Daily Republican., 1878-12-07
ReDly lO Lutheran. 4

MEssRs EDlToRs:--In your issue u
! ThurSday | read an article headed
"Only Believe" After reading it
recognized more fully than ever one o
the functions Of a newspaper, and tina
is to give stupidwriters an opportunity
to reveal their ignorance. was not a
member of the congregation on last
Sunday night at Haldeman's church,
and have not therefore the advantage
Of criticism which Lutheran had but
! read the Bible and have learned to
distinguish between things that differ.
There is a difference between the gift
of the Holy Ghost and Dispenser of
various miraculous powers, and the
i1dvelling Of the Holy Ghost in all
who truly believe in the son of God; !;
the one was given as a seal in Gods
testimony, in an age when the canon
of scripture was incomplete, the
other is GO ordinate with the expires.
sion Of faith in every believer;
that Is to say, you see dead man In
the coffin there. You are told that he
Il dead BY and by you see him move
a finger; you say the movement indi
Gates life---the man is no longer dead.
To apply the illustration The Scrip
lures teach that . man is dead in tres
pass and sin; he has no spiritual life,
therefore it is impossible for him to
obey the commands Of God, as it is writ.
ten mot subject to the law of God
neither can he." The command of God
In this age is "that We should believe
on the name Of His Son Jesus Christ"
The original condition of such one
then, is the opposite Of faith-that is
helpless unb"lief-and therefore unbe-
lief is spiritual death. Now ifone, who
has been heretofore dead spiritually,
that is without any spiritual life, sud
denly is found believing in, trust
ing in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is
evident that hs is no longer in
state of unbelief, no longer therefore in
a state of death, He has passed into
new life. What sort of new life 7
New flesh and blood life Nay spir-
tual life. But spiritual life, as ts char
acter, can only emanate from God, is
only in the Holy Ghost,
therefore it follows that faith, real
'aith, is the witness that the Holy Ghost
las been given, is in the iDdividal be-
lever hence it is written, "whosoever
that Jesus is the Christ is .
,orn OF God," (begotten of God If .
IL is begotten of God, he is gotten in l
he spirit : therefore .he spirit is in '
lin. Again it is written, "No man &
'an say that Jesus is the Lord but by
or in) the Holy Ghost" or again, "In
whom also after that ye believed. Cor I
,aving b"lieved) ye were sealed with {
hat holy spirit"
That is to say, the believing and the !
ealing are synchronous, they ar. Y
% ordinate, the one is the pro.f \
# the oth.r, and now listen to the
words Of the Lord himself He that
'eareth my word, and believeth on him
hat sent me, hath everlasting life and
hall not come into condemnation. but
) possed from Eek out Of death into
ife." John 5, "a.
This lie Is spiritual, he has it when
e believes. His believing is a proof
hat he has it. Therefore faith and
piritual life are one, or to be correct,
nth is mode of spiritual p. Last of
lit is written. "They that are in
he flesh cannot please God - and
without faith it is impossible to please \
im."
To be without faith is unbelief; this
, unpleasing-and this ia being in the
esh. To have faith is to please him.
nd this is the opposite of being in the
esh; and this is b'ing in the spirit
nd this is surely having the Holy
host in believing.
| do not propose to write any further
|essrs Editors. decline controversy
it'll any one who has not learned to
wide tn" word of truth. have writ
n only that Lutheran readers may
'r that "only believe" is result of
le spirit. B.