The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-06-19

the Psalmist is drawing line Of discrm- |
ination between the wicked and the |
godly. There is no intimation of any |
thing of that kind at all, that l can see,
but to the contrary The universal de
pravity of the human race is the subject |
matter of this Psalm. The Psalmist goes |
on to show that the people were so de-
PRAYED as to claim that there was no God !
And yet Notwithstanding, the conclusion
that they had, by reason of their deprav
ity and wishes come to, they were not
fully satisfied, for the reason that there
was evidence which they could not with
any satisfaction to themselves deny, or
logically set aside, that there was a God,
as seen in his special dealings with the
| righteous of that generation. and their
avowed attachment to Him. But might
he (Bro Jones) not have had reference
to Rom $40, which reads There is
none righteous, no, not one" If so, in
order to see the proprety of using the
word perfect" instead of the word
"righteoas," it is only necessary to de
termine the sense in which we are to
understand the term righteous Is it in
the Scriptural sense? By the righteous
in the Scriptural sense is meant the god
ly-those who have believed the Gospel
n this sense all believers are righteous.
Is it them in the comparative sense? A
his fellow man, is comparatively right
eous. He is more so than he once was,
and more SO than many others are now.
In this sense the text would not be true.
Then, it must be understood in the alb,
solute sense? Absolute righteousness
involves sinlessness In order to be alb
solutely right, we must be absolutely per
feet; for where the slightest degree of
moral imperfection exists in US we can
not be absolutely righteous. In this
sense there is no man righteous, for there
is none good but God
Secondly: There is not a Just man
upon the earth that doeth good and sim
meth not" To this my Bro. says: "In
the original language the text reads
little different" He then assumes to
give the correct rendering: There is not
just man, &c, and may not sin" In
confirmation of which he quotes from
Paul. But as l cannot see that his quo
tation has anything to do with the ques-
ton at issue at all, | shall not give it my
attention in this connection. Now to
ascertain whether or not the rendering g
May not SIM instead of And sinneth
not" be correct, it is only necessary for
US to determine the sense in which the
term Just" is to be understood here
Every student of the Bible will readily
see that it is neither in the -scriptural,
nor the comparative sense. Therefore it
must be in the legal sense According to
the original it would read There is
: none that keepeth the entire law" Now
8 let us read it according to my Bros in
n depreciation of it There is none that
e keepeth the entire law, and may not
n violate that law" That does not sound
l, just right, therefore, we cannot must
:; not, accept Bro. Ego's rendering of it.
The idea Is simply this "As there is
e none that keepeth the entire law, it is
= absolutely certain that there is none but
what sins, as sin is violation of law
3 Third passage: IF we say we have no
e sin we deceive ourselves, &c" Here we
Q are told that the 10th verse explains it
which reads: "If we say we have not
IS sinned," &c. The idea of the writer is to
e show that none of them, as good as they
e were, were free from sin. He doth not
l. say '"If we say we had no sin, but if we
y now say we have no SIM" But we are
e told that the 10th verse explains it: "It
n we say that we have not sinned,' that is
q in times past. The idea of the Apostle
/ here is to show that if any should take
9. the ground that their past lives had been
u entirely free from sin, that, in itself
1t would be an evidence sufficient to prove
q that they had no religion, for, the first
u thing that God does in mans salvation,
u is to lay his sins before Him-bring him
IS to realize that he is a sinner.
= So you see in the Sth verse, the Apos-
g tie refers to the present, and in the 10th
n vers to the past. The only proof which
L my Bro. brings forward on this point is
this: "If this is not ohm s meaning then
u he contradicts himself; for he says
s. "Whosoever is born of God doth not
i, commit sin, for his seed remaineth in
q him. In this verse, as the Bro intimates
10 To ha i,1
e | ask how is he going to harmonic it with
" the statement by him made in the out
u set of his article, viz: For it would in
e clude the sins growing out of numerous
u mistakes" Oh consistency, thou art a
e precious jewel Before the verse alluded
e to proves anything at all with reference
u to the question at issue, we must grant
/ that not only one here and there, now
!. and then. are made entirely free from
g sin, but that all Christians, regardless oil
e, any special act of grace subsequent to
u conversion, are made free from sin; for
e, the words "Whosoever," &c, includes
'r all Christians. Therefore. if one is en-
~ tirely free from sin, for the same reason
y and by virtue of the same act, all are free
1t from sin. The Apostle would not at
a. tempt to teach a doctrine so contrary tc
e. the tenor Of the word of God
% The question yet remains to be deter
mined as to what the Apostle means by
IL the expression: Doth not commit sin )
Is Evidently, and unquestionably, he means
le to say that the Christian man does moi
IT, sin Enthusiastically, habitually, deliber
y ately, avowedly, designedly, willingly
e knowingly, selfshly, and finally Some
n times, because of our natural powers tc
e sin, corruptions within, and temptations
& without, inclining the mind, we give g
'f momentary consent; but it is not the
~ result of premeditated and selfish pur
a pose of the soul. Now, if the above il
is not the correct explanation, then there
is want of harmony between the Apos
'e tie John, and the Apostle Paul Pau
le says: For the good that l would l dc
r not; but the evil which l would not
d that do. Now if l do that would not
IS it is no more [ that do it, but sin thai
d. dwelleth in me. For l know that in me
N (that is in my fesh) dwelleth no gooc
thing for to will is present with me
r, but how to perform that which is good !
find not. For l delight in the law O
as God after the inward man, SO then with
TO the mind l myself serve the law of God
er but with the flesh the law of sin l fine
DC then law, that, when l would do good
e, evil is present with me-"
"a ENTHYMIUs ZYGABENUs.
? the