The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-04-06
THB PULASKI CITIZE1HI :
L further trespass on your space
with selections from the Norman
tract. The next subject is

further trespass on your space
with selections from the Norman
tract. The next subject is
CIRCUMSTANCE.
The Apostle asked the Saviour:
Master, who did sin, this man or
his parents, that he was born blind"
1t will doubtless require no argu-
ment to convince the reader that
justice of God would scarcely per-
NIT the punishment Of the individual
before the crime was committed. If
so, then the sin had been commit
ted before he came upon the earth,
for he was born blind. 1t was evil
dent that the question was not a
doubtful one in the minds of the
apostles as to whether a man could
sin previous to his existence in the
flesh, but as to whether this paltic
ular man had sinned or not. 1.-THE
Jews perhaps had embraced the
Egyptian doctrine of transmigra-
ton of souls. Herod was greatly
troubled at the mighty works Of
Christ, and said: John the Bap
fist is risen from the dead" The
Saviour answered: "Neither hath
this man sinned nor his parents"
didn't nor couldn't sin before they
were born.-M. When Jesus ap
peared to the disciples after his
resurrection, they were affrighted.
and supposed they had seen a spir
it; but he corrected them, saying,
handle me and see, for a spirit
hath not flesh and bone as We sec
me have" From these words we
gather the information that man
while existing as a spirit was not
clothed upon with flesh and bone
but nevertheless existed in the ex-
act shape and form that he now
proposes. He had eyes too see,
ears to hear, and many other facul-
ties with which man is here en-
dowed. He was also doubtless in
possession of intelligence and much
that goes to ennoble man. He had
the ability to pass from place to
place, increase in knowledge and
perform certain duties that de
volved upon him in that sphere
of action. When angels appeared
to men they resembled men. We
suppose that disembodied spirits
"spirits Of just men made project
resemble men. Twas of these
that Christ spoken.
The principle of pre-existence is
plainly illustrated in the life of our
Saviour, who thus spoke to the PEG
pie: "What and if We shall see the
son of man ascend up where he was
beforer" Again, mo man hath as
cended up to heaven, but he that
came down from heaven" The
divine, not the human nature of the
Saviour, had been in heaven.-M.
Let us ask ourselves the question,
is it so difficult to comprehend our
own pre-eXistence, when that of Je-
sus is so plainly taught, and also
that Of many of the biblical char
acters of whom we read? Paul, the
great apostle, speaking of himself,
says, ''In hope of eternal life which
God, that can not lie, promised be-
fore the world began" Here was
promise made to Pual of eternal
life before the world began, condi-
toned upon obedience as was said
to Cain aforetime, off thou doest
well, shalt thou not be accepted"
Notwithstanding this promise, Paul
was under the necessity of perform
ing certain duties. He was a chos
en- vessel. Twas always in the
mind of Deity TO give eternal life,
not to Pual only, but to all who
believe in His son. There is no
past, present or future with God
but eternal now-M.
We next consider why we are
N GRO