.4
V
we shall be; but we know that when
we see him we shall be like him ; for
we shall see him as he is, and we
«hall be satisfied too.
Infants are saved hy grace.. What-
fver change is needful for thhm will
h.; Avrought. Instead of their be
coming as we are, we must become
rather as they are—little children.
}’>v I his we do not understand though
that infanls are holy or without sin.
They have m,t committed sin to re-
]icnt of as adults, though they are
born in sin and can be saved only
in- grace.
My brother, did you repent of
Adam’s sin, or your own in coming
lo God ? AThat is it troubles a con
victed sinner, if it is not that vile
nature he has, and especially his own
sinful conduct., A man, while liAung
in sin, is fully and constantly endors
ing all that Adam did, by repeating
ii. or living in it,and taking pleasure
I herein. AVI -en he repents he is sorry
of his oicn ungodly deeds, and turns
sway from them, and does works meet
ibr repentance, justifying God in his
'(•ntence of death in Adam and him-
s'i fin Adam. Let God be true and
every man a liar.
The infant has not knowingly com
mitted sins to repent of In that
there is a great difference. But Jesus
i> the only way of salvation, and has
power over all flesh—that of the iii-
ftnt, the'adult, the king and his sub
ject:, the wise and the unAvise, the
nch and the poor, the idiot and the
prudent, the black man and the Avhite
mmi
-to give eternal life to as many
.natlier'lmtlpgiven him.
THE FLESH.
, This word is often used in Scrip-
rure and Avith equal frequency, per
haps, maidvind in general.
Hoes it mean literal flesh and blood
only and merely, Avhen it says, that
which is born of the flesh is flesh ? &c.
li means something besides that also.
Hy the term flesh is meant the cor
rupt or carnal nature of man—A\diich
i' deceitlul, sinful, sensual, Ac. All
flc.sh has corrupted its way. By the
deeds of the law shall no flesh living
b'-justified, &c. This shows the ut-
ler and general carnality of the entire
man. To ask if there is any part of
u man that is not flesh, in the scrip-
iiiral sense of that Avord, would be
i he same as asking if there is any
pa rt of a fillen man that is not sin-
liil? His soul or spirit is carnal or
.-iuful, and in that sense comprehend-
m1 in flesh, though not litercdly flesh.
1 lie text therefore Avhich says that,
■’ihat Avhich is born of the flesh is
Zion’s Landmarks: Wilson, N. C.
U)
i’jc'h,” means that an unclean thing
brings forth an unclean or .sinful off-
■'[U'ing, or that if Eicodemus could
cru.er the second time into his mother’s
womb, and l)e born again, it would
be another birth of the flesh, and
ht'fKAe sinful. But if one is born of
.■spirit tkhat is a pure birth. Or it
nnans that one born of Adam, Avhich
mcan.S' born of the flesh, is a sinner,
while thatAvhich is born of the Spirit,
Avliieh is an incorruptible seed, is al-
wavs without sin.
Hence the great nece,ssify of being
I ij.irn again. That it is the sinner
licit is born again cannot admiflof
!uiy sensible questioning, for that
del) i.s pure needs no ncAV birth,
and when so born again that AAdrich
is born again is spiritual.
A Christian is a spiritual man—
not under condemnation, not in sin,
but under grace and in grace.
To Avalk according to the flesh is
to Avalk after the promptings of the
corrupt, lu-stful nature of the Adamic
man. We are to deny the flesh, and
mortify our members Avhich are on
earth.
Everything of man is not literally
flesh, tlicugh the Avhole man is a sin
ner. Noav Avill literal flesh and
blood enter heaven? Ho. JSTor can
the corrupt, deceitful old man, or
body of death, ever be saved. Sin
cannot of course be saved, but the
sinner is. Sin is not a creature, or
created substavee. It is an action
rather—transgression, of the law—a
principle of evil. By a new birth
another life—a leaven from above is
given Avhicli purges out the old leav
en, and we, the Adamic man, that is
a sinner, are changed according to
the life of Christ, into his image from
glory to glory, even as by the Spirit
of the Lord.
There was Adam before he sinned
a good man. After the flill it was
the same man, but corrupted, and
dead in laAV. In the new birth the
same man that was dead is born again,
or brought to life. A new life, the
life of Christ, the second Adam, the
quickening spirit, is given him.
As after regeneration the man does
not Avalk according' to his former
lusts, for old things have passed away,
and behold ;fll thmgn are beeuii,^
new : so in the resurrection from tlie
dead, all things Avill be ne'v,and after
the image of Jesus, who is spiritual.
For in him there is no sin, no cor-
rnplion, no flesh, no death.
Let ns be careful to not Avalk after
the flesh. For it is a poor excn.se to say
the flesh did it. It i.s to confess onr
intimacy with a Avilful enemy, and to
confess that AAm are asleej) on our post
and unfaithful.
Flesh in this .sen,se Is sin or the
sinful lusts that live and lark in our
nature, and creep in like the Gibeon-
ite.s, often with an air of sanctitv, iu
old shoes, tattered clothes, and Avith
mouldy bread,and will decoy us into a
dangerous alliance. AA’e live in the
flesh, but should not walk accord
ing to the Avicked principle thereof.
IS
THE INTERPRIFTATIOH
TRUE?
Some, in their constructions of bi-
ble teachings, hold that, because sal-
Auation is of grace, that no obligations
or duties are laid on the .subjects of
salvation. For tbem, It is enough to
exonerate from all obedience Ijecause
such and such a Scripture is spiritual.
When James tells us that pure re
ligion and undefileJ before God and
the Father i.S’ this, to visit the fatiier-
le.ss and the Avidows in their afflic
tion, &c., that they .say does not
mean that an actual personal visit is
to be made to people actually sick,
and that the widow.s are not Avidowes
aaFo' have lost their husbands, but
some hoAV they are such ca.-es as Jiev-
er come Avithin the po.ssibIiitie.s of
men to .serve them, because it is, spii-
itual.
It does not strike iua" mind that be
cause truth is .spiritual that therefore
it is unreal, or that because the Spirit
of truth reveals things spiritual that
they are a myth. It is true that ef
fectual prayer must be in the Spirit,
blit it does not folloAV therefrom that
a man never prays effectually.
Revelations of spiritual truth are
just as real and true as any other
communications. TIica' are from
above and cannot be rvceived or
knoAvn by the natural man, still they
are true and actual.
The Christian, Avho in the spirit of
truth visits the fatherless and Avidows
in their affliction, does such service
as pure religion, or true love, prompts.
The man Avho has not its spirit and
never docs this has no true religion.
To Say that one that has faith never
Avorks is to say that his faith is dead
being alone. The true faith of God’s
elect is remarkable for its holy zeal
and singular performance of works
that condemn the Avovld, and evince
that its posse,ssor is an heir of the
righteousness that thus comes.
If one should say, that the text
Avhich says, they that preach the
gospel should live of the gospel, is
spiritual iu the sense thai it only
means that he must feed on the truth
which he preaches to another, and
does not teach that if is the duty of
those to whom he preaches to minis
ter to him in carnal things ; that man,
to be consistent, should likeAvise say,
that Avhen Paul tells TimotliA’' to take
offensive to some and so strains and
chokes them that death ensues. A
very little affair, a trival thing that
some one is guilty of, .so .spoils the
feast that one of a faint stomach can
not eat at all, and .so chokes up and
heaves that the joy of the company
is all broken up. Even things that an
not gnats at all sometimes choke one.
a little wine for his stomach’s .sake,
Ac., this is also spiritual, and forbids
our taking anything for Aur infinn-
iires' iTutrT.hc wine oi' thff*kingdom of
heaven. Tliongh it is a'great truth
that they that preach the gospel do
enjoy its pure food, and should live
lives of holy obedience to the Lord,
being sepai’ate from the corruptions
of the Avorld. The truth is, that any
duty Avhich the Bible commands a
Christian i.s spiritual, and Avhen dis
charged in the true .spirit is accepted
of God, and is profitable to the doer.
Whenever our interpretations of
the Bible are .such as to rentier all its
meaning incomprehensible to ns, and
to free ns from any obligations, by
saying it is spiritual, Ave have not the
true conception of what is spiritual.
Mark yon, we do not say that a mere
ly natural or carnal man can, or de
sires to ser\'o God ; but that a Chris
tian is a spiritual man, and slioukl
render spiritual obedience.
Because Paul saw a law of sin in
his members Avarring against the laAV
of his mind, Ac., did ho therefore
turn these members loose to sin, and
disregard in's body, in saying the law
is spiritual and I am carnal, and
therefore conclude that it does not
inacter what Ldo? Ho ; he kept his
body under, and the same members
that Averc once yeilded as instru
ments unto sin he now renders as in
struments unto righteousne.s.s.
IIoAV careful should one be to see
tliat the light tliat i.s in liim be not
As when it becomes needful to raise
.some money in a conference meetinv
to bear some needful expensas—it so
offends some that they get to strain
ing heavily; not however becau.se
such people ever give so much thein-
,selves. Those that giAm the most arc
those that complain the least usuall\-.
Some get choked or .strain at gnats
in finding fluilt of the peculiar or odd
notions or doings of other people
Avhen perhaps there are no violations
of true principles by them. By gnats
we understand little things Avhich are
not actually Aaolations of principles
of righteousness, though they may be
irregular in form.
But those people Avho strain so at
gnats have a capacious throat for
swallowing things that suit them.-—
Hotwithstanding the camel i.s a verv
large animal and has so large a hump,
and is Avithal so crooked and ugly, tiiat
it would seem impossible that if
could be SAvallowed, yet Ave find that
this A'ery class of people that strain
at gnats can swallow even camels—
right down. People that cannot
spend any thing for religious expen
ses sometime.s can spend considerable
sums for some other things hurtful
even. People who .see motes in oth
er people’s eyes,and find fault of lit
tle things in others, can sAvallow
down and hide great, big, crooked,
ugly deeiis of their own and never
strain even.
BE HOT TOO HASTY.
Chur ches should not send off’un
tried men to preach away from home
until they have heard Ihem them
selves. They should be satisfletl too
that such have a profitable gift beftjr(‘
turned loose. Their moral character
and conduct should also be clean.
Much trouble comes ofunfaithfurness
here. Lay bands suddenly on no man.
darkne.ss, and that some lurkino-
OF
.
lust does not tisscrt its prevailing phm
for .•'In under cover of a seomingH
deep and reverentiai regard for the
spirituality of the .scriplurc.s.
STRAIHIHG AT GHATS.
This I.s a characterl.stic jAcrformance.
Sometime.s a sinal! gnat becomes very
I iiave for .some timt; been pub
lishing a pamphlet-stylo book, con
taining the ex])erience of Si.ster Phil
lips, and her reasons for leaving thr
Mksiouarie.s and uniting Avith the
Primitive Bapti.sts.
The book c. ntains tvA'O hundrcAi
and eight pages of-matter—divided
into twent3'-one cha{>tei-s—devoted to
various subjects—important to an.
enquirer after truth.
It need,s no eulogA’" (o one that
know.s the ability of her pen. Hoth-
ing that I have ever .seen 1‘rom lu;r is
more instructive..
ItAvil! be A'ery profitable to all
that are searching for ib'lile truth.—■
To suck I honestly and earne.stlv
commend it. It tnay b.c obtained b\-
orders sent to Ihu' at Rome, Georgia,
or to me at 'Wii.son, Horth Caroli/ia.
The price is 75 Cts, Order.s can hr-
sent with the money at once, a.s thu
!>ook is now readvx
P. D. Goi.n.