The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1886-03-13

all men are not born again in the
same manner. The case supposed is
a man who has been very great
sinner, but suppose one has been
rocked in the cradle of Christianity
has grown up from that cradle to be-
lieve in Jesus Christ as the son of
God and his Saviour, in the Bible as
Gods word; has always lived up to
the precepts and commands of the
Bible as far as in his power lay; has
repcnted for each sin he has com
mitted; has prayed, and in word
has been Christian all his life,
what then? Why, he is no less re-
generated person. Regeneration does
not presuppose absolute depravity
in every part and faculty of the
man; but since all are by nature the
children of wrath, it simply supposes
that Gods Holy Spirit must sooner
or later, in infancy or youth or man
hood, change that sinful nature and
make it set it's affections ON things
above where Christ dwelleth at the
right hand of God. | believe that
there are many people who have been
Christians from the cradle up; that
there are many people nominally
outside of the church who are Chris
tians but are laboring under a mis-
take as to what constitutes the new
birth; are waiting for some pecu-
liar feeling, some remarkable and
conscious change to take place in
their natures before they come to
Jesus
When | spoke above of faith and
repentance being necessary to regen-
Grafton, of course l then referred to
the case of an adult The infant has
no sins to repent of, and in his case
simply his sinful nature which he
inherits from Adam, has to be regen-
Grated and made fit for an habita-
ton with the angels. Some suppose
that this change takes place after
death in the transition state from
earth to heaven, but whenever it
takes place it must be the work of
the Holy Ghost, and in those cases
where the infant is baptized and
dies in infancy, l see no difficulty in
believing that the sacrament of bap-
tism is made the occasion and means
of the infants spiritual regeneration.
Now dear friends, you who know
yourselves to be grievous sinners,
and you who are hating between two
opinions not knowing whether you
are regenerated or not, come let
us reason together: Have you real
faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of
God, in the Bible as his word,
and are you disposed to renounce
the devil and all his works, the pomps
and vanity of this wicked world and
all the sinful lusts of the flesh? If
so take God at his word, cast your
self unreservedly and humbly on
Christ's mercy and merit and take
up your cross and follow Him. And
if you will do this sincerely, if you
will read your Bible regularly, pray
and avail yourself of all the means
of grace which the Church offers you,
rest assured that although no voice
from Heaven may say, "This is my
beloved Son in whom am well pleas
ed, although no peculiar feeling or
distinct consciousness may evidence
your regeneration, yet as the days
glide by Jesus will breathe into your
soul the sweet assurance that you
are His; and so when you pass
through the valley of shadows His
rod and staff will comfort you and
you will triumphantly enter the
heavenly Canaan just over the river
of death. Oh, remember, l beg you,
that Except man be born again
he cannot see the kingdom of God"
He may " do justly, love mercy and
walk humbly," but not as God hath
willed and commanded him to walk
in submission to Gods will and in
the faith of Jesus Christ His good
works may spring from earthly mo-
tives and not from a regenerate
heart or the love of Jesus.
l appeal to those before me who
have no reason to hope for salvation
through Christ. Dear friends, you
must acknowledge that you are
great sinners. 1t needs no arguing
to prove to you that you cannot
work out your own salvation unaid-
ed and alone, since only by fulfilling
Gods law perfectly would you ac-
complish this glorious result. You
know that this is impossible; you
know that there is none other name
given under heaven whereby men
may be saved but the name of Jesus !;
you know that although man may
be just, merciful and humble, yet,
Except man be born again"-born
of water and of the Spirit-he can
not enter into the kingdom of Heav-
en-. How long then, halt we between
two opinions?" How long will you
hesitate to take the indispensable
step? ''If the Lord be God follow
him." If you have intellectual
doubts take steps at once to remove
them. Disrobe your minds, hard as
it map be to do, of all prejudice, and
investigate the claims of the Chris
tian religion honestly and thorough
ly. and then if you be convinced that
it is true, follow God, but if you be
convinced that it is false, follow the
world, the flesh and the Devil.
"Choose We boldly and above board
whom We will serve.' 0, lift up your
eyes and look around you; behold
the sin, ignorance and suffering on
every hand; gaze upon the fields
white unto the harvest; think OF
what God is doing for you; how He
blesses you with health, friends, food
and raiment; how He SO loved you
that He sent his only begotten Son