Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-03-09
.eadiua fur the Sabbath.
.gs.s..s CONDUCTED By tl.ft
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
(Orlginal.1
EFFECTS OF THE GOSPEL.

| REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
| ..a 49,. [orginal
EFFECTS OF THE GOSPEL.
Paul, in the second chapter and sixteenth
verse of the second epistle to the church at
Corinth, says, "We (the ministers Of the gos-
pel) are to some SAVIOR of death unto death; !;
and to others a SAVIOR of life unto life" 1t is
thought the apostle refers to practice com
mon among ancient nations. When prisoners
were taken in war, they were led by the con-
quering chief to the suburbs Of the national
capital. A day was set apart for grand en-
trance into the city of the victorious general.
The prisoners, arranged in various ways,
formed part of the pompous procession. AT
ter the ceremonies of the day were completed,
part of the prisoners were liberated; whilst
Others were led forth and put to death. A
triumphal day was, to some prisoners, the
forerunner of death and to others it was the
forerunner of life and liberty. In the same
way the preaching of the gospel is to some at
tended with death; to others it is followed by
life. The general and universal tendency Of
the gospel is to make some men worse and
others better This seems to be the import Of
the words "death unto DEATH" and of "life
unto life." The gospel finds men dead in
trespasses and sins, and being rejected, it be-
comes the innocent occasion of their eternal
ruin.
1t is remarkable fact in the history Of the
world, that whilst the most foolishly wicked
persons are to be found in Pagan countries,
the most maliciously sinful members of the
human family are in Christian lands.
On occasions of those grand triumphs, the
burning altars were loaded with incense, and
the air was full of rich perfumes. The savor
or smell of these affairs, met the prisoners as
soon as they entered the gates of! the city.
They understood it. They were able to COM
prehend its import. To some it was smell
or SAVIOR of death to others, of life. Just so
it is in the case of the individual who lives in
Christian community. By the influence Of
the gospel, he will be made either a better Or
worse man. He will become either child
of God and mature until he arrives at the
stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus, or be-
come more degraded, vile and wicked than if
he had been born and lived in land full of
ignorant heather. .T5.!
be-. Good abused, becomes positive evil. The
best things in the world, when wrongly ap-
piled or used for purposes for which they were
not by God designed, are productive of the
greatest amount of evil. When the gospel is
received as the power of God unto salvation,
its results are infinitely good. The savage is
transformed into civilized man. Passions
more ferocious than those which characterize
the tiger or hyena are subdued, and a saint
made out of sinner. The whole man is
changed. His mind is enlightened. He was
once blind but be is made, to see. His heart
is renewed. Once it was hard and cruel fill
ed with hatred and malice Now it is tender
and affectionate-flled with love and graft
tude.
The good effects of the gospel are easily
seen. No man can fail to discover them. The
gospel of Jesus Christ has not only built
churches, but it has ereeted school houses,
academies and colleges in every community
in which it has built church. Christian
civilization is a very different thing from
heather civilization. With some propriety
the sages Of ancient pagan nations could re-
gard it as debatable question which was the
better, heather vice or heather virtue. No
sensible man, however, has ever failed to see
that there is beauty in holiness and that
Christian piety is real good.
The idea which is designed to be conveyed
to the mind by the words, "life unto life" is
this. The gospel is the. power Of God by
which a new life is infused into men and it is
also the power of God by which this life is
caused to develop and mature. In conjunc-
ton with the preaching of the gospel, the
Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner. Whilst
it is not our province to say that without the
gospel no sinner is regenerated, we may safe
ly say that "faith cometh by hearing" and
in no other way and that without faith no
man can be saved. Conviction, conversion
and holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord, are all results accruing from the
gospel. These things are the effects pro-
duced by the gospel. In few words the ef'
fects of the gospel may be said to be all end.
less life oflove and bliss to those whoreceive it.
To those who spurn it, the gospel is "a sa-
vor of death unto DEATH" "This," says the
Saviour, "is the condemnation that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light" Men are resting under
the sentence of condemnation, because they
are sinners but the reason why that sentence
will be put into execution in the case Of any,
will be because they rejected the Saviour.
The atonement of Jesus Christ is sufficient
to save all, and it is in good faith offered to
all; and if any reject it the original sentence
of condemnation must and will be put into
execution against such. The prominent idea,
however, contained in the words, "a SAVIOR Of
death unto death" is that when the gospel is
rejected it becomes the innocent occasion of
moral ruin. The reflector grows worse and
worse each day. His mind becomes more
blinded, his heart more hardened, and his
will more rebellious.
In a practical point of view, we find that
this is literally true. Those who have distin-
guished themselves by their opposition to
Christian morality, have been favored with all
the means of grace. The most debased drunk