Z ion’s Landmarks
B-S¥OTS» fHS BSfliSS ef ^'HS PlIMIfIfl BiWira^
“TO THE LAW AN0 TO THE TESTIMONY.”
Yol. ix--No. 2,
Wilson, N. C., December 1, 1875.
Wliole No. 194.
)
Zion's Landmarks,
P. IL GOLD, Editok.
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and resist
greatly err
: Ap y
the teaching of the Holy Ghost
in their hearts, but receive it in a
carnal manner into their jndgment,
without the feeling application and
spiritual revelation of it to their souls.
‘‘The election hath obtained it, and
the rest were blinded.” Solemn words!
It should indeed be a matter of heart
inquiry, whether those of us who pro
fess to fear the name of the I^ord are
included in this small remnant;
whether we really belong to that “elec
tion” which “hath obtained it.”—
P'or if we do not belong to that num
ber whom God hath chosen in Christ
before all worlds, we shall die in our
sins, and be thrust down into that
fearful place where liope never enters.
It is therefore a matter of solemn in
quiry with one that fears God, who
knows what it is to have divine real
ities commended ro his conscience,
who stands at times on the brink of
eternity—it is with such, a matter of
deep inquiry, of earnest questioning,
of anxious thought, whether he has a
well-grounded scriptural ‘evidence
BAPTISM.
IIo ye writers, calm and placid!
What a glory on ye lies !
Purely God hath tauclied your surface
^V^tll reflections from the skies.
Ah methiuks I see the Savior
Wending tlirough the waters'still
Leaning free on John the Baptist,
To all righteou8ue.s.s fulfill.
See him plunged to overwhelming—
Buried in the water low;
Then arise; and by the likeness,
llisforeat resurrection show.
Lo the Dove '.—the Holy Spirit,
Lighting or) him from above—
Hai;k,.: the voice of 6tod the Father
I'Mlling Meetly to approve.
And the soul in God believing,
,Zjlay these tokens good receive,
f For obedience is recdving-^faii'.i*'
Le .should fuid .^hb'dofii believe.
See a trembling sinner, Savior,
V?bo beliCTes and would obey;
Ilejilp thou now mine unbelieving,
[Make me worthy in the way.
y-
..J- ■■
I come on thee relying,—
Come to find thy liquid grave,
And the Spirit’s sweet approval
That to thee the Father gave.
[By request.]
A SERMON IN LONDON.
BY J. C. PHILPOT.
“ The election hath obtained it, and the rest
were blinded,” Romans 11: 7.
» IHE doctri nes of discriminating
? grace always have been, and al-
I ways will be, opposed by the
generality of the professing
world (doctrine.) They are so hum
bling- to the pride of man; they are so
exclusive of human merit; they so beat
down creature righteousness ; they so
cut up all the boasted freedom of the
Immaii will that the great majority of
those who profess religion will hate
them. But we should
if we supposed that all
who received them were the children
of the li\’ing God. e have this
strikingly set forth in the history of
Gideon. Gideon was raised up by
the Lord as an instrument to deliver
Israel from the hand of the Midian-
ites; and a large army gathered to
gether under his ban.ier. But the
Lord commanded a solemn procla
mation to be made, that every one
“ who Avas fearful and afraid should
return, and depart early from Mount
Gilead.” (Judges 7 : 3.) In obedi
ence to this proclamation, out of this
A^ast number, two and tAventy thou
sand left the camp, forsook the ban
ners of the Lord, and returned to
their own homes: striking cmblen^,
apt illustration of all Avho make a
nominal profession of religion, and
endure not to the end, but, though
“armed, and carrying bows, turn
back in the day of battle,” and be
long to those of Avhom the Lord says,
“If any man draAV back, my soul shall
1 1 . BJm 1’’ Hnt tiie itbat he (lelongs to that happy nuni-
have no pleasure in him ! Hut
armv " . - . - -
but by my Spirit, saitli the Lord of
hosts;” and the assembled multitude
Avere yet so numerous, that had they
all continued under Gideon’s banners,
it would have taken from the Lord’s
glory. The Lord therefore com
manded Gideon to try them by brii^g-
ing them down to the water, and to
take notice how this assembled mul
titude partook of Ihe flowing stream
to Avhicb he led them down. Theie
Avas a small company that bowed
down upon their knees, and partook
of the Avater by using their liands/a?
a mediii'n to bring it to tlieir li'S;^
doubtless implying the posturi of
reverence and godly fear, andjhe
hand of faith Avliereby the, triitj is
received in the love of it; sho'|ng
that they did not recieve the A\|ers
of truth in a natural manner ; dfnot
fall headlong in the mud and jtre;
did not eagerly and greedily svjloAv
it down; but that there Avas (idly
fear in exercise, as well as tliepter-
vention of living faith; am|that
they did not gulp doAvn at om|inin-
terraitted draught enough tohtisfy
thirst, but partook of it littl|y lit
tle, at intervals. Thus in j" day
there is a vast multitude j those
Avho profess the name of t| Lord,
Avho are bitterly opposed tok truth
!is it is in Jesus, avIio arc “ff^I and
afraid ” of the cross; and a|uch,^ il
they live and die in their kardice,
Avill have their part amjt “ the
fearful (literally ‘cowards,^ud un
believing,” Avho shall l^ast into
“the lake that burnetii wffire and
brimstone;” Rev. 21: |And yet
of those Aviio seem to sft by the
Lord’s banner, there is pW large
a.ssemblage A\dio receive,truth, not
by the interveatioa of fs; oot by
worlds; and there will be
many anxious struggles, many fer-
Amnt Avrestlingts, many vehement cries
before it is powerfully and sweetly
ratified it the court of eonscience, that
AA'e belong to that “number which
no man can number;” that we have
an interest in the blood and love of
the Redeemer. The Apostle had
been speaking in the preceding chap
ters concerning righteousness. For
this is his grand topic in the epistle
to the Romans—the Avay in which a
sinner is accounted righteous before
God. He draws a sketch of the dif
ference betwixt those Avho were really
accounted righteous in God’s sight,
and those Avho were seeking to obtain
righteousness by the Avorks of the laAAq
and he shoAVS that those avIio souirht
O
righteousness by the Avmrks of the
law stumbled at that stumbling-
stone, that they obtained not that
Avhich they sought, and that the Gen
tiles Avho sought not after righteous
ness had obtained righteousness.—
Nor does he leave it there, but traces
it all up to the sovereignty of God,
“ in having mercy on Avhoni he Avill
haAm mercy,” and “having compas
sion on Avhom he Aviil have compas
sion.” And Avhen one replies in a fit
of passionate rebellion, “ Why doth
he yet find fault, for Avho hath resist
ed his Avill ? ” he meets him in a mo
ment Avith this appeal to’‘ his con
science : “ Nay, but, O man Avho art
thou thatrepliest against God? Shall
tlie thing formed say to him that
formed it, Avhy hast thou made me
thus?” We Avill, then, Avith God’s
blessing, endcaAmr to show Avliat the
election hath obtained; and how the
rest Avere blinded: By the Avord
“election” here, the Apostle means,
not the choice of God, but those who
are the objects of that choice. It is a
Hebrew idiom, substantives being of
ten used in that language instead ot
adjectives ; for instance : “We are the
true circumcision,” instead of those
that are truly circumcised. So again;
“the mountain of my holiness,” in
stead of my holy mountain.” The
writers of the NeAV Testament Avere
Jews by birth, and often used He
brew idioms, though they Avrote in
Greek. Thus, when the Apostle
speaks of the “election ” having “ob
tained it,” he means, not that the
choice of God hath obtained it, but
that the chosen vessels of mercy, the
faAmred objects of that election had
obtained it; and thus the word “elec
tion” here means simply the elect.—
The elect, then, have obtained cer
tain blessings, and they are the only
persons aaIio haAm obtained them.—
Let us see Avhat these blessings arc
and how they obtain them. First,
the grand point Avhicli the Apostle
speaks of here is, that they liaAm ob
tained righteousness, This must al-
Avays be a mattei; of anxious Jnquiry
can'
be righteous before God; because
wherever sin is opened up in a man,
and laid as a burden upon his con
science, the effect Avill be a discovery
of unrighteousness, and a deep convic
tion working Avith power in his soul,
that unless he can stand righteous be
fore God, he never am enter into the
abode of Him Avho is perfect right
eousness and complete purity. Tiie
“election,” then, “hath obtained
righteousness,” that is, through the
imputation of Christ’s obedience, they
stand righteous and accepted before
God, “Avithout spot or blemish, or
any such thing;” the garment of the
Redeemer’s obedience covering them
and shrouding them from the eye of
God, so that He beholds not iniquity
in Jacob nor perverseness in Israel;
Num. 23 ; 21. Tills all the elect
have obtained ; freely given to them
by their God and Lather in the Son
of His love. But the Avord “obtained ”
seems to point to some jiersonal re
ception of it. It is one thing to be
righteous before God in his eyes; it
is another thing to uaTC received the
manifestation of this righteousness in
our conscience. NoAAq however true
and glorious the doctrine is, that ail
tlie elect of God stand righteous in
Christ’s righteousness, the living soul
can never be satisfied with the doc
trine in the letter, nor can he ever
rest until he has the manifestation
and discovery of it AAuth poAver to his
heart by the Holy Ghost. And liere
is that eternal line AA'-hich separate.s
the living from the dead; licre is
that narrow, narroAV path which dis
tinguishes the heaven-born children .
from those Avhich are wrapped up in
a nominal profes.sion, that the living
family must haA^e power, Avhilst oth
ers are satisfied Avith form i that the