The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-03-24

| tect, and man Unite comprehension
failed to conceive, and man S reason failed
to explain But of the mournful FACT
the Scriptures leave us no place for doubt
Farther that this sinful nature did pro-
coed from the connection of Adam pos
terity with him, is accepted by all who
receive the Scriptures as a rule of faith
though there may be differences of opin-
ion respecting the precise nature of the
connection. AS adam was a type
| (e. a., fighre) of Him Christi that was to
come, Rom. V: IA, and our redemption
is by our lnion with Christ by faith, by
which we receive His righteousness, as
the sole ground of our acceptance with
God and in the same union are adopted
by the Spirit as children of God, and
made and adopted to be heirs of God, ="
the best exploration seems to be that
Adam sustained to his whole race the re-
lation of a representative, such as Christ
sustains to His believing people, This
relation is called federal, Adam being the
federal head of men, and Christ the fed
eral head of His people That God so
appointed Adam to stand or fall, en-
dowed with will and pure motives, is
held to be plan fully becoming Divine
wisdom, and one better for the race of
men. Hence, by some it is held there
was an immediate or direct imputation Of
Adams guilt to his posterity, and by others
that this imputation was mediate or ind
rect, on account of the sin of each person:
but IN both forms of explanation there is
the truth, based on the facts above stated
that men are sinners and under Gods
wrath and curse by reason of their con
nection with Adam The Catechism says,
question Is, "All mankind descending
from Adam by ordinary generation, sin
ned in him and fell with him in his first
transgression And since as we have
seen, all men have participated in this
estate of misery into which Adam fell
it is fair inference that all participated
in the sin by which he fell
Since the fall, mans will is no longer
free, as was Adams before the fall. For
the sinful estate - involves the corrup-
ton of the whole nature. The under
standing is darkened,' Eph. iv: IS;
men are under the power of Satan,
Acts XVI: Is; servants of sin, and
sold under sin, Rom vi: 1920, and
vii: IA. They "resist Gods Spirit,
obey not the gospel and the whole
"mind is enmity to God" They like
not to retain God in their knowledge"
The religious systems which men have
devised, all show an inherent depravity
of purpose as we'll as of affection, of i'm
agination as well as of reason.
Out of this estate of sin and misery,
God has of infinite mercy been pleased to
call and choose by the efectual work of
His word and Spirit, the heirs of saliva
tion-2 Tim. j. 9; Thess. ii: 10, IA.
All men being by nature subjects (chil-
dren) of wrath, (Eph. ii: 81 while those
thus elected to eternal life, are constrained
to praise God for His grace, those who
are passed by, have no ground on which
to murmur God has only left them to
themselves. and as we have already seen.
none such can avow, with truth, that they
have continued in sin and rejected God's
mercy in Christ under any other control
ing power than that of their own will
What our Lord said to the Jews is true
OF such persons (John 400 " Ye WILL
not Care not willing come to me that We
may have life This call embraces in
fants called in the Il" Confession of Faith
elect infants This phrase is immedi
ately explained by dying in infancy
That is, all infants dying in infancy
are thus shown to be elect. There are
no others "dying in infancy" All other
infants living, grow up to adult life, and
then show by rejecting or receiving Chris
whether they are not elect or 'eect
Similar difficulties to those noticed H.
speaking of Gods decree, attend thi
subject and are susceptible of the same
solution. Election is not known to it,
object, till by faith, diligent use of mean,
and prayer, he becomes assured of hi
calling, and that he has truly embraced
Christ. No man in his natural estate
then, can affirm that God has elected him
or passed him over. But again, as be
fore, it may be asked, why then hold and
teach this doctrine of efectual calling
The reply is, simply because God has
taught it in His word, to humble men bv
a conviction of their entire dependence
on His grace in Christ Jesus, by whom
He makes known how they are to be de
livered out of the estate Of sin and mis-
cry and brought into an estate Of saliva
ton" B.M. s.
LIGHT THROUGH THE BoDY.-Tr i've
has invented a number Of small electric
lamps which can be used by the surgeon