Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-03-18
GOD DOES HIS PART,
And the Sinner Has But to Trust in Him
The Road to Salvation.

The Road to Salvation.
CHICAGO, March S-Rev. Sam Jones
preached at the Chicago Avenue church
Sunday morning from the text: Whereby
are given to US exceeding great and precious
promises; that by these ye might be par
takers OF the divine nature. having escaped
the corruptions that is in the world through
iust-II Peter l., T.
Mr.. Jones said the text first gave as
surance to us that God had given US all
things necessary to live righteously. With
reference to the portion Of the text par
takers of divine nature" he said it didn't
bother him, as he asked in such cases that
God would lead him.
He continued; We hear SO much talk
about science nowadays Science knows
nothing of the future with all its boasting
Let science bore down into the earth and it
has to stop at a certain point Let science
go up into the air and it knows nothing
beyond few miles AND when it comes to
heaven and hell science knows no more than
the youngest baby in Chicago. The scientists
say there is no hell l ask them, when
did you start your explorers, and when will
they return" and they reply: "Oh, we
haven't started them yet" Laughter
When their exploring parties come back
want to be there to hear what they've got
to say l want to hear the committee make
It's report. You can't get to the north pole,
Ilu h less to the south pole where the heat is
, intense, according to the meaning of the
text
When man tells me he can't understand
ahe Bible, continued Mr.. Jones after a
nause, during which he played with his
watch chain and rGn his hand through his
.air, Il ask him how he is on the ton COM
-pandments and the sermon on the mount
stheyer saw a man yet who tried to live
right try to find out the mysteries Of the
Bible. It's these fellows who don't live
right who try to discover the mysteries of
christianity. You say man won't bolieve
what he can't see Do you believe you
haven't got backbone because you can't
see it: [Laughter.l l tell you that is the
deep water of foolishness Thou shalt not
steaI-do you understand that? There was
place down in Maine where the only bust
ness was cutting logs and stealing logs A
minister went there to preach one day, and
knowing the failings of his congregation,
the text read: Thou shalt not steal logs.
[Laughter.l
Being made part of the divine nature
when you get into renewed nature you are
in the very whirlpool of Christianity. When
Jesus said we would be regenerated he only
told it to one, and then he told it at night,
and when the man heard it he staggered
back and asked Christ to explain. Jesus
explained it only by an illustration If this
thing could have been explained to men do
you think He would have allowed Nicodemus
to go away with simple illustration? If
there is any one thing Jones is solid on it Is
the doctrine of regeneration. He believes
it is the-bottomrock Of theology, and he dates
all his happiness from the day he was born
again. Don't attend to the Lords sir of
this matter Attend to your own business,
and God will look after His 1 like the
way Peter touches this subject Until
man is born from above he can no more
live the life of Christian than rock can
live the life Of an OK or an OK the life of
man. A man can't catch hold of his boot
straps and lift himself up. That has been
demonstrated as an impossibility. viii
ever put out my hands and ask God to help
me! That is the question.
Mr. Jones passed to the second part of his
text, and continued: Having been made
partakers of the divine nature, let US escape
the corruption that is in the world through
lust God has done His part, and will cor
tinue to do it Don't be troubled abou
Gods willingness to help you The trouble
is, will you CO operate with God! 1 see
man climbing up the narrow path Of the
Alps He keeps on going higher and higher,
and strikes a narrow, inaccessible cliff. He
comes to ro-k and he can't go any farther.
He can no more pass that point than he can
fly. He can't get around it, he can't get
over it, and he can't get under it. There
all personal agency ends But he has
guide, and he comes to his assistance The
guide lies down on the pathway and, barring
his prawny arm, tells the traveller to step
into his hand. The man does so and he is
lifted around the rock, and he goes on his
way up the mountain. There is point in
every mans experience where human aid
ends and then it is that God tells you to
step into His hand and He will lift you
across. Have you ever stepped into Gods
hand. You must do it if you wish to be
saved l had to go up to that rock before
Christ put out His hand to save me. You
must do something for yourself. God is too
busy to help man who won't help himself
When get out of breath preaching, that's
when God comes TO my assistance and gives
me my second wind. [Laughterl It's all
foolishneSs to ask God to do what you won't
do yourself
How is it that some men get along so
easily and others have such a hard time Of
it, / hear often asked. 1t is largely owing
to the fact that you never started in right
There is an engineer on that train going at
the rate of sixty miles an hour. l can see
the movements of his little finger. Sud
denly the train snorts, and by a movement
of the engineers muscles it comes to stop,
and you say: How easy that was-how
easy it is to be an engineer" But you've
got to get behind that engineer in order to
learn the secret. When you say, How
easily that Christian gets along" you must
get behind the scenes, you must follow him
out of sight to see how much trouble
he has and how he has TO suffer
in order to remain Christian. Then, tell
you, you won't say it's so easy. No man
can be religious without living religion, and
no man can live religion without being re-
ligious You see it works both ways
Here, if the means Of grace won't take
man to heaven, what are they for anyway
If that street does not lead where you want
to go 60 what do you want with that street
anyway. If the Kankakee line goes to Gin
ciunati it will take you to Cincinnati Juss
certain as grace will take you to heaven.
But you say if you possess grace you won't
get to heaven. Well that is about the same
thing as saying that if you get on a Kanka-
kee tram and it goes to Cincinnati you
won't get to Cincinnati [Laughterl