Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-09-18
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CONDUCTED By
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
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EVIDENCES OF REGENERATION.

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EVIDENCES OF REGENERATION.
The word Regeneration occurs only twice
in the Bible. T his can be no reasonable OBJ
lection to its use, provided the thing that is
expressed by it is taught in the Scriptures.
No one will deny that the Scriptures constant
ly teach that, by nature, we are dead in tres
passes and sins, and that before we can enter
into communion with God, we must be quick
ened into life-must be born again-born-
rather begotteh-from heaven born of God,
created anew, made new creatures, new hearts
and new spirits must be put within US. 10
be quickened into life and to be regenerated,
mean, or are designed to mean, the same thing.
How, then, may an individual know that he
has been regenerated and quickened into life -?
Many persons are troubled because they
are unable to specify particular period when
this event took place. 1t would be very
strange thing were it otherwise. God has so
arranged the whole remedial scheme that all
the redeemed must live, while in the flesh, by
faith and not by sense. Of the countless
millions of the human family who populate
the globe, no one Of them remembers when he
was born into the world We will not pre-
sumo to say that Of those who have been
made new creatures none know the precise
time at which that event took place; but We
will venture to affirm that such cases are so
few, as only to prove exceptions to the gener.
al rule. No doubt there are some persons
who are persuaded, in their own minds, that
they know the very hour that they passed
from death unto life. These persons, we hon
estly think, are mistaken. AS well might
they say that they know whence the wind
came and whittier it goes. Those persons who
claim to be able to fix date to their regene-
ration, are most probably mistaken. This is
one of the many things which God never de-
signed weshould know.
Again, others distress themselves because
they are unable to note any particular period
when great and marked change took place
within them. They saw no strange sights and
felt no strange emotions They were not
prostrated upon the ground and made speech
less by wonderful exhibition of Almighty
power. Some persons-how many we do not
say-think all are born into the kingdom of
grace as was Paul. He saw, at md-day,
light from heaven above the brightness of the
sun; he heard voice saying unto him:
"Why persecutest thou me?" Some think
that they must see the same things and hear
the same things that Paul saw and heard.
Not only so, but some 60 so far as to say that
they have had the same experience which
Paul had Such conclusions are not warrant
ed from the general tenor of the Scriptures,
and that individual, in this age of the world,
who says, at the time Of bis being born from
heaven he saw wonderful sights and heard
wonderful voices, is, in this instance, not wor-
thy of credence. He is either crazy or mon
strous hypocrite
The eof miracles is past. Under the Old
estamentdispensation, miracles were wrought
for the purpose of proving that, according to
the promise of God, the gospel dispensation
was approaching. In the early age of the
gospel dispensation, miracles were wrought to
prove that the gospel dispensation, which had
been promised, had already come. God al
ways will interpose his power in behalf of his
people, but there is no evidence that since the
Apostolic age, any miracles have ever been
wrought. Farther, there is no evidence that
regeneration ever was attended with such 81.
pernatural events as to enable the regenerated
individual to mark, with certainty, the day
or hour of his new birth. 10 this, Pauls
case is not an exception.
Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spir-
it. Hence, the Scriptures say that it is being
born of the Spirit. No one knows how the
Spirit acts upon the soul dead in trespasses and
sins, and causes it to live, farther than is re.
vealed in the Bible. In regeneration the
Holy Spirit gives the power and inclination to
turn from sin. The question is, how can we
know that this power has been given to US?
1t may be we'll to remark in this place, that
we never can know the fact, with that abso-
lutte certainty which will do away with the ne
cessity of faith and hope. A well grounded
hope is all that we need expect. It may be
farther remarked that the evidences CT regen-
Grafton are spiritually discerned. In other
words, they are not discernible by the natu-
raj senses. ~. ...
If we will examine theprocess through which
the sinner goes in passing from death to life,
from state of moral pollution to state of
glory we will be able to discover some of the
evidences of regeneration. The efficient cause
of regeneration is the Holy Spirit-the instru-
mental cause is the word of God We are not
at liberty to say that any one is regenerated by
the Spirit without the use of the instrumental
cause. In other words, where there is no
knowledge, or no proper use made of the Scrip
lures, there can be no regeneration of those
who have passed beyond the infantile state.
Do we study Gods word9 If 80, we are in the
right road. If we do not, we have reason to
fear that we are still dead in our sins. Regen-
Grafton is followed by conversion. The differ
ence between regeneration and conversion,
seems to be this. In regeneration, spiritual
change is produced in the inner man. In con-
version, the changed soul begins new move
ments, which may be called spiritual motions.
In regeneration, life is infused into the dead
bones in conversion, the bones, once dry and
dead, begin to move. Wherever there is no re-
generation, there can be no conversion. Where
there is no life, there is no motion, no turning
Now the evidences OF conversion are many
One is love of God The language OF the con-