Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1850-12-20
9BTDAT R3ADgRG.
THOUGHTS FOR THE THOUGHT
FIT,
Full.

Full.
MEANS OF REGENERATION.-Au regene-
ration is effected by the Lord, by means Of
the truths of faith and Of a life according to
them.
The real spiritual life of man resides in a
true conscience, for his faith, cOnjoined to his
charity, is therein.
Man Is born ONLY INTO NATURAL LIFE.
Man is not born of his parents into spiritual
life, but into natural life. Spiritual life
consists in loving God above all things, and
in loving his neighbor as himself, and this
according to the precepts of faith, which
the Lord taught in the Word. But natural
life consists in loving ourselves and the
world more than our n~eighbors, yea, more
than God Himself.
The LIFE OF MAN AFTER DEATH.-The
life Of man after death is the life Of his
love and the life of his faith, hence such as
his love and such as his faith had been when
he lived in the world, such his life remains
to eternity. It'll the life Of hell with those
who have loved themselves and the world a
bove all things, and the life of heaven with
those who have loved God above all things
and their neighbors as themselves.
INCLINATION TO EvIL.-Man c%ontinu-
ally i%nclines to, and lapses into, what he
derives from his hereditary principle {:
hence he confirms with himself that e.
vii, and also superadds more of himself.
These evils are altogether contrary to
spiritual life. and destroy it; wherefore,
unless man receives new life, which is
, spiritual life, from the Lord, thus unless
he is conceived anew, is born anew, is
; educated anew, that is, is created anew,
he is damned, for he wills nothing else,
aud thence thinks nothing else, but
what is of self and the world.
I HEREDITARY EvIL.-Every man is
born Of his parents into the evils Of the
: love of self and of the world for every
evil, which by habit has acquired as il
were a nature, is derived into the off
spring thus it descends successfully
from parents, from grandfathers, and
from great grandfathers, in a long series
backwards; whence the derivation Of e.
vii at length becomes so great, that the
whole Of mans proper life IS nothing else
, but evil. This continual derivation O.
evil is not broken and altered, except By
: the life of faith and charity from the
Lord.
The INTERNAL AND THE EXTERNAL
Every one has an internal man and al
e external man; the internal is what il
called the spiritual man; and the externa
is what is called the natural man, anC
each is to be regenerated, that the ma
/ may be regenerated. With the mai
who is not regenerated, the external o
natural man rules, and the inteIns
serves; but with the man who is regen
Grated, the internal or spiritual rules
and the external serves. Whence it i
manifest that the order of life is inverte
d with man from his birth, namely, thu
that principle serves which ought 10 rule
and that that principle rules which ougt
Il to serve. In order that man may b
saved, this order must be inverted; an
this inversion can by no means exist, bl
by regeneration from the Lord.
SIGNS OF REGENERATIoN.-The sigr
lis that sins are RENTED, that is removes
are these which follow. They who:
sins are RENTED, perceive a delight
,e, worshipping God for the sake of Go
and in serving their neighbor for Il
sake of their neighbor, thus in doir
ks good for the sake Of good, and in speaI
at ing truth for the sake Of truth they a
unwilling to claim merit by any thing
p charity and faith they shun and are
an verse to evils, as enmities, hatreds, +
ok venges, aduIteries, and the very though
lot of such things with intention. But Il
ur- signs that sins are not RENTED, that
lat removed, are these which follow. Tn
ed whose sins are not RENTED. worsh
God not for the sake Of God, and ser
their neighbor not for the sake of the
Ju- neighbor, thus they do not do good a
yes speak truth for the sake of good a
en- truth, but for the sake Of themselves a
the world they wish to claim merit
r a their deeds they perceive nothing =
delightful in evils, as in enmity, in !
am tired, in revenge, in adulteries and FRI
these evils they think of them in all
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