in ALE the scriptures and in all the
experiences of the church we have the
fulness of perfect truth, each part in
perfect harmony blending with every
other part.
The only miracle that seems to be
contrary to the statement that all are
miracles of redemption is the cursing
of the barren fig tree. But even this,
when seen aright, is in perfect harmo
ny^ with the others. It represented
the old Jewish dispensation which j
was barren in itself, and must wither
away and give place to the coming of
a better- dispensation. “He taketh
away the first,” not for the sake of
destroying it, but “ that he may es
tablish the second.” So that even
this cursing of the fig tree is no ex
ception to the general rule, when
considered with reference to all that
was intended by it.
T pass to consider briefly the con
nection which faith had with them.—
It is said (Matt. 13th chap.) that he
did not many works because of their
unbelief. How it was not because he
lacked the power, for he hid some
even here, but because it was not in
accord with his purpose ; they were
not prepared to receive them. In
other places he said : If thou believ-
e.st, if thou hast faith, &c. Some
times he said, “ thy faith hath made
thee whole, thy faith bath saved thee.”
We must remember that faith is
the gift of God. Hone have it except
he Irestows it. Y|here^^h^ desii^jn^, ki
send out his light and his truth, he
first gives faith to see and regeivcHit.
So in all these sick, blind, leprous
men, ■whom he healed of their dis
eases, w e discern faith, for
faith alone brings us to Christ, and
they came to him. I believe that in
all cases ■where he healed the body
there was also a cleansing of sin by
faith in the Bedeemer’s blood. Be
this as it may, sve are sure that they
could not have received or under
stood the power of his word but by
fiiith.
Faith then is not the cause or
condition (of creature performance)
er, Clerk.—Stating that he was an
Elder and in full fellowship with
said Church of the predestluarian
order, w(3 received him into our
fellowship, and he has since proven
to be an imposter. We therefore
unanimously withdraw from him as
an imposter, and we are no longer ac
countable for him or his conduct.
We also wish the Editor of Zion’s
Landmarks to publish this for the
jmblic to see our action against him.
Done in Conference, and signed by
order of the Church.
This 10th of October 1875.
F. L. Oakley M’dr.
J. F. Death C’lk.
of the healing, but where the Lord
designeth to heal there first ot all he
gave faith. Ho, these persons in Je
rusalem, vdiere he did not many
mighty works, had not faith, because
it had not been given.
How, in conclusion, if by these
miracles the Savior had designed to
convince and convert sinners, does it
not look reasonable that where he
found the most unbelief, there he
would have wrought the most and the
greatest miracles?
I remain as ever, ymurs in the best
of bonds,
F. A. Chick.
Macok, Bibb Countr, Ga.,
Sept..26tli 1875.
Dear Brother Gold:
Slii I whl endeavor in this after-
II noon to drop you a few lines
pertaining to your {laper.
The first 1 received was July
1st, and liave been getting them ever
since.
Oh! the very word Zion’s Land
marks sounds lovely, aiid the con
tents as sweet as honey, yea the honey
comb. It is so soul cheering, edify
ing to read the experiences and trav
els of God’s dear people from the
different sections; my heart is made
to rejoice.
Surely allofGod’s people are taught
one way. How great and mysterious
is the plan of salvation. I some
times think it is the prettiest thing I
ever saw. Our doctrine is the most
consoling doctrine I ever heard.
L F. Bazemore.
e"jK • . e
anclmarks,
P. D. GOLD, Editor.
PUELiailED SEMI-MONTHLY
-(at)-
^ILSON, jloATH jliAFlOLiNA.
Ttoo Dollars Per Annum
HOVEMBER 1st.
m
J li i 1 0 i’ i a I
J “ Remove not the ancient land-
t mark, -(vhich thy fathers have set.” J
FALSE REFUGES.
The Baptist Church at Bush
Arbor, in Caswell County, H. C.,
Saturday before the 2nd Sunday in
October 1875, in Conference ;
Whereas, J. W. Uiatham pre-
.seated a letter at our June meeting,
from j\Iount Zion, Fulton County,
State of Illinois, and signed by Aaron
Right, Moderator, Frederick Labiok-
What good thing has not some one
attempted to counterfeit? To what
lengths -will not brazen effrontry da.sh
in defiance of sacred law ? Amidst
the overthrowing judgments upon
the gods of Egypt, see how the ma
gicians endeavored to erect their own
standard of false worship by “ doing
so” with their wands. Hor are the
burning terrors of Sinai, nor the
deadly bites of fiery serpents, nor
even the opening mouth of earth her
self, swallowing down quickly into
the pitivorah and his company, cora-
ino- with censers in hands and claims
of holiness to imitate Moses, enough
to awe pretendens, nor abash those
who would desecrate the truth in
pleading for their lusts.
I propose to notice some of the
refuges of lies man endeavors to hide
under.
Sometimes a Christian parent will
rather encourage his child to. go to
some school of human learning where
fa.sliion and false religion are taught ;
where that studied effort to display
the beauties of one’s person is encour
aged ; where compliments and flat
teries that feed the already large and
fast-growing wi’cd of human vanity
are lavished on the child ; and that
system of worldly wisdom which
presumes to explain the wonders ol
God, and sports with tlie mysteries
of revelation is tanglit. Tlii-is in
violation of the faith once delivered
to the saints, and Is a contradiction
to the prcffesslon of a Bapti.st.
How how does one sometimes com
promise this matter with a troubled
conscience? About this way : “My
child is in the hand.s of God. He
can take care of him any way and
any where. He can show him the
folly and vanity of all this, and bring
him out of it. THiie, I know' my
child is not right for wanting to bo
gay and fashionable like other peo
ple’s children--~still I will encourage'-
it.”
Is not this a refuge that is a poor
hiding place? When, your child
comes home from one of these schools-
—proud, heady, high-minded, with
out natural affection, thinking you
are vet-^y ignorant and your religion
an 6>ld fashioned, hateful thing—a
slander on human benevolence, a
.shame to thi.s age of progress., is not
your bed rather short to stdMi on.
and your covering ratheia|HpFow to
hide your nakedness ?
It does not matter wjjHPwches the-
schools, if this is the effect of the
teaching it is wrong. Shall we eh>
evil tiiat good mtay come? It was)-
not the Israelites that put Moses in
the courts of Egypt. It was evil-
meant to sell Joseph into Egypt,, and
his brethren cams to sorrow for doing
itr 'We find no instance wh^re ti>.
Bible authorizc.s any departure from
ihe obedience of faith to secure an
object; nor does disobedience of this-
sort go unpunished. The waters oi"
trouble and sorrow 'will ©verflow' alT
the.se refuges of lies, and the hail will
sweep away all sxich excuses of pride .
Parents should bring up their chib,
dren in the nurture and admonition,
of the liord. Why should one want to,
fence himself with a hedge of thorn.s.
which, if it is pulled away,, will tear-
his flesh and affl.ict his. body, and if
it is not polled away W'ill destroy
binTi without remedy in the end?‘-
How many, and sore are the temp-,
tations to conformity with the world,,
and what a snare do such things be--
come
? kVs should suspect
anv
spirit that inclines us to violate God’s.
commands,or that argues that, thongh,
in itself it is evil, yet that the Lord-
can work a miracle and arrest its ef-.
feet, and glorify himself. What
reason have w'C for thinking that,, if
we so-vv to the flesh we shall reap of’
the Spirit—-that we can sow tares and;
God w ill change the crop to wheat ?
Another, who is not a Baptist, but
a member of some other denomina--
tion,. of mere imitation of the truth,
will say sometimes when he cannot
resist the arguments brought forth ;
“ w'ell,. if wliatyou Baptists believe is
true I might as well believe as I do,
as otherwise ; for if I am to be .saved
Twill be saved any. how.” Here is
a great refuge of llo.s. It is malice
in his heart against the truth that
provokes him to speak thus. For-
one to .say, that, according to the doc
trine of grace, it don’t matter w:h.^t