The Penn's Grove record., 1904-11-04

-,
G. B., LL.D.-The Spiritual Helpless
ness and HOpelessness of Man.
LONDON, ENGLAND.-The following ad.
dress, entitled, MANS Condition, Gods
Remedy" was delivered at the Mildmay
Conference by Sir Robert Anderson, X. G,
b., LII. d.
The special subject assigned to me is
The Spiritual Helplessness of Man by
Nature, and the New Birth From Above
am not here to defend the dogmas that
theology has based upon this truth. What
concerns US is the truth itself. l say this
with emphasis, because of what is pass
ing around us.
And this should be our position in re-
gard to all the great doctrines of faith.
The age of creeds is passed. In days OF
chivalry, when men had respect for truth
and honor, creeds shut out those who
could not honestly accept them. But now
they avail nothing to protect the gold
against thieves and robbers" Men will
publicly, and in the most solemn way,
pledge their belief in every Christian
truth in order to gain Office in our
churches; and as soon as they secure the
prestige and pay which Office affords, they
use the pulpits to attack the very truths
they are pledged and subsidized to defend.
This being so, let us abandon the out
works of our creeds, and, falling back
upon the Bible, stand four-square in its
defense.
In this spirit 1 approach my subject. /
am not ignorant of what theology teaches
about human depravity, nor Of the contro-
versies respecting it which preceded the
settlement of our creeds. But on this
platform l will recognize no authority save
an open Bible. My reason for saving this
IS because here, as on many other ques-
tons, the opponents of the truth owe their
vantage ground to what is called Chris
tian doctrine on the subject. For the
doctrine is inconsistent with facts, where
as between truth and fact conflict is i'm
possible.
A natural man, i. e., a man who has
not experienced the new birth, and who
has not the Spirit Of God, may live a
life of the highest morality and rectitude.
Scripture t~estifies that in these qualities
the Apostle Paul made no advance after
his conversion. 1t is no answer to this
to say that in his unconverted DAYS he
came under the external influences of d.
vine truth. The fact remains that they
were unconverted days, and that with
such an environment he was able to main
tain such a life of purity and piety and
zeal, albeit he was spiritually dead in sins.
He took to religion as another man might
take to pleasure, or to study, or to trade,
or to drink. But in this, as he himself
declares, he was only following his natural
bent["the desires of the flesh and of the
mind"
Neither is it an objection that such a
case is exceptional. What man has done
men may do. If the Fall made it impos-
sible for men to live pure and upright
lives, in would be unjust in God to judge
them for their vices.
Tharo NO 4u-o 1901 Ao-l--I -
ciples of divine judgment. With those
who hear the Gospel, the consequences Of
accepting or rejecting Christ are final and
lrreverslble. As for the rest, men viii be
judged by the law of their being, whether
as stamped on heart or conscience, or as
formulated in express commands at Sinai.
THE NATURAL MAN.
The first three chapters of Romans claim
notice here. The first chapter describes
the condition in which the mass of the
heather world was sunk even in days
%hen 1.-the tide of human progress and cul-
ture was at the food, and when, more
over, the great religious cults of classic
Paganism held up a standard of life as
high as any that apostate Christendom
presents-cults of which one at least had
such spiritual vitality that three centuries
afterwards it bid fair to supplant Chris
tianity as the religion Il am not speak
ing of the true Christianity of the true
Church of Cod maintained its ascend
ancy, it was first by penal laws of ex-
IRENE severity, and second by adopting
the chief characteristic rites and errors
of the Paganism which it thus prosecuted.
These things need stating if we are to
understand Alright the closing words of
the first chapter of Romans. The vile
practices of the heather world were not
due to ignorance. They knew that their
deeds were evil. They knew the judg-
things were worthy of death, and yet they
practiced them.
But the case of Saul of Tarsus was
wholly different. If what men call con-
science were the arbiter of human con-
duct; if that were right which a man
honestly believed to be right, his was a
perfect life. As judged by any and every
human standard, Saul of Tarsus was a
pattern saint; but as judged by God he
was a pattern sinner. And if you read
the middle verses of Romans 8 intelligent
ly, this is the lesson you will learn from
them: 1t is Gods estimate of the life
of the natural man at his best-the life of
the upright, pious, jealous jew under law.
For that which is highly esteemed among
men is a~bomination in the sight of God"
The story is told of the first Duke of
Cambridge, that when, in the reading of
the Decalogue, the Seventh Commandment
was reached, instead of the orthodox re-
Spouse, he answered, in an aside, that was
plainly audible, Il never did that" But
here was a mar who could make a like
Decalogue. GAS touching the righteous
ness that is in the law, blameless." Such
was his pround boast.
You will say, perhaps, that this only
proves that he was utterly bin and dead.
But that is precisely what / am insisting
on; that so far is it from the truth that
human nature is hopelessly corrupt and
depraved, as men judge of corruption and
depravity, that a natural man may live a
that would put to shame half the
saints in the calendar. BY a course of un-
Christian asceticism and severe penances
for furnishing the body" these calendar
saints attained to what men deem saint
ship. But to this man saintship was as
as sin was to many of the saints
Of the calendar.
One of the tests which people hold to be
final is that man shall do his best"
What more can possibly be expected of
him? This man did his best" and his
was a record that has never been
beaten. What purity of life was his!
What pIetyl What burning zeal! What
self-sacrihcing devotion to what he be-
to be the cause of Godi But looking
back upon it all, he writes, WHO was be-
fore a blasphemer." And what a bias
And SO, when he comes under the Divine
.searchlight, he declares himself the chief
Of sinners. Scanning the long line of all
the sinners of the race, he takes his place
at their head, of whom | am the first"
Ii these were not the words of an in
spired Apostle in an inspired epistle, we
suspect exaggeration. And yet they
only express the well recognized principle
privilege increases responsibility and
responsibility deepens guilt. OF course he
knew no better. But that only made his
case the worse, for if ever there was a
man who ought to have known better it
was he. And so he takes his place as
chief of sinners" And he humbly adds,
Il obtained mercy"
And he repeats this. For he was twice
nercied. 1t is not Gods way to put
olasphemers into the ministry. And so, as
ne thinks of the Lords Exceeding album
liant grace" in calling him to the apostle
ship, he says, Il obtained mercy, because
did it %ignorantly in belief" But for a
ost. dead sinner a plea like this avails
absolutely nothing. For such, the one
md only plea is ~'that Christ Jesus came
INTO the world to save sinners"
THE WORK OF REDEMPTION.
The Epistle to the Romans goes on to
fhp doctrine of coIvott1u g.. ..