The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-05-31

The great fundamental doctrine Of
salvation through Christ. as IL applies
TO work in the sinner, is the New
Birth-the absolute necessity OF being
born again, born into the kingdom of
righteousness-born Of the Holy Spirit,
born from above. 1t is simply basic i'm
all Christian life and character. There
can be no true religious life-a life lived
with Christ in God, without his
start, the laying of this sure and firm
foundation. Nan is a sinner against God
and his nature is depraVed. 1t is as
natural tor him to sin as far sparks TO
fly upward. There must of necessity
be a deep radical change wrought be
fore man a sinner can be made a true
Christian loving, serving and honoring
God. Mere outward ceremonies are
not worth a shuck" in working the
needed transformation. Poor, old, lost,
wicked human nature is very badly
out of repair, out Of harmony with
purity and God, to be made shapely
and excellent by mans thinking, and
the necessarily superficial mirliStrations
Of ceremonies. A pr0foUnder work of
grace, a more marvellous change than
mere man a cause, must be done to
purify and eXalt the SOUL, and fit it
for God. The New Testament is filled
with this great doctrine. 1t permeates,
ramifies the blessed Word of God.
Jesus answered and said unto him,
Verify, verify, 1 say unto thee, Elk
cept a man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God" John ii. 3.
But the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit for they are foolish
ness unto him neither can he know
them. because they are spiritually dis
cerned." l Cor, ii, IA. Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature" III Cor, V, II. A new crea-
ton is a more accurate, literal mean
ing of the Greek. He is so changed by
the birth of the Holy Spirit as to be
really a new creation'-he has been
born again." Study these three scrip
lures closely and you Will make no mis-
take as TO the absolute necessity of a
change Of heart wrought in you by the
Divine Spirit. You will then, and only
then, have put on the new man, which
is renewed in knowledge after the i'm
age of Him that created him." There
is the process set forth-born anew,
regenerated, made a new creation, 'fhave
put IN the new man" being so through,
radical "a process as to renew you
sin knowledge after the image of Him"
who at the first created him a sentient,
living being. This done for you and
in you I'VE then be risen with Christ"
and o must hencefortll diligently
seek those things which are above"
We a clipping before us that is
practical and illustrative of the neces-
sity OF entire renovation, restoration,
repairing of dilapidated, Ieaky, unre1i-
able human nature. We do not know
who it is by but found it in the Rich
mond CVa.) Central Presbyterian as a
clipping. Here it is in the essential
part:
"Yonder is a cracked beI1. How again
to restore it? BY n of two methods.
The first is to repair the bell, to en-
compass it with hoops, to surround it
with bands. Nevertheless You can
easily discern the crack of the bell in
the crack of the sound. The only eff
fectual way is to remelt the bell, recast
it. and make it all new, then 1T will
ring clear, round, sonorous as ever.
And human nature is a bell suspended
high up in the steeple Of the creation
to ring forth the praises of the Almigh-
ty Greater. But in the fall in Eden the
bell cracked. How again to restore it?
By one of two ways. One is to sur
round it with outward laws and regu-
lations, as with steel hoops. This is
the method adopted by philosophy as
embodied in practical craftsmanship,
and without douJbt there is a marked
Improvement i nthe sound. Neverthe-
less the crack in the metal SrO VS. itself
in the crack of the tOn The best way
is to remelt it and this is Gods method
in the gospel. He remelts o1r being,
refa ShiOnS US, makes US new creatures
in Christ Jesus, jealous unto good
works and by and by We viii sound
forth HE praises in a nobler. sweeter
strain thar ever we did before"