1
ii TNE ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA BAPTI8T8-DBV0TED TO BIBLE RELIGION, EDUCATION. LITERATURE 'AND GENERAL INTELLIGENCE:
Volume 68.
RALEIGH; N. C.f, WEDNESDAY. MARCH .84893.
.Number 36.
The Biblical Recorder.
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The Glory of the Gospel Dispensation,
BY KEY. JOHN C. aVIRITT OF TEXAS.
9 Cor. 8s 1 "But we all, with open face behold
ing as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed
into the same image from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord.M .
Any information which the Creator may
condescend to famish to his intelligent crea
tures should be thankfully received and
highly appreciated.' Everything that God
communicates of himself must be of the ut
most importance; and therefore to neglect
any information which he furnishes respect
ing hia character must be an insult to him
and a serious injury to us. The knowledge
of his glorious character most be more im
portant than all tbe theories and discoveries
of the , most profound philosophers, scien
tists and metaphysicians; and therefore this
knowledge should be earnestly desired by us;
and it should be sought with all the inten
sity Which Its importance demands. God has
revealed himself in his works and in his word
They both manifest God as One, Eternal, Om
nipotent, perfectly Wise, and perfectly Good;
, but the Scriptures go far beyond this, and
testify of his character in reference to sin;
and reveal those attributes of the divine
.character which secure the salvation of his
people. So far as the works of creation and
trovidence testify, their testimony is in per
ect accord with that of the Scriptures, They
are both God's witnesses, and hence the one
cannot contra plct the other. In the works
of creation ana providence, God dearly man
ifests himself in respect to a part of his char
acter, but such is the corruption of human
nature that no man, without the aid of di
vine revelation, has ever learned as much
from these witnesses as they proclaim. The
works of creation declare the glory of God;
but they do not teach the way of salvation
nor furnish one gleam of hope to guilty sin
.nera. The gospel alone reveals the glorious
plan of salvation; it alone manifests Jeho
vah as a just God and a Saviour; and it alone
shows all the divine attributes completely
harmonized in the gracious scheme of re
demption. The apostle's obiect in this chap
ter is to exhibit the glory of the gospel dis
pensation in a clearer light by contrasting it
with that dispensation 'with which Moses
was connected. He shows that if the min
istration of death was so glorious that the
children of Israel could not steadfastly be
hold the face of Moses for the glory of his
countenance -which was only temporary,
that the abiding ministration of the Spirit
mast be far more glorious.' He also argues
that if the ministration of condemnation was
glory, that the ministration of righteousness
must exceed in glory; and that the glory of
the gospel dispensation was so luminous that
it overshadowed the former dispensation.
In the text he contrasts tbe unvailed face of
those who are looking in the mirror of the
gospel with the vailed face of Moses and the
vailed hearts of the Jews. The effect is sim
ilar whether the face is vailed or the object
: to be seen. , - if.; yriitr-K
In the discussion of the subject I shall first
notice those who are looking in the gospel
mirrorVWe all with unvailed face behold
ing as in a'gla.v v;-"'V'iv:i
In the expression f'we all,", theapostle ev?
idently includes with himself the church at
Corinth and all the saints in all Acbaia to
whom the epistle was addressed, and it is
evident that all the saints in every age and
nation are , virtually included; with those
specified. They were all by nature the chil
dren of wrath; but they are now the children
of God by faith in Christ. They were for
merly, without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to
the covenants of promise, having no hope
and without God in the world; but now they
we no more strangers and foreigners', but
fellow citizens with the saints and of. the
household of God. . In ! times past,- their
minds were so blinded . by the god of this
world that they could not see the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ; but God
who commanded the light to. shine out of
darkness has shined In their hearts and given
the light of the knowledge of tbe glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ. They were
once condemned because they did not be
lieve in the Son of God but now being jus
tified by faith they bare peace with , God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. They were
dead in trespasses and sins; but having been
made alive by the Holy Spirit and having
trusted in Christ, they have eternal life.
None but those who have been convicted
of sin by the Holy Spirit and have ex per K
enced repentance toward God and faith to-"
ward our Lord Jesus Christ, can With un
vailed face behold tbe glory of the Lord in
the mirror of the gospel. tin?.
Secondly, I shall notice the object beheld
in the mirror: The glory of the Lord. ..
What is the glory of the Lord referred to
in the textl It is the character of God as
manifested in his Son, that is seen In the
mirror of the gospel; for the gospel alone re
veals the glory of God in the character of
his Son. The glory of the Lord which was
seen by the eye in every external manifes
tation of the divine presence before the com
ing of Christ was only anemblem of this
glory. The glory here referred to is a glory
of character not to be seen by the eye, but
to be seen $r perceived by the mind. Here,
dear brethren and sisters, we see it only in
a mirror, in heaven we shall see it as it is,
for. we shall there see face to face. : This
glory is to be seen only in the mirror of the
gospel, forthere only Js .the.true, character.
of Hod manifested to the children of men.:
This face is seen only in tbe face of Jesus
Christ; for God the Father is seen only in
his Son, who is the brightness of his glory
and the express image of bis person. . Jesus,
therefore, said to his disciples, "I am the
way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh
to the Father but by me. If ye had known
me, ye should have known my Father also ;
and from henceforth ye know him and have
seen him." The Father and Son are differ
ent persons; but if to see the Son is virtually
to see the Father, they must be the same
God. Christ is the image Of God, because
in human nature he possessed all the divine
attributes and manifested them to the chil
dren of men. Christ was the same God with
the Father from eternity, but it is only as
he is incarnate that he can be the image of
God. An image must be seen, but men
could not see the invisible God only as
it is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ who
in the fourth chapter of this epistle and the
fourth verse is called the light of the gospel
of the glory of Christ, in the sixth verse is
called the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ, ; From
these passages it is clear that the knowledge
of the gospel, the knowledge of the Father,
and the knowledge of the Son, are all iden
tical; and the glory of Christ is identical
with the glory of God; and therefore Christ
must be God manifest in the flesh. That the
Father and the Son are the same God, and
that the Father is seen only in the Son is
most clearly seen in the expression, the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God
id the face of Jesus Christ. A person is
recognized by his face; because bis features
and countenance distinguish him from ev
ery other. The face of Jesua Christ which
distinguished him from all others was evi
dently his character; The glory of God did
not thine in his face externally, for thou
sands saw his face in this sense who did not
comprehend his character; but the glory of
God did shine most brilliantly in his charac
ter. This was most beautifully represented
'by the glory in the face of Moses, the type
ctChrist. ; The glory of God shined exter
nally in the face of Moses; and thus the
glory of God, in all the attributes of his
character shined most illustriously in the
face of Jesus Christy Here, my dear breth
ren and sisters, we can see the divine glory;
nowhere else can it be seen. In the word of
truth, the gospel of our salvation, we may
constantly with unvailed face behold the
glory of the Lord. Inestimable privilege I
Golden opportunity 1 O, that We could more
highly appreciate and more faithfully im
prove them I , ', ...
Thirdly I shall notice the effect of the be
held glory on the beholders; ;' are changed
into the same image from glory to glory." -i
The glory of the Lord fe not only to be
seen in the mirror of the gospel; but the be
holding of 'this glory. : transforms the be
holder into the same image. This is a trans
formation so wonderful that there is nothing
in nature that : resembles it. No' other ob
ject changes those looking at It Into its own
likeness. In the figure chosen In the text to
illustrate this truth, there is in this respect
no resemblance, but rather ; a contrariety.
The image in a mirror is formed by the ob
ject before the mirror; and it is changed or
modified as the object is changed or modi'
tied; but in the thing to be illustrated the
image seen in the mirror gives its own like
ness to the one looking at itand inpropor
tioaas the image in the mirror ISclearly
discerned, the beholder becomes more and
more like it The like conformation between
the beholder and the image is seen both in
the figure and the thing to be illustrated by
it; but the regulating principle of likeness is
reversed. In the figure the regulating prin
ciple is the object before the mirror; but in
the thing to be illustrated, the regulating
principle is the image in the mirror. In the
mirror there ia an image that conforms it
self to the object before the mirror ; but in
the gospel there is an image of Christ that
conforms the beholder to itself. The glory
on the face of Moses clearly illustrates this
subject. When Moses beheld the divine glory,
his face became glorious; so when any Cue
beholds Christ in the gospel mirror, he is
transformed Into the likeness of his glorious
character. A very important fact brought
to light here is that the children of God
must, even in this world, become in some
measure like their Heavenly Father; and
hence he says to them "Be ye holy, for I am
holy." j; How, dear brethren and sisters, can
the children of the prince of this world who
haye all the features of their father become
the children of our Father in heaven t It can
be effected only by beholding the glorious
character of God as it shines in the face of
Jesus Christ Jn the mirror of the gospel.
That the glory of the Lord seen in this mir
ror is a manifestation of his glorious attri
butes is evident from tbe fact that a distinct
view of it in the mirror: changes the be
holder into the same Image, f It is evident
that the contemplation of the divine glory
in the mirror produces no external glory,
therefore, the image conferred: must be an
image of character.. The first view of the
image of the glory of God in Christ leaves
its impression on the soul of the beholder.
If the gospel is so imperfectly presented to
the mina, tne image wui oecieany aiscerned,
and the impression mada will be clear and
distinct. By seeing God Is he is manifested
in Christ in the gospel we are new-created
in the image of God in knowledge, in righ
teousness and in holiness. . This gracious
transformation is not complete at first but
the conformation to the 'divine image is a
rogressive work, it is a progressive assim
lation to the image of Christ who is the im-
apbTnS6d.-7This tslfirirwttght'ftrthe
text in the expression, i are changed into
the same image from glory to glory." If,
dear brethren and sisters it Is our high priv
ilege, with unvailed facejto behold the glory
of the Lord in the gospeljand to be changed
into the same image from glory to dorr.
will it not be injurious to us if we do not
daily grow in grace and In tne knowledge of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ f There
fore, we should earnestly strive to obey, the
precepts and to imitate the example of our
blessed Lord and Master, and pray fervently
for divine, assistance to enable us to labor,
faithfully and efficiently In his cause. ' .
Fourthly, I shall notice the almighty Agent
by whom thia gracious transformation is
affected, Vaa by the Spirit of the Lord." .
Thoush the lieht of the knowledge of the
glory of God shines luminously in the face
of Jesus unrist, and tne got pel clearly dis
plays that glory, yet no one has ever seen it,
without the enlightening and life-giving
power of the Holy Spirit. If the gospel is
light which cannot be seen without being
known, and if it contains its own evidence,
why do not all see' and embrace it! Tbe
apostle gives the answer in the next chap
ter, "The god of this world hath blinded the
minds of them that believe not, lest the light
of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the
image of God should shine nnto them." Why
do not the blind see the stmt The blindness of
unbelievers is, doubtless,' willful blindness,
but it is not less intense on this account
The power of the Holy Spirit must attend
the word of troth in-order to manifest the
glory of God in the character of Jesus
Christ It is the province of the Holy Spirit
to give both light and life.';; The eyes of un
believers are so completely' blinded by sin,'
that unless they are opened by Almighty
Power, they will not see the light though it
should shine before them 1 with seven- fold
intensity. The Holy Spirit through the
gospel opens their eyes,' enlightens their un
derstandings and renews their minds. One
point of the utmost importance in the text
is, that It is by contemplating the image of
God id Christ in the gospel that men become
like him, so it is always by the energy of
the Holy Spirit that the gospel has the effect
Human wisdom errs on both sides of this
awful truth, i Some contend that the Spirit
sometimes produces this I transformation
without the gospel. This is a great and fear
ful error. The Holy Spirit always effects
this gracious change through the instru
mentality of the gospel; for the gospel alone'
exhibits the character of God as it shines in
the face of .'Jesus Christ.. Others contend
that the word of God alone is sufficient to
effect the transformation without the agency
of the Holy Spirit. : This is a fearful and
fatal error. Perhaps, they imagine that they
honor the Scriptures, by alleging that they,
without tbe teaching of the Spirit, Can effect
this change in conversion.. This view, how
ever, makes a god of tbe Scriptures and dis
honors the Lord God of the Bible, The word of
God is mighty for pulling down strongholds,
but it is mighty only through God. The
Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, but
the keenest blade is harmless without a liv
ing agent to wield it There is a difference
betweeji the sword and the soldier, who
wields it; and there is such a difference also,
between the word of God and the; Holy
Spirit in the conversion of sinners Can any
thing but divine power give' life" to those
who are dead in sin t Did not divine power,
accompany the4 command, "Lazatus, come
forth f " Does it not require the same power
to give spiritual life to those who' are spirit
ually dead t At requires the same power to
create anew . that created " the , world ; and
hence Paul says, "For God who. commanded
the light to shine out of darkness, bath shined
In our hearts to give the light of .the knowl
edge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ" If, dear brethren and 'sisters.' we
are permitted, with unvailed face, to behold
as in a glass the glory of the Lord and to be
Changed into the same image from glory to
glory by the Spirit of the Lord, how ear-,
nestly and Intently should we look into the
mirror of the gospel that we may daily be
come more conformed to his glorious char
acter. Dear brethren in the ministry, if the
views which I have presented are Scriptural,
It is evident that we cannot Cause sinners to
see the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ in the mirror of the gospel. i-This is
the work of the Holy Spirit; and it is beyond
our ability and outside of our commission.
But our blessed . Lord and, Master who, ac
cording to his boundless, love and amazing
grace, has called us to preach the gospel,
does require us to hold up clearly and dis
tinctly before lost sinners' the gospel Which
reveals the glory of God in Christ -n How
important our -work 1 How fearful and
weighty its responsibilities t .All human ex
pedients to convert ' sinners are disgraceful
to the gospel of Christ; and are not only use
less but exceedingly injurious. :!: It is right
for us to denounce . the . terrors of the law
against sinners, to show themjheir guilt,
Condemnation and helplessness, and to em
ploy every motive which may influence their
minds in order to attract attention to the
gospel; but in order that sinners may be con
verted to God,-we must clearly, earnestly
And affectionately preach the , gospel which
manifests the glory of God in Christ, and
shows how all the divine attributes, in their
highest perfection, harmonize in the glorious
scheme of redemption, relying alone on tbe
Eower of the Holy Spirit for success. : For
owever clearly we may expound the truths
of the gospel, and however fQrcibly and ten
derly we may impress them, they will, not
have the desired effect on the minds ana
hearts of the hearers, unless accompanied by
threhergetic",'cbnvictingandxTonverting
power of the Holy Spirit My dear brethren
and sisters, how our hearts ought to glow
with love and gratitude towards bur Father
in heaven for his matchless love manifested
in the gift of his beloved Son to redeem us
with his own precious blood; and toward the
Son who is the image of the Father, because
he has through the Holy Spirit revealed his
Father to us. If, dear brethren and sisters,
it is our privilege to behold the divine glory
in the mirror as the gospel, and to be chang
ed into the same image by the Holy Spirit,
how -; intently should we view that image,:
and how earnestly should we study his char
acter as it is revealed in the gospel, and how'
fervently should we pray, that the 1 Holy
Spirit may illuminate our minds, that we
may daily become more and more assimila
ted to his perfect character. . This conform-,
, ity to the likeness of Christ will not be com
plete in this world ; but it will advance from
glory to glory until it .finally terminates in
an exceeding and eternal - weight of. glory,
when we believed the Holy Spirit sealed ns
as an earnest of our inheritance until the re-;
demotion of the purchased possession to the
praise of the glory of divine grace, v The
Spirit himself bears witness with our spirits
that we are the children of God, and incon
sequence of this relationship we are heirs of
God and joint bens ' with the Lord Jesus
Christ. Oh 1 boundless ', love I Amazing
;race ! O, that we could folly appreciate his
ove and mercy, and faithfully. improve our
Opportunities I In view of our . relation as
Children of God, the Apostle John says,
"Behold What manner of love tbe Father has
bestowed upon us that we should be called
the children of Uod ; therefore the world
knoweth ns not . because it knew him not
Beloved, now are we the children of God,
and it does not yet appear what We shall be;
but we know that when ha shall appear we
shall be like him. for we shall see him as he
is."
: Dear brethren and Bisters, we live among
the children or this world and daily sssoci
ate with them, but they know us not, be
causa they are ignorant of God, and hence
they often regard us as fanatics ; but the
Good Shepherd knows' bis' sheep and thev
follow him. It does hot appear in our state
ot humiliation and? imperfection what we
Shall be; but we fondly anticipate the ;time
when we shall awake in hislikeness. Though
liow, dear brethren and sisters, as soldiers
of the Cross, we are engaged in a sore con-,
flict with the world, ; the flesh and the devil.
we shall not be defeated; for the Holy Spirit
is our guide ana comforter, ana the : juora
Jesus Christ is our Captain, andr therefore
though we may have to pass through many
fearful battles,rwe shall gain a complete
victory, for our Captain will surely triumph;
and through the greatness of his power and
thd riches of his grace, he will bring ns off
more than conquerors. When he shall come
In his glory attended, by all the holy angels
to raise the dead and judge the world in
righteousness, then shall he change these
bodies of humiliation and fashion them like
his own glorious body. 'Then will bur spirits
which have been changed into his image
from glory to glory by the . Spirit of the
Lordfbe reunited to our glorified bodies ;
and then shall we see him as he is, and the
result of the glorious vision will be that we
shall, be like him.: Then in consequence
of our relation to him as the bride,; the
Lamb's wife we shall-be exalted above all
other created intelligent beings in the uni
verse. Then shall we stand with that inna
merable multitude of all nations, and kin
dred, and people, and tongues,' arrayed in
robes of spotless purity, with palms of vic
tory in our hands and crowns of glory on
our heads,' before the throne of God and be
fore the Lamb, and without one discordant
sound or one jarring note swell the glorious
anthem of praise unto God and unto the
Lamb, who has redeemed us with his own
precious blood, for ever and ever. . Amen.
; ' ' m . 1 1 1 V
r - p 1 , i ' -f T5 s, W
f Three days of uninterrupted company in
a vehicle will make you better acquainted
with another than one hour's conversation
With hinr every day for three years.--Xp
A life that will beat the inspection of God
and : of men is the 'only, certificate of true
religion. Jomson: , ' - ' ..
The Ministry Overloaded. .
t mere was a time wnen tne cry or the
church to the great Lord of the harvest was,
f Send forth- more laborers into the vine-
Jrard.'? It is doubtful, whether that prayer
a needed now.. The ministerial market is
glutted.' The supply: has outstripped the
demand. ' At least in i the Eastern States
there seems to be a preponderance of preach-,
era. ' A church , is no sooner vacant than
forty men spring up ready to take the empty
pulpit: : We hear every , day of men of pure '
character; large experience and fine educa
tion who cannot get settlements. 5 It is poor
encouragement' to study ion the ministry
when, after "long courses of education, so
many gifted mm fail to find churches to
preach to which seems a duty. y.jr .v
k : The- trouble ' Jies largely with ordaining
coupcils and unscrupulous churches that
allow the poorer quality to glut the market. .
A smart insurance agent, or a ready-speak-in
g - carpenter, -or' a gifted house painter
thinks he could be useful in . the ministry
church calls a council to ordain him. . . The
work is done, and the man with a glue pot
or a paint-brush in one hand and a limp
Bible in the other crowds out the man who
has had ardozen years of hard study in the
academy, .the college and the, theological
seminary :A young man who has never ex;
pended a dollar in text books, and who
never has been able to earn over, a dollar a
day in self support, is, willing to preach in
his way for a small salary, and churches
that believe in cheap preaching are willing
to accept such a man as pastor, because less
money will be needed to square accounts at
the end of the year. They may be sure that
the quality of the preaching is not just w hat
it ought to be, but they solace themselves
With the thought that the preaching is as
good as the pay, and are content. Glibness
is often mistaken , fori learning, and a man '
who knows little,. who never had an idea of
exegesis or biblical interpretation, is often
more glib than a college graduate. He is
not hindered by homiletics, nor plagued by
exegesis, nor restrained by delicate shades
of . meaning in the holy word. He can slap
and dash, where a theological professor
would pause and think.'. There is no Greek
Testament in his way, and he has no sens
of the propriety: of the thing. He can
preach a sermon and make nothing of it
His race is generally short, though tlier,e are
men,' exceptions of course, who stay, and
rise to eminer.ee without training or prepa
ration. -'But they are extraordinary men.
They are not examples. The Principal of
Lou vain said to the son of the Vicar of
Wakefield : " You see me, a young man ; I
never learned Greek, and I don't find that ,1
have ever missed it I have had a doctor's
cap and gown without Greek; I have ten
thousand florins a year without Greek; I eat
heartily without Greek and in short, I
dont know Greek; I do not believe there L?
any good in it." If a - young man say6:
There is the Principal of Lou vain who got
cap, gown ana ten, mousana norms a year
Without Greek and I'll eschew Greek," he is
a dunce.-Adam Clarke once said: " I never
Dtiilir nnt a Darmrr Yir f nntnA fy ita Aa-
livery Were I before the King or the Uni
versity I should do the same.- A less man
than Adam Clarke who should : try that
wouia be a simpleton, vwnat aaam jjaiKe
or Charles H. Spurgeon could do, would be '
blank, miserable failure with other men. , -
Jiut it Will be eaid, if the man with tbe glue
pot Can crowd but the college graduate, let
him do it, for he must be ' smarter." " Ah,
that is just the trouble, the man who is able
to teach,i who , would wear, like -iron, who
ivould prove a workman needing not to be
ashamed, does not Dossess the " smartness."
He comes with ability and hot show. He
la a uurniag mo uu not a envfutAtrv. iud
skyrocket eclipses the evening star. , The
Insane ambition of the churches for "smart
ness,1 irrespective of what is under it; is the
curse of our day and the ruin 'and death of
our churches. ' V : ' " -' : 4 V-
f .We do not argue that everyminister must
be educated in - a college. - We do not say.
that the 'short-cut' is not sometimes com
mendable, i We are well aware that some of
bur ablest preachers and finest pastors never
had a sheepskin; ;; But for all that, and for
all the honor we would do that class of men,
we protest against overloading the ministry
with materials that can only render it per-
manenuy ana mnaameniauy weaar. ad
ecclesiastical council has no right before
God to ordain a man to the ministry unless
he is fitted therefor. It is treason to Christ,
disloyalty to the church, and an injury to
the candidate. : What if the ' church in
Scrubtown say they want him I What if the
little 7x9 house was crowded on the Sunday
when he was advertised to, preach on the
" Witch of Endor r What if his as 1
father is a pious -deacon who' would be of
fended if his son should fail to pass I "What
if bis pastor with church pride begs tfcat ho
may be ordained L No candidate should to
put into the ministry unless he is meet ,;!Iy,
morally, and theologically qualified for i:s
work. . A council has no more right to do
than it has to alter the terms of salvat!--i cr
drop out one of the ten comroandn1 - '
Christian Inquirer.
If thou seek rest in this lif , tc-:
then attain to the everlasting r t?
ot thyself for much rest, but f r ;
tienCe.,1': Seek true :peacor;.;,i. ( .
in heaven ; not in tacn, t r : i
creature, but in Oo l i ' '.
s