The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1886-03-13
PULPIT ELoQUENCE.
A Sermon Preached I'm Acade-
INV Hall, MOrganfOwm,
by Rev. Howard
MacQuearv.

TEXT: What doth the Lord require, Of thee.
but to do Justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with thy God !-MIcAH 6-s.
To the question asked in the text
we answer, although justice, mercy
and humility before God might suf-
flee under the old Jewish dispense
ton, yet now, under the Christian
dispensation, God requires much
more of man than justice, mercy and
humility in order that he may be
saved, and we appeal to the New
Testament to substantiate our an
swer Except a man be born again,
said Christ to Nicodemus, she can
not see the kingdom of God" OF
course, Nicodemus being master in
Israel, knew that Micah had uttered
the words of the text, and he must
have believed that Micah was right,
for you remember his question in
answer to Christ's astounding re-
marks, elbow can these things be?
Can a man enter second time into
his mothers womb and be born?'
Jesus answered, "Verily, verify, / say
unto you, except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit he cannot
enter into the kingdom of heaven.
How utterly foolish, then, is that
popular idea, uttered or unexpressed,
which confounds mere morality with
eligion-reformatio with regenera-
ton or the new birth. Some man
dies; he is known to have lived a
moral life; he has been charitable to
the poor; he has paid his honest
debts; he has not been drunkard,
or a liar, or swindler, or very
great swearer or Sabbath breaker,
and so his friends sing his praises
oyer his bier-the minister holds
him up as an example for his fellow
men to follow, and so men begin to
think that such a man can inherit
the kingdom of heaven. l have
known just such cases, but l tell
you, my friends, that you may be
previously mistaken. That which
is born of the flesh is flesh, and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
This moral man may be charitable to
the poor for the sake of gaining a
reputation for benevolence, and so the
good will and assistance of his fell
low men; he cast his bread upon
those waters which will inevitably
wash it around in few days and
land it again on his own shores; he
may pay his debts because honesty
is the best policy; he may not become
a drunkard or liar or swindler OF
swearer or an adulterer, because it is
disreputable-in a word, all his good
works of justice, mercy and humility
may be born of the flesh, may spring
from selfish, earthly motives, and
not be born of the Spirit-not be the
result of changed or new born spirit
Hence our 18th Article of Religion is
perfectly right when it says: "Works
done before the grace of Christ and
the inspiration of his Spirit, are moi
pleasant to God, forasmuch as they
!, spring not of faith in Jesus Christ
yea, rather, for that they
are not done as God hath willed anc
commanded them to be done we doubt
not but they have the nature Of sin.
Suppose the good works referred tt
be done from the motives assigned
above, and undoubtedly men arr
greatly, very greatly induced b,
those motives, why, they are not &C
ceptable to God; they are not thu
fruits of faith in Jesus Christ; do no
l spring from regenerate heart. So
8 then, mere morality or reformation
4 of life cannot save man. | say
n reformation of life cannot save MAJ
, any more than mere morality, for i
leaves the whole past sinful life o
! the man not atoned for. A man ma,
wear himself out by sin, and SO fint
. that virtuous course pays bette
: than sinful course, and hence re
form his character, and begin ney
life. l mean he may become sick 0
s sin, and without any reference t.
f God, or any thought of religion, jus
on the ground of utility, may reform
g and lead moral life, but surely h
would be accountable to God for hi
Il past sinful life even supposing tina
: his future course would be absolutel
e right, which we know could not b.
: Since, then, something more tina
8 mere morality or reformation
r necessary to salvation, and since tn
n great teacher has said that this
e something is new birth, we mus
b at the outset ask, What constitute
t that new birth?
o 1t is not change in the very e.
e. sence of our souls, for those sou
remain the same in substance aftt
regeneration that they were befor
y In other words, to illustrate, the so,
n is no more changed in essence b
n the regenerating power of the Hol
"a Ghost than Naaman was when /
washed in the Jordan and WI
Il cleansed from his leprosy. Neith'
is the new birth an excited or peculi,
feeling. Numbers of people profes
to be regenerated or converted, ;
they term it, under the pressure
r. some great excitement or urgent ar
T. thrilling appeals from the pulp
7 but soon they relapse into their 70
mer GOODNESS and resume their dow
- ward course, perpaps with renewt
a. vigor. Now, be it fairly understoo
Id that l do not judge anyone. l
n not call in question their sinceri
At at the time, but I simply say tn
- such professions are not the resu
ia Of the power of Gods Spirit, but
Is some natural cause. They are ere