The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1903-01-08
Il -.
Two Works of Grace y
= y and Gods
y X Hand in 1t All
BY w. c. ANDERSON
CHAPTER III.

His names sake. "-Psa. 1913.
Regeneration, so to speak, is like a
child just entering the graded school
with only knowledge of the spiritual
alphabet, which is to teach it the way
OF eternal life in the spiritual kingdom.
But the conditions on which they are
to receive their diplomas are very diff
ferent as to time. On the one hand,
faith and obedience to the great school
master, the Holy Ghost, which is to be
their teacher: and on the other hand,
faith and obedience to the master Of
the sciences as well as long days,
weeks, months, and even years, OF
arduous toll and study before the pupil
con pass from the graded school to the
grand university. But when they do
pass and have been honored by their
teachers, they feel like they are the
wisest and most honored all who have
gone before them. But as in the nat
ural, so in the spiritual school, as God
turns on His spiritual light, they begin
to see how little they still know of the
wonderful mysterious things that are
yet to be learned about Gods divine,
holy, spiritual kingdom that is invis-
ible to the natural eye. \
Now AM aware Of the fact that God
will not give me His holy spirit to lead
me in writing this little book, unless
| make clean breast of all as write,
and as the spirit teaches. When was
convicted for the blessing of sanctifca-
tion and while / was still praying and
weeping for full salvation from sin
(Rom. 6-14), | thought that it was like
death, and 1 resolved to have it if it
took death to bring it, and that is what
it took. Rom. 6.19l. Death of the
old man..
When | received the Holy Ghost
with power, l must have been bigger
fool than any self-conceity, rich, inde-
pendent city dood that ever entered
any university with his first diploma.
Paul says: "Be not drunk with VINE
wherein is excess; but be filled with
the spirit "-Eph. 5-18. So l was
drunk indeed on the spirit of God, and
crazy drunk, for some of my casually
minded neighbors and near kin-folks
said so. But, praise God, see that
they said the same of Peter and all the
apostles on the day of Pentecost. See
Acts 2-3 to 10. To keep this spiritual
drunk up it requires more faith, truth,
prayer, fasting, love, conservation and
obedience to the great teacher, while
on the other hand it requires lmore
money and more whiskey. Hence
We see how much more easily it is to
keep up natural drunk than it is a
spiritual drunk. So the great teacher
has done the best he could with his
pupil till he now has him where he can
see that the wisdom of men is foolish
ness with God.
This spiritual kingdom is not con-
fined to certain men-names, creeds or
parties-but it is an entire spiritual
kingdom, and outwardly unites us with
the public profession that gives us
liberty to testify to all of Gods gifts
to His children.
Paul saw the tendency of the casual
child to divide Gods spiritual church
or kingdom into divers names aftel
their teachers, and fatty condemned it,
See first Co. 1-12 and 49, Neither did
he leave those out who say they have
: the new and the right name. If yor
will search Is. so and Samuel IL yoI
will find that new name John refers t.
r in Rev.
How often do young men and younl
women stop their college course to ge
I a position in the business kingdom ant
often when their knowledge Of the sci
ences is not sufficient to enable then
to fill the place to which they aspire
= though they may come highly recon
mended And very soon to their sham
1t they have to surrender the place to
J more worthy one. And as these thing
are true in the natural, they are eve
much more so in the spiritual as W
! see the word of God very clearl y an
f1rcibly teaches. We will take the cas-
of Elijah, when he passed by Elish
when he was blowing with twelve yok
- of oxen and cast his mantle on him
And when Elisha had asked leave t
return and kiss his father and mothe
and then would he follow him an
l. when he had returned and made sacr
fee of one yoke of oxen then he RI
turned and followed Elijah. Fir
Kings 1918 to 81.
When the time came for Elijah to /
taken up Elijah went with Elisha frol
Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elish
"Tarry here, / pray thee, for the Lo1
d. hath sent me to Bethel" And Elisl
It. said unto him: GAS the Lord livet
g. and as thy soul liveth, | will not lea'
at thee" So they went down to Bethe
O. and the sons of the prophets that we
s- at Bethel, came forth to Elisha al
said unto him: "Knowest thou tn
- the Lord will take away thy mast
from thy head today" And he sai
"Yea, | know it; hold your place
And this was repeated at Bethel al
Jerico, but still he followed him aero
the Jordan. Kings 81 to z.
So we find that there must be !
nd stopping and tarrying at regeneratio
St. John 3-3. Nor at sanctifcatio
Rom. 1915. Neither at the anointiy
"a John 2.27. But, like Elisha, follow (
- through the whole spiritual cole
and then covet earnestly the best gi
Cor. 1881. AS Elisha did doul
portion of Elijah's spirit. There 6
business institutions in these Unit
States that will not employ any ms
Young or old, that use even tobacco
IS any form. Such institutions shou
receive the applause of every child
God, If presidents Of great instii
tions have given orders that none SD
serve in their employ that use
filthy weed in any way, what abe
God setting you into His body,
church, to minister in divine h
ket things before you have cleansed yol
self from all filthiness of the flesh a
- spirit. 9 Cor. TT. How can we co
any earthly institution in point Of p
ity to Gcd's church, Oh, how ma
can only see men as trees walking q