The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1922-07-05

life called new
birth. We enter this life by birth:
pur entrance upon eternal life must
be preceded also by birth. Sin has
effaced In man both the moral and
spiritual image of God. The new birth
restores both. This is the uniform
testimony Of Scripture. The best that
tan be said Of the old nature, declared
to be dead in trespasses and sin (Eph.
ED, is that it retained, In spite of the
fall, capacity TO receive new life
from God and respond to His known
will.
The parable of the sOwer aptly IL
Illustrates this. Therein four kinds Of
boil are represented. In three cases
the soil Is inhospitable. In one case
only is the soil good But even here it
Does not germnDte the seed nor create
life within it. Ii only receives II, for
which it has the capacity and fur
nishes hOspitable environment in
which it may develop and grow. The
Interpretation of the parable as gen
orally given treats of the soil as the
human heart, and of the seed as the
Word of God. 1t is therefore the plant
Ing Of the Living Word In the heart
(Which has the capacity TO receive 1t
ind furnish a hospitable environment
for its developmenD that results in
the reproduction of the moral and
spiritual image of God This recep-
ton of the Living Word into heart
is definite, and more or less clearly
marked in the experience Of the indi-
vldual, being accompanied often by as
positive crisis as when a child is
born into the world. ... '.'t. ''.''
Ia His talk with NicOdemus (John
800, Christ gives us the one instru-
ment, the Living Word, and the one
active agent, the Holy Spirit, in effect
ing the wonderful transformation
called the new birth. These divine
elements of conversion are expressed
in other connections, as for instance,
'"That He might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the
Word" CEph. 5 :26) "Being born not
of corruptible seed, but of incorrupt-
ible, by the Word Of God, which llveth
and abideth forever" q Peter :23)
and According TO His mercy He
saved us, by the washing Of regener-
alton and the renewing of the Holy
Ghost" (Titus 800.
Whenever, therefore, the Spirit is
mentioned in connection with water
it signifies the Spirit of God operating
in and through the Word. To be born,
therefore, Of water and of Spirit, is
the New Testament way of saying
that the Divine Spirit Is the active
agent, and the Divine Word is the eff
fective instrument in the new birth Of
OF the soul. ut is the Spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh profiteth moth.
ing; the words | speak unto you they
are spirit, and they are life" John
6:63).
Here then from headquarters we
have statement that His Words are
yesx,;.spiritsssnd He ;,stsats tIitat ,Rard
and, Spirit spre, instrgpeptt ana agent
IN the immense Work OF creating a
new nature for the believer" SIN the
new .bistis tlen. the Word Of God,ds
the seed: the human heart is the soil
God by His Spirit opens the heart to
receive the seed the nearer believes.
the Spirit Qulckeus the implanted
seed into life in the receptive heart
the new divine nature springs up out
of the implanted Word; the believer
is born again, created anew, made
alive, passed out Of death into life"
A remarkable brick, taken from the
ancient wall of Babylon. bears the In
scriptiOn of one of its mighty kings.
In the center of the inscription Is the
footprint of dog. II was the custom
TO imprint the royal mark upon bricks
used for public works While this par
ticular brick was lying in its plastic
or soft state, drying in the sun, a
vagrant dog evidently trod upon it.
The kings inscription is entirely H.
legible, while the footprint of the dog
is perfectly distinct. SO sin has. Of.
faced the image Of God, leaving be-
hind its own unmistakable mark. The
divine method of recovering what was
lost in sin Is a new creation based on
nm net of faith In the finished work OF