Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-10-26

Christ stood that day both willing
and able to give unto them the
mighty works of his healing, but
they would have none of them. Even
Christ could not give to those who
would not have. So in salvation
today. Faith opens the heart to re-
ceive Gods gift of life at Christ's
hand; but unbelief shuts up the
heart and refuses to receive the gift.
God stands ready to give salvation
to us all, but all stand in nature, I'M
willing to receive. 1t is not Gods
decree that shuts any man out from
salvation, but mans own decree, the
mandate of his own stubborn will,
which answers all of Gods free offers
with, l will not have them. aye
lCW not come unto me, that we might
have life" is Christ's explanation of
mems being unsaved. God elects
to salvation, only because man left
to himself persistantly elects against
salvation. So when we speak of
mans inability to come to Christ, it
is no want of physical powers in him;
nor bar of unwillingness in Christ to
have him come. thrown across his
path, but inability that results solely
from the stubborn wickedness of
mans own will. He cannot come
simply because he will not come.
If men will not receive them,
Christ cannot do in him the mighty
works of salvation. The difficulty
does not lie in an unconvinced
reason, for the evidences of Christ's
power and willingness to do the saw
ing works are sufficient to convince
sober reason. The difficulty is the
will of man will not allow reason to
take the evidences and calmly weigh
them.
1t is not want of deep sense of
the SOULS need of salvation that keeps
men from Christ; but refusal of
mans will to allow the soul to seek
tor a satisfaction of these wants in
Christ. The power of sin over mans
will must first be broken, freedom to
choose Christ must be given, and
man must be etfectually persuaded to
take what is freely offered before
Christ can actually save that soul.
The free sovereign works of Gods
almighty Spirit, making us willing
in the day of his power, must even
go before, and furnish the grounds in
mans heart of Christ's ability to do the
mighty works of salvation in him. So
every hope of an experience Of saliva
ton in my heart hangs upon the gift
of Gods Spirit to me just as the gift
of salvation itself all hangs upon
Christ Jesus being mine.
Thanks be unto God, that he hath
furnished full salvation, and an
available salvation in the two gifts of
his Son and his Spirit. Notice friend
that the unbelief of these at Nazareth
did not change single fact in regard
! to Christ. He was Gods anointed
: one, able to do all mighty works. But
their unbelief impoverished them
1t left their sick to anguish upon
beds of pain and die their hearts to
be broken in sorrow, and their homes
, to be filled with mourning, while
| Others rejOiced n Him. So your I'M
J belief changes not single fact Of the
} gospel. Christ is Gods son, the
2 savior of all who come unto God by
| Him. All that it does is to shut
/ your soul up in darkness seal the
5 condemnation of sin on you; and
= leaves you in black, and an eternal
: despair. Then friend fling yourself
at Gods mercy seat and pray him
: for the gift of his Holy Spirit to come
= and take away your stoney heart Of
unbelief and give you a heart OF
S flesh; that in you may be born the
: God-given faith which filings the sou
! in all its life wide open to Christ, and
4 jOyfully says, "COme in, come in
/ thou blessed of the Lord, and make
4 my heart thy lasting home"