Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-02-04

Except man be born of water and
the spirit he cannot enter into the King
dom Of God'' John iii, 5.
There are two great kingdoms into
which man must enter, if he fill up
the measure assigned him; and these
are the kingdom of nature and the
kingdom of God. BY divine ap-
pointment each one of these king
doms is entered by birth. Begot-
ten Of the father and born Of the
mother conducts every one into the
kingdom of nature. Begotten by
the spirit and born of water introdu-
ces an individual into the kingdom
of God on earth and continued cit
izenship in the kingdom during life
discharging all his duties and obliga-
tions faithfully assures him pass
port after death into the joys and
bliss of the eternal kingdom where
angels and glorifed spirits dwell in
the presence of God forever.
Into the kingdom of nature man
comes by natural birth. Into the
kingdom Of God man enters by a
metaphorical birth.
This birth has been q source Of
great controversy for ages past. 1t
was startling proposition to Nicho-
demus, and the Savior did not see
proper, for reasons, no doubt right
and proper in themselves, to explain
the modus operandi to the inquiring
| Nichodemus except TO say that THAT
which is born of the flesh is flesh
and that which is born of the spirit
| is spirit The Kingdom of God
had not at that time been fully estab-
| ished. 1t was in state of prepara,
ton, and the Savior knew that at the
proper time this matter would be
fully developed and explained.
Now, since it Is true that every one
who enters into the Kingdom of Goo
does SO through birth of water anC
spirit, the first question of import
ance is to learn just what that con
sists of. Now it is no where defined
in so many words IN the New Festa
ment. We see, however, that Pete
: on the day of Pentecost, preached t'
IL class of persons who at the com
, mcncement of his sermons were Ger
! tainlv outside of the Kingdom o
God, and when the day was ende'
and the assembly dispersed thre
thousand of them were beyond a
louestion in or within the Kingdol
4 of God. If they were in the king
dom of God then they were born c
| water and the spirit, because ou
motto, at the head of this lessor
says Except man be born of watt
and the spirit he cannot enter int
the Kingdom of God Then
!, follows, of necessity, that the Pent'
costeans were born of water and IL
spirit.
Now if we can ascertain from Il
record in Acts, ii chapter, what W;
p done for them, by them, and in the
- between the time when Peter begt
l. to preach and the time that they we
q said to be added to the number, th'
we can see in what the birth of wat
and the spirit consists.
, Now, first of all, the Apostles we
= assembled in one place
@' 2nd. Then came q sound as OF
IF. rushing mighty wind and filled
-. the house where they were assemble
3rd. The people scattered throuG
" out the city, heard this sound a
went to where it was.
4,h. When the multitude asse
bled they saw and we're confound
because every man heard them It
ApostIes) speak in his own languas
Now at this apparent confusl
. some of the auditors mocked; oth'
. s.;d these men are full of new vii
/ At this point Peter stood up q
began to speak, and his speech y
4 really a gospel sermon delivered "
d much plsinness, but with great for
!. and it carried conviction to the hea