Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1913-09-18

s.s#sM like crimson they
shall be as wool"
Jesus asked the
question, what
think ye Of Christ? There must be
some reconciliation between this claim
Of reason and the text,
In the first place we must have in
mind the person receiving the appeal
he is unrighteous. He may be con
trasted with the wicked man referred
to in the same verse, but the matter
OF his unrighteousness, or unregen-
erateness is the thing now to be held
In mind. Then we must consider the
sphere of thought. The man is not
askedsto forsake all his thinking. for
in some things his thoughts are cor
rect, indeed, more correct than those
of the righteous man. Those things
belong to the unregenerate state and
he thinks rightly on them. Ministers
sometimes preach to their congrega-
lions on subjects that are not spirit
ual, and many that are in theIpews
know far more about the subject than
the preacher, and often smile at his
ignorance. The unrighteous man
thinks quite properly On finance, COM.
merce and politics, but when it comes
to spiritual things he is out of his
realm. Here the person who may be
of very limited intellectual attain
ments may be his instructor. The At
rican or Korean may know far more
OF spiritual things, because born again,
than the educated European. Thus
we find that the appeal is to the IN
righteous person, and the sphere of
thought Is the spiritual. Here is
where the unrighteous man is asked
not to think. And why?
The words of the lord, my thoughts
are not your thoughts" Imply that
there is some u~nfavorable comparison
between the thoughts OF the lord and
those of unregenerate "a Gods
thoughts are certainly always right.
II this be true, mans thoughts are
| certainly wrong. When man stands
naked before God this fact will be
demonstrated to the confusion Of null
titudes.
We may also say the unrighteous
man should forsake his thoughts be-
cause they have been shown to be
usually wrong. That mar has some
sphere may be conceded, or response
bility would be %lessened, but the law
of his thinking is wrong. Habitually
his thoughts are wrong. A compari-
sol of mans thoughts and those of
! the lord as given in the Bible clearly
demonstrates this. When Jesus was
on earth he said to the Pharisees that
should be heard for their much speak
ing, that is, a prayer 20 minutes
long was twice as good as one ten
minutes long. The Bible declares that
lei thought God to be as one Of
themselves. Simon Magus thought
that the gift of the holy spirit could
be had for money, and the apostle pro-
nounced a fearful curse on him. He
has successors in these days. Naaman
furnishes us an Illustration of how
men think as to the conditions Of re.
demption. He thought that the
prophet Elisha would coma1out and
call on his God and pass his hand
oyer the place of the leprosy-but
nothing Of the kind. He was simply
Instructed by the prophet, who did not
seem overwhelmed with the great
Syrfan's m~agnifcence, to dip seven
times in the Jordan, and his flesh
should be as that of a little child
4 How squarely are mans thoughts on
redemption opposed to- Gods simple
requirement to repent and believe!
Again, as long as man Is unregen
crate he-has a principle in him thai
vitiates all right thinking on spiritua
subjects. Here it may be said sir
lieth at the door. The stream canno1
be pure If the fountain is~fou1. One
of the tests Of a mans regeneratt
state is his changed thinking on spirit
ual subjects. He see things differ
emily, a new world has been opened
to him.
Another reason for forsaking hi.
thoughts is that he is wasting time il
doing that which has already beer
done, even conceding that he thinks
rightly. One may ask in wonder, an
I not to think. this religious problem
out for myself? No. 1t has alread,
been thought out, and the record Is Il
the Bible. Some one may say this in
Inmates ready-made thinking, an,
ready-made things are to be suspect
ed. We do not suspect a suit o
clothes ready to be put on If pul
Ichased at reputable store, Tor Y
!. piece OF furniture. nor prepared foods
This is an age Of ready-made things
and If we have the guaranty that tn
maker is reliable We may be content
God has thought all these thingsao ut
No mar could have done it.