The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1904-10-29

bers one by one. And each one must
submit to the searching test of the
new birth. he must be born again. God
does not receive men In carload lots and
permit the ungenuine to slip In with the
genuine, as the grain merchant might
the inferior corn that had been mixed
with that OF first grade.
NTEIHTER has God turned over the
! " registry Office of His Kingdom to
man and commissioned him to write the
certificates of membership. But one
would think so to hear the bland way in
which some men. and even ministers,
discuss the matter and persuade men to
Identify themselves with the visible
church on earth. Not long since at
gathering of ministers and lay delegates
of one of the large denominations
prominent pastor of one of the large
city churches delivered formal address
on the topic: Evangelism for an Age
of Culture" in which he emphasized and
reiterated the statement that the old
Gospel of emotion and feeling was being
supplanted by religion Of what he
called reason. Men were no longer to
be influenced in the old way by the Cos
pei. The test was no longer to be what
a man experienced in his heart, but what
he was in his life. He told the story Of
a young woman of sweet and lovely
character whose life was devoted to
works of benevolence and philanthropy,
but who was not q member Of any
church, neither felt inclined to be. He
told of how In conversation with her he
asked her II she did not love Jesus and
sion. What do you mean by loving
Jesus?" she asked. And he explained
that 1t was loving the good and doing
good and living in harmony with the
teachings Of Christ. He told her she was
Christian without knowing 1t. And
this cultured and benevolent young
woman eventually accepted his view OF
the case and united with his church.
God grant that the work of Gods grace
had been wrought in her heart and that
she was really born into the Kingdom Of
God, but such views and methods as
were held and pursued by this pastor
are pernicious and dangerous. and are
the means Of getting into the churches
an unregenerate element which event.
ually may destroy the spiritual life and
evangelizing force of the church. 1t Is
a usurpation of the Divine prerogative!
1t Is destructive of the true mission of
Christ to the world! 1t Is direct and
positive ignoring of the plain teachings
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
XY1HEN Jesus Christ said that except
w man be born again, he cannot see
the Kingdom of God" believe He
meant just exactly what He said And
when He goes on to define the new birth
as an operation Of the Spirit of God and
something distinct and apart from the
operation of the flesh, or the natural
man, I know that Salvation Is not some
thing which man can get himself into by
his own effort, but something which God
does for him, "for by grace are we saved
faith; and that NOT OF YOUR
SELVES; it is the GIFT OF GOD" And
IL the new birth is an operation Of the
Holy Spirit, and l hear Jesus say that
the Spirit shall convince Of sin and
and Judgment to come"
I know that the test of membership in
the Kingdom of God is not what man is
in his external life. that it is not what he
does for himself, even though he pro-
duce character that bears likeness to
Christian principles, but that It is tes.
Of what the Holy Spirit has done with
in the heart. l do not believe that 1t is
possible for one to experience the re-
generative work of Gods Spirit and live
in utter ignorance of the blessed trans
for God plainly declares that
"the Spirit beareth witness with our
spirit that we are the sons of God"
There is a witness within which is better
and more reliable than all the external
evidences of church membership or ex-
cellences of character. The solemn |
charge to Nicodemus Is one which comes
to every soul: "Ye must be born again"
It is not: Ye must be made over, ye |
must be renovated, for at the very best |
when you get through you have the |
same old man, for that which is born OF |
the flesh Is flesh" But 1t is: Eye must |
be born again" Yemust be regenerated.
Ye must be made anew.
Lad Jesus been talking to the sinful |
woman who had come in repent |
ance to anoint His head and feet with |
oil or with Zaccheus, the despised and |
hated publican, 1t would not be strange |
hat confusion should arise as to ths |
need of and meaning of regeneration.
Il can be readily understood how the
woman Of the town and the extortionate
needed to be made new
creatures, but when it was Nicodemus,
that splendid, God-fearing and God
like man, who was being plainly and
told that except he was
created anew by the Spirit Of God, no
matter what his standing in the syna-
gogue and the community, he could
lever see the Kingdom Of God, 1t puts
a different light upon the matter. And,
oh. men and women of to-day, who are
striving to live accord
ng to the precepts of Gods Word, who
are giving of their time and their effort
to make the lives of others brighter
and better. oh, we modern Nicodemuses.