Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-11-02
&eadilla fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
THE COVENANT OF GRACE.

fail to discover that one of the prominent doc
trines there taught is that all men, by nature,
are sinners, and that the wages of sin is death.
From the Bible, we also learn that God did
not leave all men to perish in their sins.
The fact that all men are sinners is discoV-
cradle without the aid of the revelation con-
tanned in the Bible. We see that all men vio-
Late the physical laws of nature, and expose
themselves to the displeasure Of the Supreme
Being. This is Il sad fact that is taught us
by experience and observation, but the remedy
for sin is matter Of pure revelation.
No knowledge can be of more Importance
to us than clear understanding of the plan
of salvation. ''IIow can sinners be saved ~
is question in which we are all individually
| concerned We cannot save ourselves, neither
can we be saved by any created being; hence
we are forced to the conclusion that If saved
at all, we must be saved by God. But how
can God save us? lie cannot, as all arbitrary
sovereign, determine to remit our sins with
out a satisfaction having first been rendered
! to his law and Justice.
From the Scriptures we learn that.it was the
eternal purpose of God to save sinners That
the purpose of God to save sinners is eternal,
may be satisfactorily proven, both by direct
quotations from the Bible and from the nature
of God In the third chapter of the epistle to
the Ephesians, Paul declares that grace was
given him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles
according to the eternal purpose which he
purposed in Christ Jesus In the first chap
ter of the same epistle the Apostle asserts
! tbof fbo fu1 II, chosen
in him Christi before the foundation OF the
world. In the order of nature, the purpose to
choose must precede the actual choosing.
Hence, we may conclude that the Apostle de-
signs to teach that the purpose of God to save
sinners was before the foundation of the world,
or from eternity From the nature Of God, it
is impossible that he can form any new purpo-
ses. All his purposes bear the same date.
His plans and purposes must be eternal and
! Interchangeable, or he is not eternal and UNI
changeable We cannot conceive of God
forming new purposes and devising new plans,
without first regarding him AS weak, ignorant,
changeable and tickle. Such a conclusion is
revolving
Not only did God determine before the
| foundation of the world to save sinners, but he
determined to save them in accordance with
plan of his own devising. Both in the con-
ception and execution, this plan of salvation is
in perfect harmony with every attribute of the
Supreme Being.
| This plan of salvation consisted in the three
persons of the Godhead entering into cove
nant TO distinguish this covenant from that
into which the GOdhead and Adam, the first
man, entered, it is called the Covenant of
Grace; the covenant which was made with
Adam being called the Covenant Of Works.
In the execution of the Covenant of Grace the
three persons in the Godhead sustain to each
other economic relations Theparties entering
| into the covenant-contract were the three per-
sons in the Godhead, and each engages to do a
particular thing.
God, the Father, on his part, undertakes to
guard the Divine glory, and to propose meas
ures for the execution of the eternal purpose
to save sinners 1t was God, the Father, that
designated the Son as the Mediator and Re-
deemer Jesus Christ, the Son Of God, we are
told in the Scriptures, was "sanctified and
sent into the world to save sinners.' Christ,
himself, says that his Father sent him not to
do his own will, but the will OF his Father.
| But we are also taught in the Scriptures, that
the Father chose the faithful in Christ Jesus
before the foundation Of the world. The Son
| also declares that he had manifested the name
of the Father unto the men which the Father
had given him out of the world. That there
may be no doubt as to what he MEANS he fur
ther declares that these men were the Fathers
and the Father gave them to him. John 11:6.
From these and many other passages of
Scripture, we confidently conclude that, in the
! Covenant of Grace, God, the Father, gives
God, the Son, to redeem sinners, and he gave
sinners to God, the Son, to be redeemed. The
| part which the Holy Spirit, the third person
! in the Godhead, engaged to perform in the
! Covenant of Grace, was to apply to sinners
the benefits resulting from the redemption
work of the Son.
| But short time prior to his crucifxion, the
Saviour cOnsoled his disciples with these words,
''The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things
| to your remembrance, whatsoever have said
unto you.' John IA 2G.
From this passage of Scripture we learn
! that God, the Father, sends the Holy Spirit,
and the object for which he is SENT is to "guide
into all truth" John 16 :1G.
In many respects the Covenant Of Grace
differs from the Covenant of Works. 1t is
better covenant. In the Covenant of Works
one of the contracting parties was creature,
! and consequently fallible. In the Covenant
of Grace, the contracting parties are the three
persons of the Godhead, and cannot fail. Each
one is truly God. and all his purposes are i'm
mutable.
INTENSITY OF SCRIPTURAL PRAYERS.-
The Scriptural examples Of prayer have, most
of them, an unutterable intensity. They are
pictures of struggles in which more Of sup
pressed desire is limited than in which is eX-
pressed. Recall the wrestling of Jacob 81
will not let thee 60 except thou bless me, "and
the ''panting' and ''pouring out of soul of
David ~ 81 cried day and night, my throat is
dried' 81 wait for my God - and the impor-
tunity of the Syro-Phenician woman, with her
"Yes, Lord, yet the dogs underthe table eat of
the children's crumbs - and the persistency
of Bartemius, crying out the more a great
deal, "IIave mercy upon me,' and the strong
crying and tears of our Lord, eff it be posi-
b!e-if it be possible w There is no easiness
Of desire here. Still Hour.
rs Most Christians have learned that it is
not necessary to go to foreign fields to find
plenty of missionary work to do. The streets
and lanes of the city and the outlying districts
of our country towns, afford abundant Oppor-
tunities for labor. These souls are certainly
xl~ IT@{S1 - 4