46
Zion’s Landmark.
iiite in knowledge as well as love and
power, saw the end of all things from
the beginning, and, being moved by
his everlasting love, determined to
save from among all nations a people
for his name; and this must be done
in accordance with his inflexible jus
tice. And hence, every sin must re
ceive its just recomjiensc of reward,
by the [lunishrnent of their surety,
and the covenant of redemption as
wrought by infinite wisdom for the
recovery of fallen man.
I understand the parties to this
covenant are equal and co-eternal in
wisdom, love and jiower, and the
stipulation of the counsel is said to
be, “ ordered in all things and sure.”
Xow, if we can get up the provision
of this counsel and its legitimate ef
fects, we will, perluqis, be enabled to
tell how it is that man can be just
with God, notwith.standing his sin. In
the stipulation of the covenant, God,
the Father, being the Creator and
having the right by creation to dis-
])o.se of the works of his hand, gave
b> his Son Jesus Christ, the second in
the trinity, the people he designed
and chose to save. And it is said.
Thine they were and thou gavest
them to me. This gift was on the
condition that he (Jesus) would give
him.self for them, and that he would
lay aside his glory he then had, and
in due time come into this sinful
world and take upon himself a body
like ours, and in that body live uj)
to the requirements of the law which
his people had violated, and that
their sins were all to be accounted to
Jiim as their surety. God the Etern
al Father pledging that he (Jesus)
should see the travail of his soul and
l>e satisfied. The covenant, with a*l
its rich treasures being set up, and
sworn to, and subscribed in the court
of heaven—the world, together with
its concemiiants was spoken into
existence. Then it was that time be
gan, the covenant being set up and
established in eternity.
We will now speak of its effects as
developed in time, as regards tlie pur-
po.se of God as concluded in that cov
enant. Paul says in Ephesians 1 : 3,
'■'Blessings in heavenly places in |
in Christ” — then read the next |
ver.se, 4—“According as he hath |
chosen us in him (as mediator and |
surety,) before the foundation of the |
world, that we should be holy and
without blatue before liim in love.”
Paul says, And be found in him : j
not having mine own righteous
ness which is of the law, but that
which is by the faith of Christ,
the righteousness which is of God.
By faith you thus discover that man
is just before God, by being clothed
in the righteousness of Jesus Christ
according to the eternal purpose of
God, and our adoption into the fami
ly of heaven is the direct result of
the predestination of God in Christ
Jesus. Who then shall lay anything
' to the charge of God’s elect ? It is
God that justifieth. How then can
man be just with God? Why, God
justifies him before his throne—being
clothed in the righteousness of the
Son of God, which defaces all their
sins and iniquities which are to be re-
* Hiembered no more; having received
all power in heaven and earth, that
he aliould give eternal life to as
many as God has given him. There
fore the redeemed of the Lonl shall
return and come to Zion with songs
and everlasting joy, and sorrow shall
flee away, neither shall they be ashain-
el or confounded, world without
end.
J. J. Bailey.
January 7th, 1877.
Elder P. D. Gold,—Dear Brother:—
I have been much comforted while
reading the communications of the
dear brethren and sisters. I some
times feel that I can witness their
testimony of the way, the truth, and
the life. But when I turn my eyes
within all is dark and vain. I feel
encouraged when I remember the
word which .says. Therefore by the
deeds ol the law there shall no flt'sh
be justified in his sight ; for by the
law is the knowledge of sin. I feel
desirous to live a holy life, but fall
far short of it. I feel that followers
of Christ should be at their post in
this time of trial.
Brother Gold, I trust that God
will bless you, and that you may be
able to keep up your comforting lit
tle paper, though I cannot see how I
can pay for it this year. I do not
like to promise anything without
seeing .some way to fulfill my prom
ise ; and I cannot ask so great a fa
vor for nothing.
A"our unworthy sister, if one at all,
Maky a. V. Hudso.v.
Macon, Bibb County, Ga., Nov. 19, 1876.
Elder P. D. Gold,—Dear Brother:—
Tliough I feel unworthy to,.claim
relationship with God’s dear chil
dren, such feelings are common for
the poor Old Baptists to have I be
lieve. We all blow the same horn;
tell the same^ tale; .sec eye to eye,
which makes a oneness, which is
enough to prove that we are taught
in the .same school and of the same
Spirit. “ All thy children shall be
taught of the Lord, and great shall
be the peace of thy children.”
The plan of .salvation is so myste
rious that the learned of this world
cannot understand it: the most of
them seem to laugh at the idea of re
vealed religion. The natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God ; for they are foolishne.ss un
to him; neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually di.scern-
ed. Mow thanktul we should be for
such a glorious salvation ; how obe
dient we should be walking in the
same path our Savior walked. He
left many beautiful examples on rec
ord for us. We are such weak and
sinfnl creatures, within ourselves we
can’t perform anything without God’s
aid. He .says, without me ye can do
nothing. How dependent we are on
our Savior. But that is all; he wants
us to feel the need of him. If works
had to save me I would be gone for
ever, for sin is mixed with all I do.—■
But thanks be to God, that what we
could not do ourselves, Christ did it
for us. We have gained the victory
through him, which will make us ap
pear spotless and without blame be
fore him in love. Never will we feel
free from sin as long as we are in this
earthly tabernacle. So let us lay i
aside every weight and the sin
let us run with patience the race that
is set before us, looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith.
Brother Gold, I expect to tire
your patience too much by my im
perfect notes. I know that you have
learned, ere this, how' to bear with
the weakne.sses of woman. The name
of Jesu.s is .so sweet I must talk about
him .sometimes, if I am awkward
about it and such a })oor scribe. I
had a dream not very long ago about
him : I thought 1 had no friends on
earth, and that I cried about it—and
Jesus ap[)eared in tlie Spirit to me.
1 felt so hap[)y in my dream that I
awoke tho.se that were m the room
with me, by saying, Jesu.s! Jesus!!
“How sweet the name of Je.sus sounds
In a believer’s ear;
It sootho.s Ills .sorrow.s, heals his woand.s.
And drives away hi.s fear.”
Farewell,
Leona BA F. Bazemoee.
Elder P. D. Gold,—Dear Sir:—
I see that a great many are agi •
tating the question of “Infant Sin-ink
ling ” I say to any man, or the
world combined, that no man or a set
of men can show, in one place in the
New Testament, where Christ or his
apostles commanded to baptize
any one but believers. Show
it in the New Testament, I demand
it! If you can’t show it in the New
Testament, acknowledge at once that
it is of the devil and not of God. (See
Mark 16 : 16.) “ He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved, but
he that believeth not shall be damned.
Your fried,
H. G. Samx
f li i t II t i a I.
/“Kemove not tlie aiicisnt land-1
\ mark, which thy fathers liave set.” j
Ei.deb Wm. Woodard, the Lord
willing, will preach at Tyson’s Pitt
County, N. C., Feb. 8. at 10 o’clock,
A. M.
THE LOST SHEEP.
“Dear friend, please give your
view on the parable of the lost sheep,
in the Landmark, and you will ob
lige an enquirer after truth : as there
.seems to be a difference of opinion
among some of tho.se that l^elieve the
truth.”
Luke 15 : 1, 8.
which doth so easily beset us, and
The parable was spoken to refute
a certain error. Jesu.s never tauirht
in vain norat random ; but his say
ings were as apples of gold in pic
tures of silver; for he knew what
was man’s blindness, and what te.ach-
ing was needful to reach the merit of
the case, and untie the hard knot, or
resolve the doubtfid question. But
parables themselves are dark sayings,
and a revelation is needed t«) enable
one to understand their spiritual im-
j)ort.
The publicans and sinnens drew
near to hear him. To this the Phar
isees and .scribe.s objected, saying.
This man receiveth sinners, and eat-
eth with them. What a precious
truth to me that he did. Now, this
parable is to refute the unreasonable
ness of their objection. The essence
of special prominent truth therefore
to be extracted from this parable is.
his refutation of their -objections.
“What man of you, having a hun
dred slieep, if he shall In.se one of
them,” &c? Is it not still his shec(>
after it is lost? If a thief should
find another man’s sheep unmaiked
and should put it in his ear-mm’k,
would that confer any title to the
thief? None at all. Nor would if
deprive the true owner of his lawful
title. Then a man does .lot mark a
sheep to make it hi.s; if it is not his
before, he has no right to mark it.
But if a man lo.ses a sheep does he
cease to think of it? Doe.s he not
think of it oftener ? Doe.s he not
leave tho.se that are .safe and go and
.search for the lost one?. If a man
has five children and o;ie is lost,
which does he manifest more concern
about, the lost one or the fair at home
with him?. Our own experience
and observations of others tel! us that
nearly all sympathy and energy ar*:
calLd out in behalf of the lost or suf
fering ones, in their time of aetual or
appreheniied danger.
Now this forcible illustration i.s
used by the Savior to justify lii.s con
duct on that occasion. He does not
admit that the Pharisees anft scribes
are truly righteou.s ; but, according
to their own profe.ssion.s, he was jus
tified : for if they were righteous
they needed no Savior; but the.^e h>t
sinners did.
Did not God own his people be
fore thev were saved, or while they
were lost? It was becau.se he
loved them as his sheep, before
they were .saved, that he sent his Son
into the world. Pie did not put
marks on tlie lost shet!j>. of the I Ion.sc.i^,
of Israel to make them his, but be
cause they were his l>y choice before..
He does mark them in the heart—-for
he writes his law in their Inairts and
gives them confidence in him—he
marks them in the ear so that they
hear his voice and know him—he
marks them in the feet so that they
walk in the straiglit and narrow way
and follow him. In general he puts
such marks on them that- they
bear his likenes.s in holy conver.sa-
tion and heavenly conduct, until men
may take knowledge of them that
they have been -with Jesus and learn
ed of him. He puts his comeline.'S
upon them and mark-; them in their
forelieads, and they bear about in
them the marks of the Lord Jesus.
This is not done to make them his
though ; for he owned tliem before.
But it is because he did own them
before and loved them, that he sought
them out and saved them. What a
great and precious truth that Jesu.s
came to .seek and to save that which
was lost.
The text does not teach that Jesus
had a people that were never lost at
all; bat, taking the Pharisees on
their own professions of their never
straying, that hence they did not need
the attention that those did that had
strayed.
There is a limited sense in which
the Jews and Gentiles might represent
these sheep: the Jews representing
those sheep that never strayed, in the
sen.se that, under the Old Testament
dispensation, they were abiding un
der the special protection of the Lord
in his fold ; while the Gentiles, as
lost sheep, were beyond all visible
S
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