Bible
Doctrine with Exhortation
by
Lee Hanks
Advocate and Messenger, October, 1933
It
is conceded by all well informed spiritually minded Primitive
Baptists that God is the creator of the heavens and earth. The
mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms were all made by Him. There
is no life, human or Divine, without antecedent life. He is
sovereign over all worlds. No creature comes into existence by
chance or upon the principle of evolution. No being created
itself. Life precedes action and growth. This is true in
the natural and spiritual realm. God, the Creator, created of
all things, and His wisdom and foreknowledge beheld all the action of
His creatures. Sin is man's act which he does voluntarily, and
in the commission of sin man carries our his own will, and is not
influenced or forced to commit sin; therefore, he is accountable to
God, and is to blame for all his wicked actions. It is
blaspheming to charge sin and wickedness to God as the source or
efficient cause of sin. God's attitude toward sin is
over-ruling, and His relation toward holiness is causative. God's
efficient predestination is what He does, or causes to be done. It
is His act. He is the author of what He effectually
predestinates. Predestination brings salvation and not
damnation. God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation. Many dear Christians have failed to make the
distinction between predestination and God's wisdom, or foreknowledge
have unintentionally made mistakes, using predestination where they
meant wisdom, or foreknowledge. Our fathers did not believe
that God is the author of sin, coerced or influenced any to commit
sin. God's children in the recreation or regeneration in soul
are passive under a physical law. In obedience God's children
have divine life, and are active under a parental law,--God giving
them the grace and ability to do what He requires of them. This
is the doctrine of the fathers. They held that there is an
eternal salvation of which Jesus Christ is the author (Isa.
45:17;
Matt.
1:21;
Acts.
4:12;
II
Tim. 1:16;
Heb.
5:9),
and that there is salvation in time for God's living children to work
out (Phil.
2:12,13;
Acts
2:40);
through preaching the gospel (Acts
11:14;I.
Cor. 1:21;
I
Tim. 4:15),
and by baptism, etc. This was contended for in the writings of
Eld. John Gill, G. Beebe, J. F. Johnson, John Clark, S. H. Durand, F.
A. Chick, A. L. Moore, Jas. Dameron, F. P. Branscome, S. F. Cayce, C.
H. Waters, J. R. Daily, and perhaps nine tenths of the old Baptists
now living. None believe they can obey without the enabling
grace of God, but they can do all things He requires through Christ,
who strengthens them. While there is much gained by the
Christian in obedience, and much lost by disobedience, they praise
God for every blessing. They feel that they are to blame for
disobedience, and deserve the chastening hand of the Lord. Our
fathers and the great body of our people, now living, believe that
the church is the only disciplinary body, and that associations have
not the slightest authority over churches. Our people,
generally, oppose mob-law discipline. Even if a preacher
preaches unsound doctrine he should be labored with gospelly as the
Scriptures direct(Tit.
3:10),
have a fair and impartial trial before he is excluded, or if there be
a personal difference Gospel steps should be taken accordingly (Matt.
18).
To exclude a servant of God without a trial is mob-law and
illegal, and deserves punishment by law. The civil courts of
our country will gibe a black criminal an impartial hearing before an
impartial jury. The church of God should not be less righteous
in her actions than a worldly court. It is dangerous to seek
the life of a brother,--vengeance belongs to God and He will repay.
The church of God is not a slaughter house to slay good
brethren. God's people should be merciful. Blessed are
the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Railing against
servants of God publicly is a grievous sin, associated with
drunkenness, fornication, etc., and the church is commanded to put
that wicked person from among them. Saul fell on his own sword.
We need great forbearance and should not use carnal weapons.
We should be kind, tender, loving, forgiving, and prayerful,
remembering that he that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
prosper. God will fight our battles for us. Let our
preaching be done in love. When differences arise, it is not
best to harp on them all the time, but labor to see how close
together we are. We should overcome evil with good. Let
each confess his own faults, get the beam out of his own eye, and
'let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil
speaking, be put away from among you, with all malice;' and be
kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as
God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Can't all true
Primitive Baptists do this, and let peace be restored? All make
some mistakes. Let us forgive the past, and live for the
future.
Submitted in love.
Lee Hanks