Systematic Theology (Volume 3 of 3)Strong, Augustus Hopkins
Religion
Systematic Theology (Volume 3 of 3)
Strong, Augustus Hopkins
Baptists -- Doctrines; Theology, Doctrinal
Man’s volitions are practically the shadow of his affections. It
is as useless to think of a man’s volitions separating themselves
from his affections, and drawing him towards God, as it is to
think of a man’s shadow separating itself from him, and leading
him in the opposite direction to that in which he is going. Man’s
affections, to use Calvin’s words, are like horses that have
thrown off the charioteer and are running wildly,—they need a new
hand to direct them. In disease, we must be helped by a physician.
We do not stop a locomotive engine by applying force to the
wheels, but by reversing the lever. So the change in man must be,
not in the transient volitions, but in the deeper springs of
action—the fundamental bent of the affections and will. See
Henslow, Evolution, 134. Shakespeare, All’s Well that Ends Well,
2:1:149—“It is not so with Him that all things knows, As ’tis with
us that square our guess with shows; But most it is presumption in
us when The help of heaven we count the act of men.”
Henry Clay said that he did not know for himself personally what
the change of heart spoken of by Christians meant; but he had seen
Kentucky family feuds of long standing healed by religious
revivals, and that whatever could heal a Kentucky family feud was
more than human.—Mr. Peter Harvey was a lifelong friend of Daniel
Webster. He wrote a most interesting volume of reminiscenses of
the great man. He tells how one John Colby married the oldest
sister of Mr. Webster. Said Mr. Webster of John Colby: “Finally he
went up to Andover, New Hampshire, and bought a farm, and the only
recollection I have about him is that he was called the wickedest
man in the neighborhood, so far as swearing and impiety went. I
used to wonder how my sister could marry so profane a man as John
Colby.” Years afterwards news comes to Mr. Webster that a
wonderful change has passed upon John Colby. Mr. Harvey and Mr.
Webster take a journey together to visit John Colby. As Mr.
Webster enters John Colby’s house, he sees open before him a
large‐print Bible, which he has just been reading. When greetings
have been interchanged, the first question John Colby asks of Mr.
Webster is, “Are you a Christian?” And then, at John Colby’s
suggestion, the two men kneel and pray together. When the visit is
done, this is what Mr. Webster says to Mr. Harvey as they ride
away: “I should like to know what the enemies of religion would
say to John Colby’s conversion. There was a man as unlikely,
humanly speaking, to become a Christian as any man I ever saw. He
was reckless, heedless, impious, never attended church, never
experienced the good influence of associating with religious
people. And here he has been living on in that reckless way until
he has got to be an old man, until a period of life when you
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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