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the same tiling. In regenorM’i'in the sinner receives
the Spir'it of adaption. But the question may be
asked, how can a man adopt his own son ? we sav
he ran not, but he can adopt tbd son of a stranger.
But ate not God’s chosen people Stranges in rela
tion to an eat tidy head ? (vz: our Fitl.er Alain,)
most certainly thev are, ILuice, Pud says, to hi>
Kpliesian brethren alter th -y had r* eetveil the
Spmt ot ad ption, which we say is-synonymous
with regeneration, ye are no more siiangers and
foietgncs, but fellow -oiuzeti* with the saints ano
the household of God, an.fare hrnlt. upon the l* mm
dation of I lie Apostles* anti’ prophets, JVsUs Ouris*
himself being the ehief e<truer stmy in whom all
the building fi ly fra® *d together, grovvetb unto a
holy temple in the L ed. and ye are a habitation of
God through the Spun. Turn we understand tha’
adoption lots icfeivi ee to our relation It) the fi >!
Adam am! tint to the second A lain, and that we
Weie letneined uol as the legetieiateti Sons t.f G< (I,
but as the ad p'. and sons ot God, andi hal In regen
eralitm v\e ivceive ihe iuiportation of life, which i
eternal lit**, atnl this life is in Ill's Son and no wheat
eW * t.*r he 11*a; ftatl’i the Sn fialh hfe, and In
that liath hot the Son of God hath not life. So w.
pence*Ve mat the itgeiieraied sons am the sons .J
God. in Hie pr* per sense ot tile word .~ous,
they have llie eternal life given to them, w hich lib
is m the Sn ot G id, according to John's ivcoml.
5U- chapter and 11 h Verse.
Now f.cco-dmg to wi ai we hare writl, is, vi> hr
J’eVe that li e life of Ihe chinch s i?i the Lml.fe-U
Cinist, and tfiar il is eiernal, and ih-.fc is Mie In.
g vet. or rath* r imparted to the, sheep of God. wind
are the ad pied sons of God.
N*'W that \.u iiMY be, and donf'iM-le
in \ our pita i'iuuig', i- I he sincere pit\er of ytiir.<*
JAME> 11. MONTGOMERY. M *.!era or,
HkAUXPON I ’ATTKKS *N. t Ik.
ED ITOLUAL.
WM. L. BEEBE, ) T? { |;* nrs
J.L. PtfRINGTON, j haiIOTS
COVINGTON, GA. : : : SEPT. 15, 1860
Remarks on Ezekiel xxxvi. 25.
“Then will 1 sprinkle clean wafer upon yon v and
ye shall lie clean ; from all your filthiness, and from
all your idols, will I cleanse you.”
Being requested to give our views of this Scrip
ture, we will state in the first place that as Nationa.
Israel, under the National Covenant, was finally re
jected of God, yet great were the blessings and prom
ises of God toward his New Covenant people, tin
spiritual Israel of God, as expressed in the text, and
in the preceding and subsequent verses. The hies.*-
ings of the New Covenant are wholly spiritual, ye
figurative language is often used to express the na
ture of those blessings, and the bestowal of then
upon the subjects thereof. The people that are
made the recipients of those blessings; are call
ed bv grace, as Abraham was called out of Ui
pf the Chaldees, and as the heirs of promise an
taken from among the heathen, and gathered out o
all countries, and are brought experimentally, int<
their own land, which is the gospel church and king
dom, where Jesus gives his people rest. Then at
SOUTI IE R N BAPT IST MESSENGER.
that time to ill J sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye
shall be clean. This-is-wliatl the Lord does, and not
man. When he sprinkles clean water upon: his peo
ple, they arc made clean. It is the: water of life, the
healing, cleansing, purifying fountain, of living wa
ters. There is a river,, the streams- whereof shall!
make glad the city of God ! , the holy place* of the'tab
ernacles of the Most High. To sprinkle, in. ofl-r text,
ia to. wash,, to cleanse, to purify. The declaration, is
unconditional ; the Lord says, “■ Twill sprih klc eleasn
water,” &e.. Here is no sprinkling of infants, or
adults,, by the priest, or clergyman.. No ou-tward ap
plication. of literal water, nor meats,nor drinks, nor
divers washings and carnal ordidanees, cam purify
the conscience from- dead works to serve thv living
GutL €)• no. The sprinkling of clean water, is sy
nonymows in. meaning with- the sprinkling of the
blood of Christ, As the? application, of clean water,
literally,, will* cleanse the body, and as under the old
dispensation, the blood of bulls, and of goats, and
the: ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sancti
fied.! to the purifying of the flesh ;; llow much more
shall the-blood ©f Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge
your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God, The use of much soap and nitre, the works of
mew, and the creature avail! nothing to cleanse sin
ners from their vileness and depravity. Truly “the
whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From
he side of the loot even unto the head there is no
;soundness in it ; but wounds and bruises and putri
lying sores.; they have not been closed, neither bound
up, neither mollified with’ointment.” But the Lord
hath said,. “ though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like
cron son, they shall be as wool.” Isa. i. When the
work of cleansing is performed by the sprinkling of
clean water, or with the washing of water by the
word, or in other words, by the bjood of Christ, the
1 r ntttffed sinner now saved, experimentally, can praise
the Lord, and say, not unto me, not unto me, bur
unto thy name, O Lord, belongs all the glory. This
sprinkling of clean water, or the blood of Christ, is
upon the funner, or in other words, the sinner is the
subject ©f is, and enjoys the blessedness which arises
from if.
From all your filthiness, and from all your idols ,
will I cleanse you. Not only in their first experience
of the work of grace in their deliverance from wrath
and condemnation, is the sprinkling of clean water,
or the cleansing blood of Christ applied by the llolv
Spirit, hut in their after experience they learn much
•if their need of this cleansing from their filthiness
and from their idols. Their language often is like
oneo.f old, “Cleanse thou me from secret faults.”—
Again, “Create in me a clean heart, and renew a
‘•iglit spirit within me,” The old man, or sinful na
ture of the saints, is opposed to the holy, heavenly,
and spiritual fife which is imparted to them, and of
vhieh thev are Ivorn again. Though they have ex
•<rTeneed the washing of regeneration, and renevv
n r of the Iloiv Ghost, yet the flesh is full of filthi
ess, and in love with forbidden objects. But the
piritual, or new man never sins, is never contami
ured with the filthiness ot the flesh, nor in love
with any of its idols. But in the practical walk,
nd course of conduct pursued, sometimes, by tlu
aims, much cleaning and purification is necessary
flie Lord Jesus sits as a refiner and purifier of sil
ver ; and ho shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge
hem as gold and silver, that they may offer unto tin
Lord an offering in righteousness. This work i.*-
going on, and will contiuue until the last vessel o.
mercy is experimentally called, justified, .and glorifi
ed. The Lord Jesus is like at refiner’s fire,, and like
fullers’ soap to purify and cleanse tfienn from all
their filthiness and id ole-. Therefore’ the work of
purification and cleansing ia-in safe hands}:under the
control ami government of Zion’s King.. Blessed is
the people, who can now nv the present tense, abide .
the day of his coining, and ean stand liis appearance;
Those who < an abide his e< mingy and stand his ap
pearance in the gospel chnreli and kingdom now
on earth, are the people whose offering is pleasant
unto the Lord, a* in the days of old', and’ as in for
mer years. They are the people who know the joy
ful sound, and who walk in the light of God’s coun
tenance, He has given them; anew heart,, and has
put anew spirit within, them, and: has taker, away
the stony heart out of their flesh,, and given them a
heart of flesh, or an obedient heart to do his will.—
lie has put his Spirit within themy and has caused,
them to walk in his statutes, and to keep his judg
ments, and do what he has commanded them. They
dwell safely in the heavenly land, into- which they
have entered by faith, and God is their God, and they
are his people. This is the described by
the prophet Zephaniah, “ The remnant of Israel:
shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies, reither shall a,
deceitful tongue be found in. their mouth,, for they
shall feed, and lie down, and none shall make them
afraid.” ‘ . P.
ii ru m ■ ii m —it—— ————————
11 ESC K LETS
From Aug. 2, to Sept. 25.
GEORGIA.—Mrs. S. Thompson. !; Eld. E. J.
Williams. \; I. Woodgrd. 4; J. Jarrell, 1; J. T.
Branati, 1 ; TANARUS, A. Middlehrooks, I ; A. Parrish, 2;
B. Doler, 5; E. Bran am 1: E. West, 1 ; Elizabeth
Thames, 1; B. W.. Purifoy, ,75;-rEld. Z: Ed
mondson, (to end of 18(>l.) 4 ; N. Goodson, 1 ; J-. D.
Matthews, 1 ; 11. Patterson, 1 ; Eld. J. Stewart, 1;
J. B. Cox 1 ; J. T. Branati; 2 ; Eld. W. Morgan, 3 ;
•I. Williamson, 1 ; C. Spivey, 1 ; I. B. Wright, 1,50
A. Grant, 1; R. R. Respess, 1,50; Eld. D. J. Lamb,
2*50.: Eld. J. W. Field, 1,50; John Carter, 1 ; J.
Perry, 1 : $45,75
ALABAMA. —Mrs. E. J. Jennings, 2,50;
N. N. Ligon, 1 : II L. Lyon. 3 : P. M. Thom
as, 2; 0. S. Harris. 2 : Jane C. Word, 1; Eld.
11. F. Pickett. 2; B. P Lewis. 1 ; 14,50
ARKANSAS.—J. Reynolds, 1; E. Yar
lirough, 1 : Mrs. N. Male* m, .25 ; 2.25
OHIO. —Mrs. E. Miles, 1 ; 1,00
MISSISSIPPI.- W. Wise, 1; J. J. Halbert’
1; W. M. Archer, .30 : W. Cheek, .30; 2.00
TEXAS.—J. R. Jarrell. I; Tv Brittain, 2 ; 3,00
MISSOURI.—J. Pemkeiruxi, £5; ,25
LOUISIANA.—Mary Crownritob, 1; Eld.
J. T. Mo Adams, 2,50} 3.50
NEW YORK —II. G. Btanta, ,30; ,30
Total, $73.10
Ijlmiifi).
Sept. 19.—At Dayton Ohio, by the Rev Um.
Crum, Mr. JOHN 11. LEVY of Covington lia., to
Vliss LUCY E. SPADE of Columbus Ohio.
Ai g. 24—At Oakland, Sullivan Cos., X Y., by
samuel Case, Esq,. Mr. BENTON L, BEEBE, to
.Vliss JOSEPHINE E, TRAVIS, of New York City-
143