The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-09-19
Life Column.
FROM SIM
BY NJ ABBOTT.

Gospel of Matthew to the closing chap.
tiers. Jesus Christ has brought the
twelve disciples about him at the Pas
chal Supper. The one traitor has gone
out into the darkness; the eleven re-
main. He breaks the bread and passes
it to them; he fills the cup and passes
it to them; and he says to them: This
cup is the new covenant In my blood,
which is shed for many for the remis
sion of sin. Remission means sending
away" This cup is the new covenant
in my blood for the sending away OF
your sins. Turn to Paul and zee what
is his conception of salvation. "God,
who Is rich in mercy, for the great
love wherewith he loved US, even when
we were dead in sins, hath made us
alive together with Christ (by grace
We are saved), and hath raised US up
together and made US sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus" Oh
serve, it Is in the past tense, not in the
future; not he will make US alive, not
he will raise US up, not he will make
US sit together in heavenly places-he
hath made US alive, he hath raised US
up, he hath made US sit in heavenly
places. Or turn to John: 1.-THE blood
of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth US
from all sin. IL we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in US, II we confess u
sins, be is faithful and just to forgive
US our sins and CLEANSE US from all
righteousness"
Do you not see the difference be
tween these two conceptions7 The
one thought is: / am in danger Of pun
ishment-I will be saved from future
punishment; the other: I am strug-
Cling with sim can be delivered from
the sin. Toe n is, JeJus Christ has
borne my punishment; the other is,
Jesus Christ is bearing away my sin.
he is 1.-The Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin from the world" The
one is-the pain and sacrifice anu sui
fering OF Christ is necessary because
the wrath of the justice or the law Of
God requires that somebody should be
punished the other is-the sacrifice,
the blood, the suffering, the passion of
Jesus Christ is necessary that we
should be cleansed from sin. Jesus
Christ has come into the world to re
deem US from sin; this ia the vital mat.
ter, not the othsr.
Exemption from penalty without
deliverance from sin would not be sal
walton. Telling a MAJ how he could
get drunk and escape the headache in
the morning would not save him:
showing him how he can get rid of the
drunkenness, even if the headache re-
mains, does save him. If a good man
were to go to hell and stay there, he
would be saved; if q bad man were to
go to heaven and stay there he would
be lost.
This is the first simple truth / want
to put before you. Salvation is char
acter. Nothing much depends on
where we are, everything on what we
are. Not on our condition, but on our
character, does life depend. Aud al
though it is true that under G IDS gov
eminent, in the long run, penalty fol
lows sin; although it is true that under
Gods government, happiness, the
highest type and form of happiness,
follows virtue and goodness; the good
ness is not for the happiness, the good
ness is for It's own sake. Il were bet
ter to be q righteous, honest, true, viz.
tuous, good man and suffer eternaIly
than to be a mean, ignoble, despicable
character and be clothed in fine linen
and fare sumptuously eternally. Sal
walton is character; it is deliverance
from sin; it is lifting the man out of
the lower life and Bringing him into
the higher life; it makes a man of one
who is only in semblance a man or
only half a man.
Now, if this be true, the conditions
OF the salvation must themselves be
conditions In character. If salvation
is a change in condition, then exter.
nal things may change his condition,
then external things may change his
condition and 60 save him; but if sal
walton is character, then tie coDdi
ton must be in the character itself and
the change must be in the character.
A mob may tear down the Bastille and
set the pris 1uers therein free, but q
mob cannot make guilty men innocent.
They can nc more make guilty men
innocent by setting them free from
prison than they can make Innocent
men guilty by hanging them without
a trial. II salvation is character, then
the condition Of salvation is in the
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