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VOL. IV. RlCHMOf1
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"Shall the thing formed say to Hun that formed
it, why hast thou made me thust Or, hath not
ilic potter power (a right) over the clay, from the
same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor,
and another unto dishonorf"?Rom. 9:20, 21.
The epistle to the Romans falls into two
general divisions. The first division is doctrinal,
and the second ethical. The first consists
of Chapters 1-11, and teaches what we are to
believe concerning God. The second embraces
Chapters 12-16, and declares the duties God
requires of man. This epistle, therefore, contains
in broad outline the scope and plan of
divine revelation.
The first, or doctrinal division, may be subdivided
into two sections of definite character.
The first of these consists of Chapters 1-8, and
proclaims the doctrine of salvation by grace in
its application to the sinner. The fall has affected
his legal status as well as his moral
character. Salvation accomplishes his complete
restoration to divine favor. Justification
and adoption affect his legal standing, while
regeneration and sanctification affect his moral
character. The second of t.hp?A cnh-Hivi
sions consists of Chapters 9-11, and declares the
doctrine of salvation by grace in its relation
to the eternal purpose of God.
If this short section of Romans were the all
of divine revelation, we might resign ourselves
to the gloom of fatalism. Not because fatalism
is taught here or even implied, but because
these subjects are so profound our minds could
uot fathom them. But it is not all of the Scriptures.
Where there is one passage presenting
the doctrines of election, predestination and,
tore-ordination in its relation to the lost, there
are nine?even in the writings of Paul himself,
which are so plain and so fervent in their appeal
to all men, that the humblest of us may
believe.
The Scriptures clearly assert two great facts.
I'irst, the transcendence of God in the work
of redemption; and second, the moral agency
and responsibility of every rational agent.
Since the doctrines above mentioned are expressly
declared in God's Word and in the passage
before us, it becomes our duty to investigate
the teachings of the Scriptures on these
subjects. Let us notice
THE CLAY IN THE POTTER'S HANDS.
Hiis figure of speech was not original with
' aul, though he elaborated it. In Isaiah 64: 8,
the Prophet exclaims: "But now, 0 Lord,
1 hou are our Father; we are the clay, and
' hou our Potter; and we are the works of,thy
hands." In Jer. 18:2-6. The Prophet was
?f>mmanded to go down to the potter's house.
ID. NEW ORLEANS, ATLANTA, JULY
rER AND 1
BY REV. S. B. LANDER
lie saw the potter fashioning a vessel on his
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tt mvv?. x aiu ?uoovi i? ao uiaiicu 111 itio uauua,
and the potter made of it another vessel. The
Lord spake to the Prophet, saying: "Behold,
as the clay in the potter's hands, so are ye in
my hands, 0 house of Israeli"
Both of these Prophets used this figure with
reference to the Hebrew people, but the Apostle
applies it to Jews and Gentiles alike?it
includes the whole human race.
Since clay, then, is a figure applied to all
men, and God is described as fashioning it,
let us ask?"What is the natural condition
of the clay?"
IT IS VALUELESS UNLESS FASHIONED BY THE
POTTER.
Those qualities of clay from which the choicest
pottery is molded are without value unless
WHAT MATTERS
It matters little where I was born,
Or if my parents were rich or poor;
Whether they shrank from the cold world's
scorn,
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kji w?tx&eu m uue pnae 01 weaitn secure;
But whether I live an honest man,
And hold my integrity firm in my clutch,
I tell you, my brother, as plain as I can,
It matters much!
It matters little how long I stay
In a world of sorrow, sin and care;
Whether in youth I am called away,
Or live till my bones and pate are bare;
But whether I do the best I can
To soften the weight of adversity's touch
On the faded cheek of my fellow man,
It matters much!
It matt.Ars lift]A wVlAro Ka m-tr omtto
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On the land or on the sea,
By purling brook or 'neath stormy wave,
It matters little or naught to me;
But whether the Angel of Death come*" down
And marks my brow with his loving touch,
As one that shall wear the victor's crown,
It matters much!
?Selected.
they fall into the potter's hands. That kind
of clay is absolutely valueless for agriculture.
It is fit for nothing except for pottery. The
handsomest vase, therefore, does not derive its
value from the clay out of which it was made,
but from the skill and genius of its maker.
Paul asserts that this fitly represents the
original condition of all men. In Rom. 3 -.23, he
says: "All have sinned and come short of the
glory of God." Are our children, then, born
sinners by nature? In 1 Cor. 15:21, 22. The
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HIS CLAY
Apostle says: "For, since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead,
bor, as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall
all be made alive." He does not say all have
been made alive in Christ, though our Lord
had completed the scheme of redemption and
had returned to the Father's right hand. It
is evidence, then, that He means that all have
died in Adam, and all who are made alive
must be made alive in Christ- The Annatle
teaches clsarly here and elsewhere, as do the
whole Scripture, that we, as a race of beings,
are born morally imperfect, and each of us
has entered this world inclined to evil.
An illustration?An unborn child does not
suffer from hunger, or thirst, yet it has not
only a natural capacity for food and drink but
a positive appetite for both. He suffers no
conscious pain or comfort, yet he has the capacity
for both. He does not experience joy
or sorrow, but has a capacity and an actual
tendency to each. Why are these things true?
The answer is, it is his nature. In like manner
he has committed no actual violation of divine
law, but inherits a sinful nature from sinful
parents' from whom he has descended by ordinary
generation. Since he has inherited an
imperfect nature, he is a sinner; because all
moral imperfection is sin. We notice also that
THE CLAY HAS NO POWER TO MOLD ITSELF.
Clay is totally destitute of all the forms of
life and power with which we are familiar.
It can do nothing to improve its original lack
of value. Sin has reduced our race to the same
helpless condition. God forbad Adam to eat
of the tree of knowledge on the pain of death.
Did disobedience bring death? Why else
would God have promised salvation and a Savior,
who would bruise the serpent's head?
Would God have promised salvation to one
who was not a sinner? A fearful change was
wrought in Adam's moral nature. He became
sinful, and mortal as a consequence of sin.
If the ruin of our nature had not been complete
and our condition hopeless, why would
the Father have sacrificed His only becrotten
Son on the cross? Our Lord Jesus said: "I
came that ye might have life and have it abundantly."
Would He have come to bring life
to those already alive? He came because we
were dead in trespasses and in sins.
When Jesus came to the grief-stricken home
at Bethany, He found the body of His friend,
lijix.jirus, in a tomb, lie could not escape from
its corruption. He could not throw aside the
grave-clothes that enshrouded his lifeless body.
More than that: Lazarus had left no desire
to escape. He was dead. Death had wrecked
Lazarus completely, so far as this life and this