Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-12-18
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MEANS OF GRACE.

That sinners may be saved from the fearful
consequences of their sins, God, in his in6n-
ite goodness, has provided a Saviour. That
sinners may become united to that Saviour,
and thus secure an interest in this great saliva
ton, he has provided certain means. These
are, with propriety, called means of grace
Without the use of these means, no man can
be saved. They are placed within the reach
of every human being in Christian lands, and
are of such nature that every human being
who has passed the period Of infancy, and is
not an idiot, can use consequently, every sin
ner who is finally and forever lost, will have
no one to blame but himself.
The outward or visible means by which the
benefits of Christ's medatorial purchase is
communicated, are all his ordinances. Every
thing in the universe, in some way, points to
Jesus Christ and every thing is so arranged
by an all-wise God, as to lead sinners to "the
Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of
the world" As gracious means, for convict
ing and converting sinners, and sanctifying
believers, God has specially set apart his
word, the sacraments and prayer. Without
the proper and diligent use of these means, no
one can be saved. The Bible must be made a
light to our feet and lamp to our path, or
we must be lost forever. 1t matters not wheth-
er, by the light of nature, we are able to dis
cover the existence of Supreme Being or
not, it is absolutely certain we cannot, without
the light of revelation contained in the Bible,
discover God of salvation. In our fallen
condition, we are unable to form any just con.
ceptions of the nature of God. A correct
knowledge of the being and attributes fGod
lies at the very foundation of all true religion.
This being the case, every one who is without
any knowledge of the Scriptures, is absolute
ly without hope of eternal salvation.
The sacraments of the New Testament
Church are baptism and the Lords Supper.
Both of these are means of grace: They were
instituted by Christ himself: They are not
the devices of man. This gives to them an
Importance which should never be lost sight
of. The carnal mind may pronounce them
idle ceremonies. AS such, the multitude Of
the human family view these sacraments.
They regard the baptismal ceremony as puer-
lie, and ask, with sneer, "what good can be
effected by eating bread and drinking wine in
commemoration of the death of Jesus Christ ="
1t is replied: The Saviour of sinners gave
these sacraments to his blood bought church,
as means of grace, by which his people might,
in due time, be fitted for heaven.
It is true that these sacraments are only
means. It is also true that the labors of the
husbandman are only means. Without these
lsbors, there would be no food for man or
beast. 1t is the hand of the diligent that
makes rich, and the folding of the arms of
the sluggard is followed by poverty. As in
the natural, so in the spiritual. Whatever
God has set apart as a means must be used
properly, or the end proposed cannot be
reached.
PRAYER is another means of grace. By
prayer, is meant the asking God, for Christ's
sake, to bestow upon US those blessings which
we need. The carnal heart says it is no use
to pray, because God is unchangeable All
his purposes are fixed of old. He is without
variableness or shadow of turning. All this
is true; but it is also true that they who ask
shall receive; they who seek shall find; and
they who knock shall be admitted. Hence,
the fact that God is Interchangeable, the same
to day, yesterday and forever, is the very rea-
son why we should pray. No man will ever
be taken to heaven who does not have Il sim
cere desire to 60, and who has not most earn
estly begged God, for Christ's sake, to save
him. The characteristic of those who are on
their way to heaven, is that they use the mesns
which God has appointed to get there. On
the other hand, the characteristic Of those who
are on the broad road that leads down to per-
dition, is that they refuse to use the means of
grace.
ut is better to laugh than be crying"-de-