The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-04-10
TWO GREAT SERMONS
PREACHED BY REV. A. {. DIXON
YESTERDAY.
Heard By immense Audiences--Sp SPECIAL
Sermon 10 Business Men This
Morning.
MornIng.

The text, Marvel not that say unto
thee. We must be born again" John 81.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the
son Of man be lifted up: that whose
ever believeth in him should not per-
ish, but have eternal life. John
Cd, Is.
The chow of every thing is mysteri-
ans The 'tmust be" of everything is
plain. I do not know chow fire burns,
hut I know that fire must burn if the
world is to be warmed. / do not know
how corn and cotton grow; but know
that corn and cotton must grow if the
world IS to be fed and clothed. / do
not know how taking food makes my
blood red and gives strength and
vitality to nerve and muscle; but l
know that / must take food If / would
live. do not know how / am born
again but know that / must be If /
ever get to heaven. Marvel, Nicode-
mus, at the "how' just as much as you
please; it is like the wind blowing.
Listen You can hear the sound in
the trees, but you know not whence 1T
cometh or whittier it goeth. Wonder
at the show, but wonder not at the
must be-. You cannot enjoy Heaven
unless you are born again; you are
not fitted for the place. Wicked men
do not like Christian company here,
and they will not like it a whit better
in Heaven They do not like to be
where Christ is talked about, his
praises sung and his will obeyed and,
if they should go to Heaven, where
nothing else is done, they would feel
very miserable.
A man in Boston bought ticket to
"a race course, and by mistake got on
boat going to a camp-meeting, where
he was among Methodist preachers,
singing hymns, talking about the Bible
and speaking of their Christian exper-
fence. He came to the captain and
said: Captain, I was never SO near
perdition in my life. / will give you
ten dollars to let me out at the nearest
place" Put that gambler in heaven
would he be happy2 No, indeed. Good
surroundings cannot make bad men
hapny. Unless there be a taste for
spiritual things. spiritual surround
ings are not happiness. "4e must be
born again" Those who love whiskey,
will not find bar-room, even on the
back streets of heaven. For all who
roll sin as d sweet morsel under their
tongues there will be no course of sin
at the celestial banquet.
The new birth is not change of
feeling. The word feeling is mention
ed but three times in the New Tesla
ment. Feelings can be changed by the
weather or even by the state of health.
| know man who is never religious
except when he is under the influence
Of drink. Just as soon as he gets
drunk he mounts the cart on the street
and breaches the sermon he heard the
Sunday before Three ounces of alco-
hol can make a man entirely different,
SO far as his feelings are concerned.
Vow, understand me, believe in feel
ing. Feeling may 20 before the new
birth 1t may follow the new birth.
But feeling itself and the change of
feeling is not the essence and substance
ST the new birth.
The new birth is not change Of
relation with men Morality is right
relation with men. Spirituality is
right relation with God 4 man may
be all right with his fellows, and all
wrong with God. When d man gets
right with Cod, he IS right with man
every time. The main purpose Of
Paul's letter to the Romans was to
prove that righteousness, primarily,
is right relation, and not right doing,
1T is getting right with God and then
doing right. There is no possibility
of salvation without our first getting
right with God
THE NEW BIRTH DEFINED.
But what is the new birth? Turn
to Second Peter, Ia, and you have a
good definition: THAT ye may be par
takers of the divine nature" That's
it. TO be born Of God is to become a
partaker Of the divine nature The
divinity of Christ partook of our hui
mainly Our humanity partakes Of his
divinity.
We are made sons sof God, and the
son has the same nature as the Father.
Jesus Christ was born babe in Bethle-
hem, and We become babes in Christ.
do not know how my eating beef
steak will keep me alive, and yet /
confess / ate - heartily this morning
as If 1 knew all about it, for the simple
reason that my part of the transaction
was quite simple Those who make
uD their minds that they viii not do
ANYTHING that they cannot understand
All about, will soon be in a lunatic
asylum or in their graves. promi-
nent man in the Southern States. a
college president, made up his mind,
after porting over scientific books, that
he would not eat and drink until he
could explain the relation between life
and matter. That man was sent to the
lunatic asylum. The superintendent
put him III strait jacket. and told
him that he had to take something,
whether he could understand it, or
not. And he treated him right. Many
people are mystified about the new
birth, because they want 10 do Gods
part.
MANS PART.
What, then, is our part2 Jesus ex-
plains ID to Nicodemus in the second
text: "And as Moses lifted up the ser
pent in the wilderness, even so must
the So q. a.-4n be lifted up, that who
soever belieyeth in Him should not
perish, but have eternal life." As If
Christ had said: Now, Nicodemus,
AxHya4 ia