66 SIGNS THE THE TIMES, DEVOTED TO THE OLD SCHOOL BAPTIST CAUSE, PUBLISHED THE FIRST AND FIFTEENTH OF EACH MONTH. BY GILBERT BEEBE'S SON, MIDDLETOWN, ORANGE CO., NEW YORK, To Whom all letters should be addressed, and money orders made payable. EDITORS: F. A. Chick, Hopewell, N. J. ORUDEN'S COMPLETE (STUDENT'S EDITION) CONCORDANCE TO THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, (Which enables any one to readily find any passage of Scripture of which they can call to mind two or three words.) With a Complete Table of Proper Names, with their meanings in the Original Languages, a Concordance to the Proper Names of the Old and New Testaments, a Concordance to the Apocrypha, and a Compendium of the Holy Scriptures, &c. The above described book of 719 pages 6x9 inches, we will mail postage paid for one dollar and nifty cents; or B. L. Beebe, Middletown, N. Y. PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. BY JOHN D. MCCABE. This work is no dry mass of details --no bombastie effort to inflame the national pride, but a vivid and brilliant narrative of the events of our history, from the discovery of the American Continent down to 1893. The work is printed from plain, new type, on fine calendered paper, and comprised in one octavo volume of 960 pages. It is splendidly embellished with nearly 500 fine engravings, embracing battles and other historical scenes, portraits of distinguished men, views of our principal cities, &c., &c. Bound in Fine Silk Cloth, Plain Edges, $2.00, paid. Post G. BEEBE'S SON, Middletown, Orange Co., N. Y. SIGNS OF THE TIMES. DEVOTED TO THE OLD SCHOOL BAPTIST CAUSE. 66 VOL. 65. THE SWORD OF THE LORD AND OF GIDEON.” MIDDLETOWN, N. Y., MAY 1, 1897. CORRESPONDENCE. REPLY TO MR. WALKER. MR. WALKER says, "We believe in the doctrine of election and predestination, and that God loves the world with pity, and graciously invites the whole race of Adam to obey his law and live. And that the law of grace commands all men everywhere to repent." NO. 9. Manifestly not the law of grace, because the whole world is not under that. The law of grace belongs to the church only. They only can obey it. Paul says, "They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." A man must be translated from the power of darkness, into the kingdom of his dear Son, before he can be under the law of grace. Before the new birth, a man is I am very sorry that any man claiming under the law of sin and death; but after to be a Primitive Baptist, has no higher the new birth, he is delivered from the conception of the high and lofty One who law of sin and death, and is under the inhabits eternity than this. He first says law of grace. David says, "The law of that we believe in election and predesti- the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." nation. Now, if any one will read the And Paul says, "The law of the Spirit of whole sentence, and find the doctrine of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free election and predestination set forth in from the law of sin and death.” And it, he will have a more acute eye, and a also, "For God, who commanded the more comprehensive mind, than I have. light to shine out of darkness, hath He next says, "God loves the world with shined in our hearts, to give the light of pity, and graciously invites the whole the knowledge of the glory of God in the race of mankind to obey his gracious law, face of Jesus Christ." And God himself and live." Mr. Walker simply ignores says, "I will make a new covenant with the atonement, and bases salvation upon the house of Israel, and with the house the works of the law; because he says of Judah." "For this is the covenant that "God invites the whole race of that I will make with the house of Israel Adam to obey his gracious law, and live." after those days, saith the Lord: I will What law does he have reference to? put my laws into their mind, and write eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but is shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Does this look like God was inviting all men everywhere to obey his law and live? them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their An invitation implies that a person can iniquities I will remember no more." Now accept or reject; that is, it gives him the these Scriptures plainly teach that unre- privilege of choosing either. If God generate man is under the law of sin and gives man the privilege of choosing right, death; that he is walking according to he also gives him the privilege of choosthe course of this world, and is by nature ing wrong. If we invite a friend home a child of wrath, until the law of the with us, we mean that he is welcome, and spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes him that we desire his presence at your home; free from the law of sin and death, or but if he refuses to come, he has done no until the Lord shines in his heart, to give wrong; he has committed no sin. So if him the light of the knowledge of the God invites a sinner to repent, and he acglory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. cepts the invitation, God will bless him; But now he is delivered from the law; but if he rejects it, God will not punish that being dead wherein he was held, him, because he gave him the choice to that he should serve in newness of spirit, do as he chose. Suppose you were to and not in the oldness of the letter. prepare a great feast, and invite me to Paul also says, "When ye were the ser- come. Would you have any right to vants of sin, ye were free from righteous-punish me if I refused? But is this the ness;" that is, ye were not under the law way the Lord deals with men? Peter of grace. "But now being made free says, "Him (Christ) hath he exalted with from sin, ye became the servants of God," his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior or the subjects of Christ's kingdom, and for to give repentance to Israel, and forhence are under the laws and regulations giveness of sins." Thus repentance is of that kingdom. Will Mr. Walker point the gift of God, and not an offer that can out one passage of Scripture where God be accepted or rejected. It is also given invites the whole race of Adam to obey to Israel, or to the church, and not to the his law and live? God does not deal world. "And so all Israel shall be saved: with man as though he were himself a as it is written, There shall come out of man. "His thoughts are not our Sion the deliverer, and shall turn away thoughts, neither are his ways our ways; ungodliness from Jacob," not from the for as the heavens are higher than the world. Thus we see that every one to earth, so are his ways higher than our whom the Lord grants repentance, shall ways, and his thoughts than our thoughts. be saved. Repentance follows regeneraFor as the rain cometh down, and the tion. It is one of the fruits of the spirit. snow from heaven, and returneth not No man can say that Jesus is the Lord hither, but watereth the earth, and mak- but by the Holy Ghost. How can man eth it bring forth and bud, that it may repent until he is thus taught by the give seed to the sower, and bread to the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Lord? "No man knoweth the Father, save the Son, If the natural man could of himself reand he to whomsoever the Son will reveal pent, it would be a righteous act. But him." "And all thy children shall be Paul here says it is not by works of taught of the Lord; and great shall be righteousness that we have done. But the peace of thy children." Hence we Paul, if it is not by works of righteoussee there must be a revelation, or a divine ness, what is it by? He answers, it is by calling of God, before a sinner can repent. the washing of regeneration and the reNow let us examine the Scripture, and newing of the Holy Ghost. Hear Paul see what class of people are commanded again, "But God who is rich in mercy, to repent, and what brings about that re- for his great love wherewith he loved us, pentance. Arminians say that every one even when we were dead in sins, hath is commanded to repent. If this be true, quickened us together with Christ." the unregenerate sinner has power within "For by grace are ye saved, through him to repent. But what does repent- faith; and that not of yourselves: it is ance in the Bible mean? It means a the gift of God." Any reasonable man turning away from sin. Arminians say will admit that these persons to whom that any man can turn away from his Paul was writing, were first dead in tressins. But how can a man turn away passes and sins; that they were natural from a thing in which all his desires and men; that they were living after the affections are centered? "That which is flesh; that they had no spiritual life in born of the flesh is flesh; and that which them, and that they knew nothing of is born of the Spirit is spirit." The nat- spiritual things, but that they were so ural mind has no desire for the things of dead that it was absolutely necessary the Spirit. The things of this world are that they should be raised from the dead, all that the natural mind delights in, be- or quickened from the dead into divine cause they are all that it knows anything life, before they could perform a single about. Paul says, "They walk according spiritual act. Life must always precede to the course of this world, according to action. As a man must have natural the prince of the power of the air." The life before he can act naturally, so also same apostle also says, "For we our- he must have spiritual life before he can selves also were sometimes foolish, diso-act spiritually; or in other words, he bedient, deceived, serving divers lusts must be translated from this natural and pleasures, living in malice and envy, world, into the kingdom of our Lord hateful and hating one another. But Jesus Christ. Here then are two kingafter that the kindness and love of God doms and two kings, one for each kingour Savior toward man appeared; not by dom. The prince of the power of the air works of righteousness which we have rules in the kingdom of this world, and done, but according to his mercy he Jesus Christ rules in his kingdom. Now saved us, by the washing of regeneration, it is impossible to to pass from one and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Paul kingdom to the other, without being here points out very plainly the things in translated from the power of the one, to which the natural man delights, and then the power of the other. This translation says that salvation is not by works of is by a birth. Being first born into this righteousness which we have done, but ac- natural world, we are governed by the cording to his mercy that he has saved us. | laws of this world, and even so when born into the spiritual kingdom, we work in the salvation of a sinner is to become subject to the laws of that king-quicken him into divine life. Then for dom. Now these two births have both the first he realizes that he is a sinner, taken place without any aid or assistance and that he needs a Savior. He then befrom the one born. In the first birth we are gins to realize that salvation must be by born of corruptible seed, and bring forth the imputed righteousness of Christ. All corrupt fruit; in the second birth we are his intercessions are now unto God for born of incorruptible seed, and will bring mercy. And this godly sorrow brings forth good fruit. The fruits of the first about a repentance to salvation not to birth are these, adultery, fornication, un- be repented of. It certainly would have cleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witch-been a great mistake or oversight in the craft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, God of heaven to demand repentance of strife, sedition, heresies, envyings, mur- every individual of the human race, and ders, drunkenness, revellings, and such then not devise the means to carry his like. But the fruit of the spirit is love, plan into execution. Man may talk about joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, an unjust God; but when salvation is goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. made to depend upon the obedience or Now will Arminians tell me what a man repentance of the creature, he is declared can do in the first kingdom that will to be the most unjust and partial being translate him into the second kingdom? that the mind can conceive of. In the If the natural or corrupt man can repent, first place, by this plan at least threethen the corruptible seed would bring forth fourths of the human race would be at incorruptible fruit, which is contrary not once cut off from all hope of salvation, only to the plain teachings of the Bible, for they have never heard the gospel. but also to the natural reason. That And the conditions of those who live in which is born of the flesh is flesh, and it christendom are not the same. Some have can bring forth nothing but that which is been reared by drunken and criminal fleshly and corruptible, while the spiritual parentage, while others have been reared birth produces only spiritual fruit. If by good christian parentage, and have these arguments are true, we are forced had all the good moral teaching needful to the conclusion that faith, repentance to the development of good moral habits. and belief, are all the fruits of the new In fact a thousand things enter into the birth. Paul says, "For godly sorrow formation of the mind and character of worketh repentance to salvation not to men and women. The natural turn and be repented of: but the sorrow of the training of some has been such as to renworld worketh death." Here We are der them very obstinate, and not easy to taught that repentance is the fruit of be persuaded or turned; or, as the Argodly sorrow alone. But we might ask what brings about this godly sorrow in the sinner? Will repentance bring it about? No. Godly sorrow must come first, according to the apostle. No truth is more clearly stated in the Scriptures than this, that man is by nature dead in trespasses and sins, and that the first minian says, they have become so hardened in sin, that the Lord himself cannot turn them. While the natural turn and training of others has been such that they can be easily persuaded or turned to any belief. Now in order that this theory may be true, and God just at the same time, all these influences and forces must |