Columbus Whig. (Columbus, Miss.) 1843-18??, 1844-04-04

| ANY .ss1tA more famhiaEAy known as tAthe mis-
teRlOus operation ofthe Holy Ghost"-and 10 be.
flieVed in BY those who advocate the doctrine ~
the total dePravty of the human heart. and the
consequent necessity for some extainsie move.
to Tegenerate and make pure it's aa4nre before
IT can be brought under the influence of the vo..
pei Such degeneration in sacha dAsurs ne
cessarily implies. not only Reformation. both
OF heart and conduct, but = total and ur..u. Il;
Ehed change in the very elements and orgaaixa.
tim of the mind. For if in a state of nature
the mind be thoroughly corrupt, and there be
no good within it, then, to be made pure and fit
for heaven, no part of the unregenerated soul
must be left unchanged. 1t must have new fac.
Hities' new passions, new feelings and new i'm
pulses; its constitution, its elements and or
ganlzatlon must be renewed-and. in fact, its
very nature ana identity must be absolutely
changed and lost before the work of regenera.
ton is complete. Il. this the case Is the in.
dIVldual SO completely changed under the work
OF regeneration that his identity is lost, and you
have him only by the liniments ofhis expression
Are there-no lingering characteristics of his for.
meE nature now left to mark him as the same in
his new habllsment? Can it be said with trntb
that heretofore he was a stranger to charity p
that ne turned the hungry from his door, and
That gave no assistance to the needy; but now his
hand is opened and his heart is softened, and
ne ministers to the wants of the sick, the hum
cry and the naked7 Were his principles and
feelings all corrupt before and are they all holy
now And is this wondrous change wrought
upon the heart at once and in the very act OF
conversion? For il is manifest that all this
must be done, and not one jot or title less than
this else this doctrine of Regeneration is false
Yet if we Judge fwm all that we can know of
men, from the deeds which they do and the feel
ings which they evince, both before after the
| regeneration, we know that either this unlimi-
ted change does not take place, else that there
never has been regenerated soul on EARTH
For men, whilst in a state of nature, not only
can perform but really do perform many things
which are, of themselves, both virtuous and holy
and, on the other hand, when regenerated
they not only still liable to SIM but, if holy
writ be true, they do SIN continually. Now if
sher works be evidence of their true state Of
heart, how can these acts be reconciled with
that kind degeneration we have Just keen
speaking of? But men rare not saved by
works." or by any merit of their own, but by
"the reeeneratiDg power ofthe Holy Ghost
perhaps it is not necessary that the character
of their ,oOrks should be changed, but only that
their hearts be renovated. And there is kind
OF consistency in this for as the cause of re-
generation is invisible, it is not SO strange that
it's effect should be, also, invisible. But unfor
tunateIy for this doctrine authorized in
the bible to Judge of a tree by its fruits. And
vet this same doctrine teaches that the tre e.
in this instance is totally corrupt until the very
hour Of its change, and that then, by process
which has no analogy in nature, it is suddenly
cow erted into good tree. Iftherefore this BIZ
bic maxim be good one, the character of the
fruit must be as suddenly and completely chan-
ged Is the nature ofthe tree which bears it
that il, the actions of men should always man
ifest either unmixed dePravity or unadulterated
holiness and the first should always go before
regen CT alton, and the last succeed it. But this
is not true, We know and, hence, either that
maxim is unsound, or else regeneration 10 not
what the trinitarians have taught us TO regard
It.
l have now shown what regeneration is not
and the next point is TO show what it is.
AS the tree.is known by its fruits SO let US
Judge by its fruits what regeneration is. Is
there, then, anything in the converts change OF
character, which may not be produced by SOL
enn conviction that the bible is true, and a con
sequent determination TO obey its precepts ?
Do not great emergencies and extraordinary cir
cumstances in the moral world, very often eff
feet astonishing revolutions in mems charac-
ters? Is it either strange uncommon to zee
mems conduct and feelings change when their
convictions change, whether in the religious,
cOlitical or moral world2 Why, then, when the
overwhelming truths of the gospel are Present>
ed 10 the mind, and the mind takes hold ofthem
and believes, should we wonder at the moral
change which ensues, and ascribe it to SUI
pernatural and foreign influence Is 1t possl>
bile that an individual can understand the bibles
believe it with an undoubting faith and in his
soul resolve to obey it, without becoming
both in hear and practice, Christian And Is
it not dangerous doctrine. one which opera ties
more against Christianity than for it, to say
that the change which takes place Is the Chris.
tiansa cha eteF and feelings. can be produced
hv nothing short of a divine and mysterious Iu>
Auence For is not the Mormon convert as
completely changed in his character as the
Chr;st;an7 Does not the convert Of Mahomet
EneeI and pray in the sincerity Of his soul to
Mahomet's God 2 and will he NOT sacrifice has
ease and interest to 60 on a toilsome and wea-
- r;l,vr;TIa0e TO Mecca Does not the rell>
y, IAN IL Bro6ma overcome the sternest PrincI-
- a nature in the BrahmIns breast and
Undue his love Gf ia nnily and friends and me
.rd does the christian religion exercise an Inn
49, 80 over the mind more complete than these
1 &c nat. how dare we say that even the bible
cannot Prnduoe II and nothing else but . aIiSs
4alu !: \: shaken confidence in the religion d
B 6u' - NJ Mahomet can produce this change
= eharacssr, who will venture e say that the
q God less ss cs.. .ns s as. sSi
p''a the enthusiasm and the outbarat 9 o
80. ,vbich christians sometimes manifest
-. Ssvo,;ops. and under the preaching OF
.lthe Gospel It IS BY no means strange. An' !
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