The news & observer., 1901-11-20
"YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN"
WAS MONDAY NIGHTS SUBJECT
The Evangelist breaches a Sermon Full Of
Earnestness and Vivid With Life
And Power.

| AND rover.
Another great congregation Monday
night gathered to hear the sermon on
degeneration" which had been an
nounced as the subject.
/ me people were present early and at
1;3O the song and prayer service began.
/ Ihere was deeper interest shown in
the singing but more voices are needed
In the choir. Recognizing this an invi-
tation is extended by the church officers
| to the members of the various cnors in
the city and to all singers to come for
ward to the choir, bringing their cwn
note books for singing from Gospel
| HYMNS l to 6.
| Before the beginning of the service
there were earnest prayers offered by
Rev. James Thomas, of Wilson, pastor of
the Presbyterian church. and by Presid-
ing Elder Gibbes. of the Methodist
| church. Then after some explanatory re-
marks by Rev. Eugene Daniel, there
was collection taken for incidental ex-
penses.
| Evangelist Pearson, before beginning
| his sermon, repeated the notice of the
| afternoon meetings to be held by Mrs.
Pearson at $3.50 on Tuesday Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday for ladies. He said
| that he had noticed a remarkable COIN
| cidence in the date of this meeting and
| the one of fourteen years ago which he
| had conducted here. Both began on
| November 18th. He told the congrega-
tion that meeting such as that need
not be looked for again, as all are not
| alike. and that such as that one came
| only in generation. That which was
needed in Rleigh was not an ingathering
| of members. as some pastors now had
two Or three times as many in their
churches as they ought to, but the
need was for a deepening, broadening,
heightening Of the membership already
! in the churches. What is needed, he in
| sisted is that there be more tone, more
| conservation, more Cody, consistent
living among those who are enrolled as
church members.
He then announced that his subject
would be Regeneration, or becoming
Gods child; that Tuesday night it would
| be Conservation, Gods child his SER
want; Wednesday night, Baptism or
the filling of the Holy Spirit, in which
/ Gods servant becomes efficient in his
work. These are plain fundamental SER
mons,' said Mr.. Pearson. "but we have
so much shallow, inefficient, 'whooping
| up revivals that getting down to old
principles is needed: and l believe in a
simple doctrnal revival
Then followed an earnest prayer and
a hymn. after which Mr. Pearson an
nounced as his text the words of Christ
| from John 81, Marvel Not That I Said
Unto Thee, Ye Must Be Born Again"
This is an old theological doctrine,
and l want nothing better than the old
fundamental Gospel" he said. 'We
never get too old or too wise for it. This
regeneration or new birth is a vital.
fundamental doctrine. You may believe,
may be baptized, may take the sacra-
ment, may serve as a fireign missionary
| but If you have not been born again into
| the Kingdom of God you will land in e
solemn hell when YOU die
This is sweeping declaration, but
| it's true How do / know it? Why be-
cause Jesus says so in John 3:3: Except
| man be born again he cannot see the
Kingdom of God II makes no odds
what you or think when we have what
| Jesu SAYS in the matter"
Regeneration, he continued, SIS the
| pivot on which heaven and hell turn.
How important, then, that you and l
have a just conceptio nof this vital
! truth. 1t does not mean a physical
birth, but birth from above, and in
discussing this matter there are just
three questions to he considered:
| First-What is Regeneration?
] Second-Why Must / Be Regenerated?
Thrd-How Can l Be Regenerated?
| Mr.. Pearson then took up these three
| points and preached a sermon of great
| force, sermon that must have pinched
people at times, for he was merciless in
pointing out what God required of men,
He did not mince words. neither did he
| go beyond the limits in scoring defiance
to Gods law.
/ In the matter of description of Re
generation he divided it from the physi-
cal birth, and said it did not mean sim
| ply working over, but an absolute new
birth spiritually and that this was pc
culiarly Gods work, not mans. Born OF
the flesh you are fieshy born of the
spirit you are spiritual: there is nothing
| more, nothing less in the matter When
this new birth comes it is not a change,
but it is new nature. it is Christ in
| us. The carnal Adam is in conflict with
the spiritual Adam it is the evil of The
carnal Adam which affects the churches,
and Raleigh is running over with the
carnal.
Speaking along this line Mr.. Pearson
came to discussion of the incarnation
of God making him akin to man. Here
he exclaimed There is a fad known as
the 'Fatherhood of God 1t is univer-
sal lie. for God is alone the Father of
those who are regenerated. He made all
men, but he is the Father only of those
who are born of God as is told in Gala
tians 1885, The idea of a man not born
of God being His child is all bosh."
Speaking of the vicious and vile who
are not regenerated and of the cultured
| who are in the same condition he said,