The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1878-04-04

tfit NL4HrN4-A-t-lttScS III Use u 4
hat ws-e in themselves gool w&s the diff
uIty in that case. And .ha. is often Inc
ase with the Bible; unskiilful use of il is
me reason II Is often thought not to De q
,ood book. Il yOu want 10 know what il Is,
~ it yourself. Don't take what others
ay about it, bat take it to your room and |
.ead it, and ask yourself il you are living
Up to the ideal that is there given you for a |
pattern, or if you need to.
Some find fault because the minister
breaches the doctrine of total depravity.
Ii you find fault with it, that it il an infe-
licitous phrase, find fault with you, but
if you find fault with it because it teaches
that all men are sinful insist that you
shall agree with me. II you will find me
one man that Is perfect in reference to phys
ical laws, perfect in reference to himself
and his neighbor, perfect In reference to his
business, if you will show me perfect cit
izen, perfect lover OF God and of his fell
bowman, l will give up. Don't You know
that selfshness prevails all over the uni
verse? that man is filed with all manner
OF suspicion? The old theologians say that
by reason OF the fall he is thereby void Of all
Righteousness, void OF all goodness, that is
that there is not a man born into life that
has any goodness in him. Well, | don't
hold exactly as the theologians hold. l
never saw man born on the earth that
had any arithmetic IN him, or any grammar,
or any history, or that had any disposition
whatever. Man when born into this life
is little mass of skin and pulp and bones,
but he has the germ Of great posi-
biliiies in him. Original righteousness is
not in him; original sense is not in him.
He is character that is TO be, not that is.
But when man begins TO develop himself,
begins to get on his feet, then his imperfect
ions begin to show themselves. There is
not man that lives that does not sin with
every faculty Of his body. There is not
one single part of man that is not sinful.
We are all sinful. Therefore, / say the doc
trine OF universal sinfulness stands TO rea-
son, because it stands to observation and
facts.
But can man escape from it? Is there
any doctrine in the New Testament that
teaches that man can escape from it?
think you now will understand what the
doctrine of the new birth or regeneration is
Except 4 man be born again, he shall not
see the Kingdom OF Heaven" There Is
| such a thing as a new birth. When a man
has been addicted to the sin OF lying, and
| stops it, ne is converted SO far as lying i:
concerned. When a man has been a
drunkard, and stops it, now and forever, hi
Is certainly new man. To-day bloatec
sot, tomorrow somewhat better, the mex
day, perhaps, somewhat worse in his con
science, but in a week, a month, or in sil
months, maniiestly better. | think tn
change Is when he stops his evil ways, an'
commences to try to be good. There mus
come time in the life OF every man, wnel
he recognizes his sinfulness, and is convert
ed.
And that brings US to the question wha
is conversion? When a man is suddenl,
confronted with the enOrmity Of his sin
and turns from them, is he thoroughly Con
verted? No he is not. Is his characte
wholly regenerated. No, his character ha
to be built gradually. What has he done
He has begun to be converted. Some mel
suppose that the spirit of God is like tn
fire on the prairie, that it kills out all tn
grass and weeds. No sir, only the tops ar
burned off, the roots are there and tn
weeds will come up again. Some thin
that conversion is thorough change of tn
whole person. There was an old clock tina
for years had not been keeping time. Their
comes along Yankee peddler and he look
it over and says | have some works tina
will fit that clock, and for five dollars
will take out the old works and put in new
He puts them in, adjusts them, winds then
up, sets the pendulum to swinging, an
from that on the clock keeps good time. q!
great many think conversion is like that
that God takes a man and takes out the oil,
works and puts in 4 new sett, and the mai
keeps good time for the world and for eter
nifty. There is not a word of truth in il
Some men make more rapid progress thai
others, but the conversion OF i man is TIL
beginning OF higher and better life.
There is a beggar boy in the streets o
New York. He can neither read nor write
He has no accomplishments but pocket
picking and things of that kind. A benev
client gentleman notices him; he meets hin
every day; he talks to him, and finally be-
gins TO have some influence over him, anC
gets him to doing better things. By-and-b by
he says to him, you don't want to grow
up in ignorance and vice. Ii | will pay al
your expenses will you 60 TO SCHOOL," Ii,
thinks about all those Jolly fellows he ha.
had sprees with, and he don't know. III,
thinks of it all night long; the man talk
to him about it again; tells him what he il
coming to. and by-and-by the boy says
YES, sir; have made up my mind to g
to school" | would like to know if thai
boy is educated now? He has said he woult
forsake his old life and go to school thai
is laundering conversion for one of thoss
little street arabs He is Just commencing
to get his education. He is not thoroughly
educated the moment he decides that h,
will go to school. Well, that is what con
version is. They are going north, and the,
turn and go south. They were ignorant
and they agree to commence to go TO school
They renounce evil as fast as they find i
out, and take hold on good as fast as the,
see it. That is what conversion does; and i
it does that, is not the. doctrine Of regener
alton good? Don't need it? Hav'
you ever bad any dealings with man tina
you did not think would be benefited b,
being converted little more? Are mel
good enough? If man can be brought t
that point where he wants to do better. ant
is honestly determined to do it, is it not
good thing? Religion breaches no abstrac
doctrines. When it says that all men ar
ignorant and selfish, and that there is a pos
sibilily of stopping and turning around ant
doing better, that is the doctrine Of regen
Grafton.
!. Well, but men say in regard to that, "W
can't do it We are too helpless, and maj
must depend on the grace OF God if he i
converted; it must be done by the effica
cious influence of the Holy Ghost" Well
| say so too. But the question is this: Il
the Holy Spirit given TO man on account o
favoritism, or is it given Just in proportion
| off To IT. / toll
one OF you who have the power to turn
away from vice and embrace good that Coo
is more than glad to have you. I wouls
the morning, and at night as they do a
noon.
} And now what about faith in the Lor,
Jesus Christ? Who of you remember you
father? Do you recollect your father ant
mother when you were sick? Do you rec
ollect that everything in the house was sec
ondary to you? Do you recollect how you
father came in every hour and asked how
is he? Do you recollect your mother nevel
left your bedside? Do you remember hel
Christening hand, and how the pain wa
greater to her than it was to you? Do yor
recollect how she bore with You all through
the years of your tender childhood unit
you were fifteen years old? Do you recol
lect how, after that, she bore with you il
sickness and in health, and how, for any
wrong you committed, she was the first Il
forgive you and assist you to begin again
That is the love Of the Lord Jesus Christ
He came into the world to tell US what Coz
is. He says he is our father, which, in tn,
original included both father and mother
Christ came, and He so loved the world
that He was willing to die for it, and He il
j. Killing and anxious To assist M in eyer