Mexico weekly ledger., 1879-11-06

exhortation. 5th. Because ofinspired
declarations "Jesus Christ is made
unto us wisdom, and sanctification,
and redemption. "This is the will
of God even your sanctification.n If
these, and many other similar decla-
ratlens are false, then the whole chris
tian scheme is a fabrication. No one
lis ready to admit this, hence the truth
of our proposition must be admitted.
9th. Because ample provision has been
made fOrit. 'Wherefore Jesus, that
He might sanetify the people with
HIS own, blood, suffered without the
gate" For this cause the Son of God
was manifested that He might destroy
the works of the devil. But. dear
hearer, the days have come again, in
some parts, when a profession of this
amazing grace, wrought by the Spirit
of God, is the subjett Of scorn and
ridicule. The names, disciple and
christians, were so in apostolic times
and even in Palestine now, travellers
tell us, that when the natives hear Of
the coming of exploration parties
all of whom they call christians-they
say, Iook to your goods ~ When
Peter was told that he was one of
Christ's disciples, the reproach of the
name is seen in that che began to
curse and swear" The great ques-
tion for us is, are we willing to 90
forth bearing His reproach? God has
promised to make us 'fdisciples in
deed in whom there is no guile"
Why cannot this state be attained ?
1st. God is holy. Ali sin is infinitely
offensive to him; and, as he cannot
look upon it with pleasure, he must
desire its nOn-eXistence. Hence, as
its entire removal would be pleasing
to him, then 1t may be so removed,
unless it can be shown to be impossi-
BILE i'll itself. That the removal of sin
is impossible to infinite wisdom and
infinite power, if man consents, no
man dare assert! All, did you say
upon this plan all sin would be re-
moved instantly? Hold, my friend;
you must remember that but few
christians ever consent to part with
all their sins +! Now, God willing the
removal of all sin from his disciples,
fthe exercise of the invested freedom
of His creatures stands not in the
way, sin must be removed. End. If
holiness is not attainable in this life,
then it cannot be required ; or if it is
required, and yet is not attainable,
then an impossibility is required
If you assume the latter, then you
make God guilty of great injustice to
His creatures While on the other
hand if no such state is required, then
some sin may be allowed inno-
Gently, for it is contrary to no re-
quirement. Now, if God does not re-
Guirc entire freedom from sin, it must
be because it is best; else God don't
require what is best But hear God:
"He that committeth sin is OF the
devil, and for this purpose was the
| Son of God manifested, that he might
! destroy the works Of the devil
Hear ye this, ye pleaders for Baal
| 1t would seem unnecessary to notice
! objections, as no objections can have
| weight against Gods positive com.
mandments, and yet it might be well
| to notice a few. lst. 1t is said to be
contrary to the experience of some
good men. This is the objection of
| iered by infidels TO disprove mira
cles. Now, what is contrary to one
mans experience, may not be contra
| ry to the experience of another; in
| fact, large numbers of the most highly
| that with them it is n matter of posi-
| tive eXperience-so the objection is
a thin as air. 2nd. 1t is said TO be
| contrary to consciousness. We OBJ
serve that Crauth SAYS, conscious
ness only of things i'll the mind, and
not of external things" A man to
| affirm that sanctitication is contrary
TO his consciousness, simply atfirms
| that he knows himself to be a sinner
This no one ought to dispute-for ev-
cry man is presumed to know his
true relation to God. But while the
| CONSCIOUSNESS of one man tells HIM
that all is not well, on the other hand
| the consciousness of another NAV
speak just the opposite. 3rd. But,
says the man whose experience in the
past and his consciousness in the
present are so beclOuded by the smoke
of sin, deny that sanctiiication is at
tainable in this life, because it is not
i'll harmony with my observation.
| Now, i'll this instance, who will tell
whether the obiector's eyes are at
fault, or the object he thinks he sees?
submit that Il man in whose heart
| the fires of sin continually burn, the
dark and lurid smoke from which
continually arises binding his ewes,
is i'll Il very poor condition to Judge
correctly in this matter. But sup
! pose that no one could be found in
| all the churches of Christ whose heart
| was purified from all lunrighteousness
and who loved God and man with all
his regcncrated pow ers, yet the doc
! trine of christian perfection would
| still be true-''for Christ was mani
tested to destroy the works of the
devil, "and ellis blood cleanseth from
all sIn.' Suppose every man be liars
yet God is true" 1t is we'll to re-
member that it is not the profession
OF a doctrine that establishes It's truth,
| it is not mans experience or con-
sciousness, but the truth of God from
which it proceeds. 4th. Itis argued
that the souls going out of the body
effects its publication. II this be true,
is it not something else-not the blood
of Christ? If His blood cleanSeth
! from all sin, it must be in this life.
Hence, it must be while the soul is
yet in the body and if SO, it is before
death. If it be an hour death,
pray tell why it may not be a day
And if it be day, why not many
years before ? | am glad to know that
this death-bed purgatorv il not taught
i'll Gods word. 9TH. Its contended
that the doctrine of a si. SIS perfec.
ton is not taught i'll Gods word. We
have abundantly proven that is is,
but we will notice carefully
some of the texts which are
thought to be opposed to it
"For the flesh lusteth against the
spirit and the spirit against the flesh
and so these are contrary, the one to
the other SO that ye cannot do the
things that ye would" Gal. 5:17
This text, it will be seen, simply exY
plains the verse preceding "Walb
in the spirit and We shall not fulfil
the lusts of the flesh" j.. G. If "
follow the one, We must renounce the
other. DR.. Whedon, in his comment
gives the following as the sense. aye
cannot" Greek we may not, yt
would. Your resolution for good
and your plans for sin are alike up
set. You enjoy neither religion OF
the world. The Lord does not allow
you ease in SIN; the world does moi
allow you enjoyment in God. You
are a miserable whittier both ways
What is the remedy? st. Paul has
already given it, "Walk in the Spir.
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