The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-11-19
Rev. Steffey Talks to Largest Week.
Night Crowd Since Beginning
Series Of EvanseIistic
Talks,
SAUL'S CASE IS TAKEN
Regeneration Is Explained by thu
Speaker and Results Of This
Are Told In tho
Sermon.

Methodist Protestant church continues
to increase. notwithstanding the bad
might a splendid service was held last
leventng. Rev. Steffey spoke on the
subject, "The Supreme Pursuit" Serv-
Ices will be held this evening at 7:30
o'clock. Sunday afternoon at 500
o'clock a meeting for men will be held,
Rev. Steffey will speak to the men ON
the subject, Mans Need of a Hiding
Place" Every man in the city Is in
vited to attend the service. 80.
1.-The New Birth" was the subject OF
the sermon delivered last evening in
| the First Methodist Protestant church
by the pastor In the revival services
being held there. The speaker said
! in part, THE doctrine Of the new
birth, spiritual regeneration, is the
doctrine of our Lord. BY it we mean
the renewal of the whole soul in
righteousness and true holiness, the
operations of divine grace in fitting a
man for heaven. In this operation of
grace every grace Is given to the soul.
The Jews had a vague idea of the new
birth, but made it to consist in pro-
fession, confession and external wash
ing. So many today make their re-
generation to consist In simple con-
formity to ritual and ordinances.
Some have said that there is no saliva
ton without water baptism, and as
proof for the argument point out the
following, except man be born OF
water and of the spirit, he can not en-
ter into the kingdom OF God J am
convinced that Jesus In this text, made
no Illusion to water baptism, and II
He did, it is clear from the reading
that there is more to the new birth
than simply being baptized. But says
the man who believes in baptismal re-
generation, the holy ghost Ia never CIV
en- until after baptism with water This
same man will argue that God does
not hear a sinner pray. Now If can
give you one or more scriptual in
stances in which q man Is saved with
out baptism, and in which baptism fol
lowed the gift of the holy ghost, will
Int not stand to reason that other men
may be saved without water baptism,
and that such a baptism is not an es-
sential to salvation? Turn If you will,
to Acts 1871, 2, and read the follow
ing, There was certain man in
Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurian
of the band called the Italian band, a
devout man, and one that feared God
with all his house, which gave much
aims to the people, and prayed to God
always There Is no reference thus
far to his baptism, and according to
my ohjector, he is sinner, and there
fore God does not hear him pray. But
in the third verse we read that he
saw in a vision an angel Of God COM
ing in to him, and saying unto him,
Cornelius Now in the fourth verse
we read that the angel of God said to
Cornelius, Thy prayers and thine aims
are come up for a memorial before
God Need I ask did God hear this
sinner pray? Now Cornelius sends to
Joppa for one called Simon Peter, and
when he is come to the house of Corn
enus he expounded to those present
the fundamental truths Of the gospel,
and in the 44th and 47th verses we
read while Peter yet spake these
words, the holy ghost fell on all them
which heard the word. Then answered
Peter, can any man forbid water,
that these should not be baptized,
which have received the holy ghost as
well as we? No palmer truth can be
taught than that Cornelius was heard
by God to pray when yet without the
holy ghost, and that he received the
holy ghost, was spiritually regenerate
before he was baptized.