I
Zion’s Landmark.
45
op and enables us all to ascribe all
tbe j^lory to Gwd. Then we do not
have to labor so hard to keep our re
ligion. The subjects of grace are
kept by the power of Goi) through
taith unto salvation, ready to be re
vealed at the last time. Tiiis we are
r4bundantly taught in our experience,
it is a\W(.rider of wonders tliat God
■>hon!d condescend so low, and take
our sins so vile and black as they ai'e,
and make us priests and kinjis unto
God. Oh, what an amazing love
w^as this! What a glorious thought
is this taught of the Loi-d ! This
blessed teacher never teaches us
wrong lessons. He W:is teaching
you, my dear sister, as much when
YOU were so dreadfully misei'ahle
that you could hardly live—how de-
pi'udant you were on him. I am
glad you wrote your feclintrs so plain.
3 was not onlv gloomy three or four
months, but for nearlv three vears 1
felt to be a cast away,and I do think
1 w'Hs as miserable a [>erson as you ev
er saw. At times I doubted the
Ireing of God, and thought if there
was me that he had hid himself. I
was lonely, for.sakeu anl destitute.—
I had l)u£ little reli>li for anvthiiig
pertaining to the kingdom of God.
-It is true, in all the.se trying moments
1 tried auft did fill my seat in the
lion.SH of wi'rship ; could look at our
pastor; hear his vorice, hut copld find
but little relish for what he .said. I
tried not to go astray. I dowi’i think
1 did any outhreaking crime all
the.se days of trial ; hut oh. my sis
ter, I was In darkne.ss to he felt.
On the third Sunday in Mav,
_ IkTti,. I '..arot to tlie Cliurcli at Har
ris’Springs, iii the Yellow River An
sociatiou. 1 attended both days, and,
on Sunda v, wdiile Elder Ham by was
breaking l>read, and before partaking
of it he was speaking of the imauiing
tiiul intention of the Lord’s Sapper—
Siid then and thei’e, my dear sister, I
.saw the way and plan so clear that I
tiiought I never .should doubt it
again.
Soon after tliis, the Church of
which I am now a member revived.
Shoal Creek, in the Oenuilgee Asso
ciation. 1 think there were fourteen
baptized in each Ciinrcb., and a gen
eral feeling of love (not, of course,
for my good feelings,) began to be
manifested. For nearly six months
1 was like Paul, caught up into the
third heaven ; and, in that state of
feelings, the Lord, I hope, made me
willing to declare in a public way,
his way and plan of salvation that is
GoI-houori[g and safe- to men, a
sometliing that I liad been trying to
avoid for tlrirteen ydar.s and six
months. I spoke a few words in
conclusion, after Elder Hitcheock had
preached at my cousin John M. Da
vis’. I had a, good liberty wliat few
moments I spoke us I ever liatl since
I united with the Clmi'ch, which will
he twenty-seven years the next fourth
Sunday in October. Tlie Church
have never taken any action to libor-
»te me to exercise my gift, but insist
•that 1 shall speak \vhen convenient
niul when i feel impressed to do .so.
I am willing for them to he tiie
judges. J have as unit h latitude as
I want. I never fail to have good or
der wiien I speak. I liave never
IjCiiU up in s'pulpit, nor de I de
sire it. I want to be one of the least
vessels in the house of my Master—a
very small tea spoon or a very small
shingle nail. Let me he at the feet
of the hrotherliood. I cannot think
hilt what your awful feelings were a
temptation of satau. He puts such
nice things before Christians, that ere
they are aware of it, they are taking
hold of tho.se heantiful flowers or be
lieving his lies.
When we read of the tem[)tatious
that Jesus went through, it shouM
rather confirm tlian fright us. He
was tempted in all points as we are.
We should, as nuteh as it is in our
jiower, not give way to temptation«^
They are so ^tro^g, and our flesh is
M) weak, that we are often taken off
our gn ml. Wiierc we know we have
a weak point we should |)iit a double
guard there. I have received a great
deal ofcomfort in reading your kind
letter. I liope to liear from yon soon.
Don’t think because we are strangers
in the flesh, that I don’t want to hear
from yon. 1 have not one pai tiele
of advantage nf you in divine thing-.
I (o'el to he like Paul, ’Mess than the
least, if a saint at all.”
My dear wife is afflicted, and has
been for a long time. She has had
six children.
I wa- glad to read such an account
of the good ])reacliing you have had.
1 hope the fjord has revived your
f'ealings again. For proof the vary
ing changes please read the 22nd and
23rd Psalms.
I did not do as you requested me
to do with your lettt*r,hiit [ will keep
it a- a relic. I would he glad to
liav'eyotjr (-on-jent to have it publish
ed in Zio.v’.s L.andm.\kk.
Please write again when conve
nient. When it goes well with vou
remember one wiio wishes you weii.
My wife and son join with me in
.sending love to you and yours.
Please write for the Laxomauic
when .so impre.ssed. 1 shall expect to
iiear Iroiu yon again .soon.
From your poor brother,
D. F. P, Montgomery.
Henry Ckimity, Ga., Dec. 10, 1S76.
Dear Brother Gold :—
Feeling impressed to write out
what I hope the Lord has done for
my poor .soul, I will now make the
attempt, though I feel so small and
fee! ashamed for my name to appear
in your paper among those of the
.saints; Init, after correction, yon may
publish it or lay it aside and all will
be riglit. Please remember me at a
throne of grace.
I was born May 12th, 1845, and
at the age of eighteen years, had very
.serious meditations aliuntlKiing a sin
ner, hut old Satan led me on in sin,
and I grew worse and worse until Ju
ly 28:1), 1866. Ti)en 1 married and
thought 1 would live a moral life.—
I was not able to coniply with my
desire, and went astray as the prodi
gal .son did.
In 1871 I began to he in want,
and this want was this : the Lord to
be merciful to rne, a sinner. It seem
ed to me that every breath was to
God for mercy. There was no just ice
to plead, for I wa,s justly condemn
ed, and thought everylxKly had for-
sakeu me, I was so weak that I
could hal'dly work, and had no .ap
petite for food, and wanted to be off
to myself all the time to ask God for
for mercy. I got iu such a condition
that J could not rest day or night.
So, one Monday morning I could not
eat any break last, but went and sat
down and tried to eat, to keep my
wife from distiovering that anything
was tlie matter with mo. I got up
from the table, and caught my niiile
and went to plowing about lialf a
mile off.. I plowed about one round;
ai.d then kneeled between my plow-
handles and tried to ask G -d to have
mercy upon me. Then I got up and
began to plow again ; hut I did not
get tar before I was down between
my plow hamih's again, asking God
to have mercy upon me a poor sin
ner. I got up and ])lowed one more,
round, and then thought I would
surely die, and that I would never
see nvV wile and tdiildren again. 1
then thought' I would go ami get
sonic person to pray for me; I start
ed, hut fell upon the ground begging
fl)!' mercy. Wliile I was in that, con
dition there .seemed to he a great
gulf [>et\reen me and the ,snn, and all
at once it .satik down and the light
shone out and Jesn-^ a[)peared. Wlien
I found myself I was standing up
shaking my hands and pr.aising the
Lonl (or what great things he had
done for me. Everything looked
clear and heaiT.iful then, and I start
ed h me to tell tnv wife and mother
and father what 1 had witnes.sed, and
thought I would go and tell every
body what great things the L )rd had
done for me. I did not reach home
ix'fore I found myself on my Ruoes
asking God for my biinlen hack
again, until my prayers were chang
ed to thi-s,Go 1, if my sin.s are forgiven
me pleaMi .show it to me plainly.—
Then those words were spoken to me,
By giace are ye saved through faitli
and tliat not of yourself, for it is the
gift of God.” Tlien I was made to
rise and rejoice.
The next thing pre.sented to niv
mind was the Cliureh. 1 then went
to the Church thinking I wouhl talk,
hut when the time came my heart
failed me. I would then go home
and pray God to spare me till the
next tneecing ; but when the time ar
rived and an opportunity offered I
failed again. 1 went on in this way
until I was asliamxl lo call on God
any more. Then I ihonght I was
going to die before the next meeting,
and thought if 1 was only baptized I
would be willing to he offered up to
the Ixx’d.
The Lord did spare me, and at the
next meeting I went forward and was
received, and. the next day was bap-
tii»d l)y Elder J. Hamby. So,
brethren and sisters, sometimes I feel
that my time of departure is close at
baud, hut I tlor.’t feel willing to die
until I have an opportunity of telling
the brethren ahd sisters something
alxiut the way and plan of salvation.
Brethren, sometimes I feel con.stram-
ed'to believe anl hope that the mer
ciful God has revea ed unto me by
hi! Holy Spiiir, .soma of his divine
truth, and that I am vile and sinful.
And, if he has done so, will
lie hold me gadty if I try to
c-onceal and hide his light from my
fellotr-lraveler? Brethren, 1 think
it is the duty of us all to testify of
the things we have .seen, and of the
things we have heard, and let the
Lord make just such use of it that
seemeth good in his sight.
I have concluded to write you a
few lines from a pus.‘a^e of scrijiture
found in the book of Job, whidi reads
as follows: “Mow would man he
just with God ?” I will chaugn the
avxiiiary verb iu this passage in ordox'
to bring the subject before us wit!)
more force, and will read it thus:
“How can man he just witli Gxl ?”
This is a V'ery important inqiiiry,
and one which we should all fee! a
great interest in. According fo the,
.si'ripture of divine truth, we are all
sinners, not only by nature, hut h}’
practice, for we have all sinned and
fallen short of the glory of God and
therefore in us dwells no good thino-.
It is said in the scriptures that God
cannot look upon evil ; and it is fur
ther said. Without hoIwie.ss we can
not si:*^ God. Mow then can man he
just with God? God has said, iu his
majesty. That by tlie deeds of the
law no flesh shall be justified. If
then, we were all to keep the whole
law, we could not expect justification
before God by its precepts, for if there
had been a law given that could have
given life, verily righteousness would
have been by the law; the law
therefore cannot justify us Iw-
fore God. NotwilhsLanding God has
made these positive declaratio: s —
yet the human race have, from the
day tliat Adam made hina a covering
of fig leaves, to the present time, Ixien,
tryma' to -4mm'sefvcs a cover
ing by or in wliich they expiKit to
stand before Gol’s throne justified.
Inasmuch as man alienated himself
from God by iraiisgres iiig his law,
it is but natural fiir him to .suppose
that he can re-instafe himself into,
the divine favor by the performance
of good works. This conclusimi is
perfectly natural, and even after we
are quickened into life by tiie Spirit
of God what a sad experience it re
quires to convinoai us that we cannot
lie ju-tified by the deeds of the law.
They .seem not to iioderstand the
great fact that in the fall man lo.st
that spirit which his Creator endow
ed him with, which siiporindiiced
him to good, and became possessed
with the spirit of the devil wliioii
leads him in an op[)Osite direction U*
ail truth ; and by its influence over
him has rendere.l him totallydeprav-
ed ; so niuoli .so, that he is not able
to render to God a .single offering
that is acceptable to liim.
How then can man he just with
Gixl ? He being a poor, deceivetl
sinner, without hope or any means
of his own, to extricate liimself from
the awful dilemma in wfiioli he has
placed himself by reason of sin ami
wicked works; yet lie must he just
before God or he cannot .see God in
peace. God i-s, I understand, sover-
eion, imnuitable and infallible, of
one mind, and none can turn him —
declaring fro ii ancient times things
not vet done, declaring “ my connstd
shall stand,” and, “ I will do .all my
])lea-nre.” In this pas.sage is brought
to view a (xiiin-ol or covenant of
grace ordered in all' things and sure, *
in which i.s embraoeil the justifiaa-
tion of thu sinner, Gixl being itilv*