Newspapers / Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.) / Jan. 1, 1877, edition 1 / Page 6
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30 Zion’s Landmark. cliildren of wratK what will be their doom hereafter.” If he ever does, or did 60 reveal himself, that must be tiieir final state. He does not reveal a thing as true when it is false. God never reveals hin)slf as our Savior, and then revealed, as a truth, that we were to be lost. God cannot lie; cannot deny himself. Jf this could by any possibility be true, then the fool was right by saying in his heart, there is no God. Why, my dear sister, did ever any- thing get hold of you worse than the pains of hell? They got hold of David. Was David a Christian ?— Yes, you have liis experience; and yet the Tempter tries to make you iKilieve that you are to be lost. Tiie devil is not only a liar, but the fa- tlier of lies. We could not have the love of God at lieart (liave lus Spirit,) unless we were born of that Spirit. Jeremiaij was a child of God, and vet, he said, “ 1 am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of Im tpraVi. He hath led me, and brouglit me into darkness, hut not into liyht. Surely against me is he turiuKl; he Imth his hand against me all the day.” You see the Lord does all tlius; does it for our goed and his glory. Let us not faint when we are rebukeil by him ; knowing that it is ail right. We are commanded to hear hard ness as good soldiers; and that no temptation hath overtaken us hut that is common. In all your con flicts and trials he is only dealing with yon as with his child; you want to be treated as a child ; well, you rausWtiM'i' si I' you would rt-igu with him. Your .sufferings are coniins; in this world ; here you have your evil things, they w'ill all soon end, and afterward you shall be received up into glory. I am just as sure tliat you are a child of God as I can he.— Your letter breathes the truth from first to last. I am now—after being a Baptist for nearly forty years—one of tlie poorest and weakest tluit ever lived or died. I have ray own se vere trials, have had them from the first; l)Ut am not so much troubled about being a child of God as form erly—my greatest fears are that I shall not always walk and act worth ily of my prolession. Ys I get older tiie respi.nsibiliti««accumulate; wdiile J get weaker. I now feel sensibly that agu is doing his work. I am |>ftssing away. I cannot say that I wish the hours more slow. If I am finally lost it will he the greatest mi-take I ever made. I am making no calculations to go to torment. If I am saved it will l>e a wonder of wonders—grace, oonqueringgrace will be all my somg. You write a g^Ksl, loving letter; none but a cliild of God could have possibly written it. I know I deep ly sympathize with yon, though a stranger in tlie flesh. You are torn by powerftil emotions—God can heal and will. I do want to thank the fjord if I, in any w'ay, have been a comfort. I often think I will never write again for our papers ; but you and many other tried saints encourage me. The J^)rd has been so kind atid merciful to me all tlic days of my U H but uiy ri^sonablc duty to give him all praise, power, might and dominion now and ever more.— But I am a worm and no man, yet I feel to rest my case,my life, all I have and am, into his hands, to be still and know that he is God. Yon see, tempted, tried, dear sis ter, at what a length I have written. I have mean^ well, but unless the Lord bless it, it will he of no use to yon. Cast not away yonr confidence in the Lord, do not continue to write bitter things against yourself; rather in iuimility accept witli gratitude the tokens of your Father’s love, idfe at best is a fleeting sliow, in whicii every act and actor only goes to prove that all is ” vanity of vani ties.” . Remeriiber me kindly to my be loved brother Gold. Pray for me. Pray the Lord to remove .all your mountains of doubts and fears. May he turn away his wrath ; drive away the dark clouds by the shining of his countenance; fit you to discliarge your every duty; fill your station worthilv, that he has assigned yon ; and, at last, take you to his blessed aboJo, for Jesus’ sake—Amen. Yours, in love and union, Wm. S. Montgomery. iaSammSmm I li i t fl t i a l and- 1 set.” / j "Remove noi the ancient land X mark, which thy fathers have A STRANGE RULE. The scriptures tell us to do “ noth ing by partiality.” What is there in nature that is not done by partiality? Man by nature seems to know no manner of action except by partiali ty. Self comes up first in motive an l deed. It may be in those gn ss and undisguised forms, in which some men act without any pretension to anything but serving self, as in the oppressor; or, it may he in tlie cun ning and deceitful forms manifested so constantly in refined society, in which people study to jilease otliers ami to make a good impression.—^ There the conversation is to please each other, that they may think well of such for being learned and gifted in conversational powers. But in all nature’s efforts, even in the paths of literature, nature cannot rise above hereelf. Transfering the scene to politics, we behold men doing almast every thing by jrartiality. It is party first and last with most men. Prejndic*e against an opposite party blinds the eye to merit in any of its measures, while favoritism to one’s own party forbids his .seeing or acknowledging any of its measures to be wrong One of the greatest enemies to our gov ernment now is that hitter and blind ing prejudice that binds men to cling to their party, and de.«ire its suixjcas, even if the foundations of the govern ment he undermined and destroyed. But tlicre is a kingdom that not only enjoins impartiality’ on its sub jects, but imprints in their hearts .such a love for truth and righteous ness that their de.sire is to do nothing by partiality. One of its holy laws is that we .should love our enemies; and the true sense of our own natural enmity to God and his mer«y do so humble us that we desire to have good will towards all men. Self is our great enemy, and the truthful teaching of the croas of Christ is to .slay tliis enemy. The Christian, at times, feels he has peace towards all men, and this is a good feeling. But it is strange, and men would say, if we are to return good for evil, that it will encourage evil men to ruin u.s.— Do you suppose the Ix>rd will allow a man who serves him in truth to he overcome and ruined by his enemies? I do not believe it, ‘’The meek shall inherit the earth.” The Lord is the avenger of his people. True principle is more to a Chris tian than self is. He counts not his own life dear that he may win Christ, and be found in him, Tliere are things worth more to a man than his natural life. But the highest view that satan or any of his subjects can take is, all that a man hath will he give for his natural life. To live soberly, righteously, and godly in this pre.sent world is worth more than human-life, if a man hate not his own life he cannot he a disciple of Christ.! Tlien if we show mercy and act honestly, only toward onr friends or those that so act toward ns, what do we more than others? and how much t>etter is our religion than that which nature teaches and prompts us to do? It is natural for us to make feasts for our friends, and expect them to repay us; hut how many make feasts for the poor and ne/jdy that cannot reward us. Those ti>at do so properly shall be rewarded by our heavenly Father. We are especially Jo love the broth erhood. Ttiat is, we love them with a peculiar kind of love, and havc^ common fellowship for eacli other.— We are not to prefer one above anoth er, or do anything by partiality.— Jesus is in all his pe«i>p!e. They are all in his image and likeness, and if we love not Christians we do not love God : “ If a man love not hi.s brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen But we love some Christians more than we love other Christians. Is that wrong ? Not, if it is for a gmsi rciis- on. Take two men that are Chris tians: one has a more gwily walk and conversation than the other; one savors of spiritual truth more than the other does, and keeps hi.s body under l)ettor; one bears more of the irnaae of Jesus than the other: Can o you help loving him more than you do the other? Jesus himself mani- fested more love to Jehn than he did to the other disciples, though he laved them all. If we love a disobedient cliri.stian just as much, and in the same way, that wc do an obedient one, we love and t'ellow.-ihip bad cx)n- duct as much as we do good conduct. All things are in common in the Church of Ciirist. Some are not to be for Paul and some for Apollos as preachers, and show partiality thus. You ought to he satisfied a man is called of Gisl to preach I efore you ordain him, and then yon should es- teem him very higlily in love for the work’.s sake, for the work of the min istry ; and you should minister to his neces.sities of your worldly gofsls too. A rich brother should not be ex alted above a j>oor brother. Every one .should serve in his place, as God hath placed him in the Cliurch, and we should render honor where it b. due, not to man, but to GoJ’n work Sind to l)i.s servant.**. The rich man can do more in contributing to tin*- expenses of the Cliurch than the jioor member, and should do so; but tlm poor member slintild not wait for the rich one to do all, if he i.s able to (k> anything. A man with gay clotiiing should not be given a higher seat, nor one with common clothing, a low .seat. The truth is, the right sort of a man does not love high .seats, or tr* be con.spiciions nlxive hi.s brethren^ but wi.slies to be as hi.s brethren. To do nothing V>y partiality further requires that we discriminate, in thv sense that we commend faithfulness wherever we find it, and eondemtt unfaithfulness wherever we find it.—■ A good action is as meritorioas in a hnmhle brother as it is in a giftecC prominent brother; and a had actioft is equally as vile in a great man ax in one base in position. To spare » great man wiien he does wrong, is to act by partiality. But to rebuke tbr wrongdoer whoever he maybe, iiitW proper spirit, i.s to do nothing by partiality. The administration of the discipline of the word of God rtx- qiiires to make a proper ap^vUcatiotJ of that word to all casesj, as fsEppar- tial servants of God, and thi» is dic ing nothing by partiality. The hu man body may illustrate tbi.s matter A sane man would do ixithing liy partiality for or agiin.st his toot be- cau.se it is not his eye. He will ren der honor to the fo»t as a foot, and to the ere_as ma eye. If a member of fends that one slxiisld receive chas- ti.sernenfc. Thi.s is a strange rule—because wxi are so liable to do otherwise. Trmtb> is strange, and honesty sometimes h»- comes, very strange. But how much better to do right I Wliat a goodt rule ibis is. If we fear God and re gard his word as uiialterahle aud b->- Sy, and poor vile flesh is mortified Iw grace, .so that God works in us of bs- good pleasure to do his holy will, what a blessel rule it is to us ; and how blessed is t,!>at n^an whose trus^ is in tl>e most high God, and wlv^ is clothed with good works as tW hotly covers the soul. Ch.'irleHton, 111., Dec, 12, 18?t» Elder P. D. Gold,— far Brother — Enclo.sed plciise find two dollars,, in p-.iyment fi>r the L.\ndm\rk. I tliank you, brother Gold, for your kind forl)earance in waiting on me ax long a.s yoM have. I would haw* Sf'nt tlie nionev sooner, hut was utuv- l)le to get tlie amount to spare. I diought o.nce of ordering it stop[>ei, as times are so hard, and work m scarce, and wages so low, that it b alx>ut all i can do to aupport m.. family. I tannot do wilhoot the Laxi>- Mark, 38 it contains about all tlnx gosjad preaching 1 get at present.— The Bapti.sts in this section are sx* divitied in their views concerning tij« existence of Christ before the foundax- tioii of the world, that it is so litthr consfort to go to he.ir them—one pas ty contends that he exisiad in tlw? same l>ody of flesh liefore time beg.u^ U»at he assumed wLea bora of the
Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 1, 1877, edition 1
6
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