Zien’s Landmark : Wilson, N. C.
171
are lieavv laden, and I will give
you rest.” Tiiis is to tl’.e sin-sick,
sin-burdened soul witliont God and
hope. “Take my >oke upon you
and learn of me, for I am meek and
lowly, and ye shall find rest to your
souls.” Tl’.is is to a child of. God
whom Jesus has given the rest and
peace of pardon and now commands
to baptism and all go.‘^pel obedience.
For in the pathway of obedience is
found rest and worked out our com
mon salvation from error, distress,
confusion, and of final death in a dis
ciplinary sense.
I am one who believes that the old
“do and live” system given to na
tional Israel, here in the gospel
Church finds anti-type. The armin-
ian world,! know, claims this for un
converted sinners, but the apostles,
a.s Christ, applied it to the Ciiurch.
And this S3’stem, instead of affecting
eternal salvation, does not touch
it, but is confined to the gospel obe
dience of believers, to those already
eternally saved and gatliered into the
visible fold. These may do and
live : and not do and die. And that
while God works in them both to will
and to do, that is, he impresses
them, and prompts them to all good
w'orks by his Spirit, yet he does not
force them forward. Faith and obe
dience are all that is required of the
Church. This faith is a gift of God
to lier ; but obedience is at her own
option. God gives her the faith as
fruit of her eternal salvation; and
this gift is laid as the foundation of
her common salvation to build upon.
With this faith and all itssveet spir
itual influences, he gives his spirit
prompting and guiding into obedi-
j^.-nce of the whole gospel rule. Tliis
rule is plainly marked out in the
Xew Testament; and she is without
excuse to make her calling and elec
tion sure t not sure as to its actual
completion in Christ; not sure to
God, but sure unto her own heart
and mind, and that as proven by lier
obedience in faith.
And to this end she is commanded
and as giving all diligence, to “add
to your faith, virtue; and to virtue,
knowledge; and to knowledge, tem-
jierance; and to temperance, pa
tience; and to patience, godliness;
and to godlines.s, brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, charity.—
For if these things be in you, and
abound, they make you that yon
shall be neither barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. But he that lacketh these
things, is blind, and cannot see afar
off, and hath forgotten that he was
pui’ged from his old sins. “ Where
fore the rather, brethren, give dili
gence to make your calling and elec
tion sure: for if ye do these ye shall
never fall.”— 2nd Pet. 1 : 5, 10.—
!Now this pertains to the militant
state and life of the Church ; it com
prises her duty wherein she may
work out her own common or life
time salvation, assuring lier own
heart in love and obedience of its
sure calling and election, and bring
ing to it all the sweet refreshing in
vigorating graces of the Spirit, in
love, joy and peace in the Holy
Ghost, as unto a living branch—a
fruitful bough—a lively, dutiful,
obedient church member. And to
fail, is to fall from the grace of this
common salvation.
One fact alone makes this plain,
that is she was never- commanded to
work out as securing her eternal sal
vation, and which was already com
pleted, finished in Jesus Christ; and
hence iio penalty for any point of disr
obedience as a[)plied to her can touch
or effect it.
That this salvation is finished, and
she, in application of its benefits, re
ceives this faith in effect is that she
is commanded to work out her com
mon. salvation, or that she could per
form gogod works. For out of faith
no work, however in perfect accord
ance with the letter of the Law, can
be go.spel work. All work without
faith Is dead. Faith alone can legal
ize work. As true as God accepts no
faith out of Christ, so true Christ ac
cepts no work out of faith.
Hence the strong emphatic mlmo-
nition of Christ, Abide in me.”—
To abide in faith is to abide in him.
“ Abide in rne, and I in you ; as the
branch cannot bear fruit of itsell ex
cept it abide in the vine; no more
can ye except ye abide in me. I am
the vine, ye are the branches. He
that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringetii forth much fruit; for
without me ye can do nothing. If a
man abide not in me, he is cast forth
as a branch, and is withered; and
men gather tliem and cast them into
the fire, and they are burned. If ye
ab.de in me, and my wuirds abide in
yon, ye shall ask wdiat ye will and it
shall be done unto you. Herein is
my Father glorified that ye bear
much fruit; so shall ye be my disci
ples.”—John 15 : 4, 8. Now here is
the true gospel principle and jiosition
plainly stated. To abide in Clirist
and bring forth fruit to the glory of
'God, is to obey the gospel in faith, is
to observe all things w'hatsoever he
has commanded, and do them in faith.
And to this end the words of Christ
were abiding in them, they must
search the New Testament, become
familiar with his laws, that they
dwell richly, or in abundance in their
hearts; meditate in tliem day and
night, like David did. For how
shall we obey a law that we do not
know ?
And remember that it is to the
Church alone Jesus looks for obedi
ence to his law. Arminians may ap
ply it to sinners, and tell them of his
Spirit,promises, promptings, strivings,
&c., and then of his fleeing from the
obstinate and disobedient, in that
they would not be saved ; or if saved,
that they would not stay saved, but
are fallen from grace. But this is
nothino; to the Church. It is to her
is given the keys of the kingdom of
heaven, or Ne\v Testament scripture,
and to her alone does the Lori look
for observance. Others have no
more to do with it than other vines
and their branches, to some separate
and particular vine.
Though in this vine, as a visible or
ganization, there may come nominal
branches, as Judas; but they are soon
made manifest accovding to the scrip
tures ; hence the necessity, as in all
other cases, that the words of Christ
abide in them ; but above all things
that faith shouhl. For faith not on
ly .shields from the great enemy, and
overcemes the world, but makes all
works as fruits acceptable to God.—
And as thus abiding in Christ can
she work out her own salvation—■
save herself from error and all its
train of hurtful evils, from besetting
sins, from withering, fading, weakiy
sickly diseases; from death, burning,
and fearful looking for of wratii and
fiery indignation, as of the judgment
of God: and in the act save yourself
to, not only faith, but all tlie sw^eot
graces of the Holy Spirit, making
yon a fruitful and pleasant bough to
the Church, a beloved and useful
member, a iivel}’’ stone in the build
ing: as joyfully reaping the peaceable
fruit of righteousness as sown in peace
to them that make peace. And as
one bles.sed to look into the jierfect
law of liberty, and to continne there
in, as not “ a forgetful hearer, but
doer of the w’ord ; and this man shall
be blessed in his deeds.”—James 1 :
2, 5. In his deeds: this rest ami
blessing is found in the way of duty.
Ah yes, how blessed ! The rich
est, sweetest, fullest, most perfect
blessing that ever can come to any
human creature in this world and
life. Kingdoms and thrones and
crowns and worlds are nothing to it.
A man born of God, abiding in Christ
in heart and faith and walk ! Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
hath it entered into tije heart of man,
what Cod hath prepared for them
that love him.”
“ He is proven a child of Cod ; he
has made his callino; and election
sure to his own heart, so that it con
demns him not, and to tiie brother
hood who love him ; the sap from the
vine, or the grai'e of Cod, flows to
him in a strong hidden current man-
ifestin;j itself in the growth of a vig-
oroLis, green, prosperous branch—an
active, useful member—a practical
Christian in daily walk and conversa
tion. In outward deportment he is
“ first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
easy to be entreated, full of mei’cy,
goodness,” &c.
[COXTIXUED.]
cline your heart, or some other El
ders to visit ns in onr lonely state, I
subscribe myself your unworthy
brother in hope of a better world to
come. B. F. Wn.KiNsott.
Will not some of onr preschers,
who can do so, visit the above-named
Association ? Write to brother Wil
kinson and lie will meet you.—[Ed.
Dyer's Store, Henry County. Ya.,
Sept. 3, 187G.
Hear Brother Gold:—
I have just received the Land-
MAiiK for September 1st, in which I
find a mistake in my letter, on page
158. I had rather you would cor
rect it if i| is not too much trouble.
It is this: Why would I love Chris
tians if it is not because they bear the
image of Christ? It is printed : “ if
it is not because I have tlic image of
Christ,” &c.
O brother Gold, I see so little ol
the image of Christ in my daily oalk
I think sometimes if it was not for
the desire I have to love God, I would
almost cease to hope I have ever been
taught of the Lord.
But I will stop, by requesting you
or some other brother to give your
views through the Lamdmaek, on
some of the lith chapter of St. Mat
thew ; it seems mysterious that John
should doubt Christ after he had seen
and baptized him.
I remain, your unworthy sister,
Mary Lou Martin.
THOSE THAT HARM OTHERS
ARE APT TO HATE THEM.
“ A lyins tonp;ue Iinteth them that are af
flicted by it.”—i’lov. 2(5: 28.
Liberty, Amite Co., Miss.,
Aug. 26th, 1876.
Elder P. D. Gold—Dear Brother:—
By the request of brethren and
triends, I take this method to solicit
you to attend the Amite Baptist A.s-
sociation which will convene on the
14th of October. Wejiavc four small
churches in our Association and are
very week, while our Missionary
friends are very numerous, and they
say there are no Primitive Baptists
hut our little band. I think if it is
the Lord’s will for you to visit us it
would do a great deal of good, as a
great many of the Missionaries are
getting restless at being sheared so of
ten by their liirelings. You can
come to Summit by railroad. By
notifying me I will meet you with
conveyance on the 13th at Snmmir,
wliich is 30 miles from where I live.
If you could stay longer than du
ring onr meeting I could make ap
pointments for yon at the other
churches.
If yon can come drop me a note
immediately, so that 1 can let my
brethren and friends Know it. The
thought of getting some one to visit
us has buoyed us up.
Hoping the good Lord may in-
Sins grow together and multiply so
rapidly that the brood soon, becomes
dreadful. When one commits a
wrong he is so apt to cover it up with
another wrong. Such is nature too,
that'if one injures another he is not
dis[)osed to pity him, and hence re
lieve ; but will aggravate the evil by
a greater one. When Amnon forced,
Tamar he despised her, and cast her
out. If a man tells falsehoods on
another and damages him, instead of
repairing tiie wrong, he is apt to hate
the sufferer and that in jiroportion a.s
he has harmed him. * It should lie
that the more we have injured one,
the more we should pity him, and en
deavor to coni pensate for the wrong
done; but such is the deceitful na
ture of sin that it fortifies and en
trenches itself in one’s bosom by fiere-
er hatred toward the one we have
wronged ; so that what Solomon says
is verified : “a lying tongue hateih
those that are afflicted by it.”
Christians should beware, there
fore, by not harming others; but if
they sliould damage them, let tin m
confess and forsake their sin, for in>
that covereth np his transgrc.ssin..i
shall not pro.sper. AVhat a strife ihe
longue can kindle! How carelnl
ought Christians to be in talking about
iheir brethren.
For it is natural for people to back
bite and devour each otlur. Ilie
strife of tongue.s, the sly cuts of the
malicious uttered in bitter words, the
deceitful tongue that works as a razoiq
are among the common and ince.s=ai.i
plagues of mortal life. Let chri —
tians be slow to speak. Even in (be
sanctuary we shouhl be slow io
speak; for Cod is in heaven and we
on earth. How much slower ought
we to be iu uttering and spreading
evil reports on our own brethren.—r
AVhen we slander them we exjiov-e
our own kindred, and do them ii
great iinury.
O J
-[Ed.