Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1836-11-29
From the Edinhurg Christian Magazine.
EXTRACT.

From TIE Ediaturg Christian Magazine.
EXTRACT.
TIE HEART OPENED By AND TO CHRIST.
Rev. iii. 2O.--Ifany man hear my roicc, am
open tie door.
The sinner cannot open Mr door Of hi.
heart to Christ. These words by no means
suppos" tina sinner can open his heart
: for though they run in Il hypo hctical form
''If any man hear my voice, and open the
door," yc., to understand thcm as intma.
ting the na:urai ability Of man. would be
to contradict other express declarations OF
scripture, rs well as to deny the doctrines OF
grace. Christ knows that the sinner has
neither power nor inclination 10 open his
heart, and cannot therefore impose upon
.hc church by words contrary 10 truth. If
any man can open his heart 10 receive the
grace of God. then every man can do it,
and thus the scriptures that declare the mai.
ural imbccility and enmty of the heart,
must contradict experience. But let God
be true, and every man liar. The scrip
lures assert, most unequivocally, that men
arc dead in trespasses and sins; that they
arc wihou: Strength, and that without Christ
they can do nothing; these arc solemn as
saltions, and universal experience confirms
them. Even granting that men have a
natural power 20 open their hearts to Christ,
vet what avais this without an inclination?
We can open the door to an enemy, but ocill
not: but in the case before us, men have
neither power nor inclination. We will II 1t
come to Christ that we may have te.-
The carual mind is cnmity against God,
and is moi subject to the law Of God neither
indeed can be. Can the man with the with.
cred arm stretch it out withou! the power Of
Christ? Can the dry bones live, till the
Lord breathe by his Spirit? None ever
yet, in the whole history ofman, opened his
heart 10 Christ; That man is not to be
found, in heaven or in earth, who can affirm
with truth, that he opened his heart, and let
Christ in. This is a work transccnding all
the power Of creatures, especially Of crea-
turcs who are in q safe OF sin and moral
weakness. This, as the work Of creation
and OF raising the dead, is exclusively the
work of God. 1t was God who opened the
heart of Lydia, it was God who created a
cican heart in David, and who promises
(Ezck, xxxvi. "a. to do the same to the
church. 1t was said of old, "Who opened
thine eyes" meaning by this question, that
God alone could open them; so may we ask
of every believer, Who opened thy heart!
The answer will be, 1t was Christ himself
who did ii! Christ has knocked long at the
hearts of sinners, and left off knocking, as
an evidence that they could not ofthemseves
open their hearts; nay, he has knocked at
the hearts of those whom he ul.imatc y con-
quers by his grace, and gives over knocking
for while. Butss there is time fixed in
the eternal councils for opening the heart,
nc returns again; then the time of love ar
rives. meals become cAec:ual, and the work
of grace is accomplished
That the grace Of Christ al length deter
mines the sinner to open the door. After
long knocking, by conscience, the word, by
tie Holy Spirit, and by providence; after
thousand rcfi,sals on the sinners part, after
ten thousand provocations to make Christ
depart, the sinner is at length delightfully."-
compelcd to yield. Christ's hand is put in
by the hole Of the door, and the bowels OF
the sinner arc moved for him; the grace of
God insnuatcs Itself mo the mind; the en-
nifty issubducd, and the heart is taken; the
sinner becomes willing, not OF himself, but
is made willing by infinite love and infinite
power, Psal. cx. 3. is pursuadcd and enabled
to receive a whole Saviour for salva'lon.-
The heart is thus thrown open to the Lord
Jesus: the gates of brass and thc bars ofiron
arc burst in sundcr, the everlasting gates
lit up their heads, the eternal doors are
opened, and the King of glory comes in, and
with him an entire salvation. Then the sin
ncr, formerly an enemy, and to every good
work rcprobatc, cxclaims, "Come in thou
blessed ofthc Lord, why standcst thou with
out?-Other lords besides thee have had the
dominion over us, but by thee only will we
m Ike mention of thy name.-Ashur shall
not save us, neither will we ride upon horses;
neither will we say any more TO the works
ofour hands, Yc arc our gods.-Behold we
come un:o thee, for thou art the Lord our
Cod. Thine are we, o David, and on thy
side, thou Son of jesse" Under this divine
influence, the sinner casts his idols ofsllvcr
and gold to the moles and to the bats, his
heart is ooscneh from the love ofcvery sin,
the dominion of sin is destroyed, and he
walks at liberty. because he seeks ,he divine
pr.crpt>.