The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1867-08-01
Written for the Elk Advocate.
CATHOLIC CHRIsTIANITY--No. 10.

CATHOLIC CHRIsTIANITY--No 10.
If the printer will have patience with
me, will try and finish what |
have to say on this subject in
three or four woeks. BY that time the
fall elections will call fol more space to
be devoted to politics, and religion must
retire.
We have considered briefly several
fundamental doctrines of the Christian
religion that God is One Being, eter
nal, self existent, unchangeable, infinite.
ly wise, holy, holy, benevolent, just and
true, subsisting mysteriously in three
persons, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit that God created man in
His own image, intellectual and moral /;
that man fell from that happy condition
o! innocence aud righteousness by trans
crossing the divine command
which transgression not only our first
parents, Adam and Eve, but their pos.
tcrity, in the natural order, became sin
ful and mortal-Iy nature sinful and
mortal enemies to God and obnoxious to
his just anger ; & by nature children 2t
vrath, Eph, 2, 3 !; that God did not
leave mankind to suffer without hope
the penalty of sin, but in the greatness
cf his mercy provided way of escape
gave his own Son to die, the just for the
unjust, that those who could never OBJ.
tain justification by their own works
might be "justifed freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus; that God now commands
all men everywhere to repent and be-
lieve the gospel, offering full and free
forgiveness to all who believe in Jesus
that-strange to relate man (and
every MANI is by nature so depraved, SO
lost to goodness, that he does not wash
to return to God--nay, he cW not
come to Christ for salvation, though
convinced that he must perish forever
without it, so that, Notwithstanding the
abundant provision for all men, none
would be saved had not divine mercy
done something more. l think we had
arrived about to this point, namely, the
necessity Of regeneration, before our last
interruption. The reason of this neces-
sity is the nnwiUtngness of men to accept
the unspeakable gift of eternal lite
which unwillingness is Of so interior and
vital character that it creates an tau,
Jility to come to Christ. "You acW mol
come to me that you may have life.'
John 5, 40. " No man can come tC
me, except the Father who hath sen
me, draw him." John 6, II. Connect
ing these two thoughts Christ asks
! 6, 4D How can you believe who ac
cept glory one from another and thu
glory which is from God alone, you d.
not seek ?" The Jews were in such
state Of mind that they couM not be
lieye, and this was not peculiar to tn
Jews but common TO all Of our fallel
race. Paul declares the same thing
Eph. 2. 8, "For by grace you are save
through faith, and that not Of yourselve.
for it is the gift of God" Salvation
freely offered to every one that believe
in Christ but this LslieVing, this faith
Is tue Sllt OK OOu.
The unbeliever will then SAP, "Ho,
can | be guilty for not believing, if
r caaaot believe till it is given me frer
, above ?" The answel is plain you
, inability arises from the perverseness :
your own will, the depravity of your ow
: heart. There is no compuLsion in tn
matter yet there is a necessity that 20
i continue in unbeliei until you are Dor
, again, because in your own heart thel
is such deep seated ennjty again
;, God that you cannot come to Chris
1t surely cannot be a justification fC
e continued impenitence that one is SO &
Y gone in sin that he cannot repent TIL
he hated God so much that he cam,
turn and love him Yet this is the sa
condition of all men by nature, He alor
e excepted who was God as well as ma
e and though born of woman was boz
= without sin. Hence the necessity
s regeneration, which is variously spok,
of as a nelo birth. the drdOing of Il
y Father, being cdled (effectually) by Il
Spirit, being credted dneW IN Chr
" Jesus, quickened or, made alive fro
/. death in sin. &C.
1t Twice during the Tennessee ca
vass the Stars and Stripes have be
! torn from the stand where Etherdi
~, was to speak and trampled into shire
u by the Radicals who support Brow
low.