Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-03-14
@eaaiua fur the Sabbath,
..-.. CONDUCTED BY B.
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
THE WAY OF SALVATION...Act 16.

| REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
lorisnaI.l
THE WAY OF SALVATION. Acts 49,. =
When Paul and Silas were at Philippi, the
chief city of Macedonia, they were beset, and
iu some way thwarted, in their labors by a
female slave who possessed spirit of divina
ton. This damsel was the joint property OF
several individuals. By her trckery, she
brought her masters great gain. Mockingly
most likely, this fortune-teller followed the
missionaries as they performed their daily la
bors, crying after them: "These men are the
servants of the most high God, which show
unto US the way of salvation" Paul became
indignant after the thing had continued fol
several days, and, in the name of Jesus
Christ, comma nded the evil spirit to come out
of the damsel. The evil spirit obeyed.
The immediate result was the destruction
of this nefarious source Of income to her
masters. No doubt the income was very
great, for there are in every land multtudes
of individuals so far the dupes OF the devil
as to waste their time and money in consult
ing fortune. .tellers Their revenue being cut
of, the masters became indignant and dragged
Paul and SiIas before the magistrates. By
these officers they were beaten and sent to
jail. The jailor, being ordered to keep them
safely, thrust them into the inner prison and
made their feet fast in the stocks.
At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and
sang praises to God so loud and so fervently,
az to attract the attention of their fellow pris.
oners. God interposed in the behalf Of these
selfsacri6cing missionaries. The doors OF
the prison were thrown open by an earth
quake God heard the prisoners moaning
groans and freed them t..at we're doomed to
die. The jailor, aware that the escape of the
prisoners would cost him his life, aud fearing
both death and disgrace, was about to com
NIT suicide, supposing that the prisoners had
already escaped. Paul cried, with loud
voice, saying, Qo the jailor) "do thyself no
harm; for we are all here"
The mind of the jalor underwent deci,
ded change instantaneously. He called for a
light, and, trembling, entered the prison and
fell down before Paul and Sias, and under
deep convictions. inquired, "What must / do
to be saved ?" Paul replied, with his char.
acteristic promptness, "Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved
In this reply of Paul to the jailor, three
questions are suggested as Legitimate subjects
of inquiry, viz: Who is this Lord Jesus
Christ? What is believing on the Lord Je
sus Christ? Why believe On the Lord Jesus
Christ for salvation?
In reply to the first inquiry, we remark
that there is no being in the universe like the
Lord Jesus Christ. In the catalogue Of
creation contained in the Book of Genesis
his name is not mentioned. He. is species
under no class of creatures. He is no crea.
ture, and hence belongs to no species of crea'
lures.
For our knowledge of that wonderful being
whom we call the Lord Jesus Christ, we are
wholly dependent upon the revelation con
tanned in the sacred Scriptures. From this
authoritative source, we learn that the Lord
Jesus Christ is possessed of two natures the
one human and the other divine. These two
natures are, in some way that no mere human
can understand, united in one person, and
this person is what the Scriptures call the
Lord Jesus Christ. We are unable to un
derstand, only by faith, how person can be
possessed of human nature and also of q
divine nature. If the decision of this ques
ton we're left to the unassisted intellect. the
conclusion would, most probably, be that
such union could not exist. When we ap
peal to the Scriptures we find no difficulty in
proving that that being which is offered to
sinners as Saviour, is possessed of human
nature and of divine nature, and yet he is
but one person. With regard to this union
we may we'll adopt the language of Paul and
say, "Great is the mystery of Godliuess u
This mystery consists in the fact that God was
manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit
seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles
believed on in the world, received up into
glory" l Tim. iii 16.
Just as it is, that by faith, we can under.
stand that the worlds were framed by the
word of God, so by faith, and not by sense,
can we understand that the Lord Jesus Christ
is possessed of two natures and only one per.
son. Those who have the time and inclina.
ton, will find, on examination, that the Lord
Jesus Christ is called, in the New Testament,
the son of man, that is, man, or having mans
nature, between sixty and seventy times.
They will also fnd that he is called the son
of God, that is, God, or having the nature Of
God, between fifty and sixty times. 1t is
manifest that these proof texts can not, at
present, be quoted. The reader must be con.
tent with few from so many. In proof Of
the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the following passages may be cited: Matt
i'll; Luke ii So; John i: IA; l Tim. ii a: 5
Heb. ii:14, Is, 16, II, lS; 1 John iv: g.
The following passages state positively that
he was the son of God: John i :49; John
VII; John xvii :S. 1t is worthy of partic'
ular notice that the divine nature of the Lord
Jesus Christ is more frequently and more
fully taught in the Scriptures, than his hu.
nanty. The reason of this is obvious. Men
would be disposed to deny bis divinity, while
they would not call the fact Of his humanity
in question. Had the Lord Jesus Christ not
claimed to be the Son of God-the true
God-the Emanuel God with us-the Jews
would have found no objection to him but