pids of negligence
and carelessness, and been lost in the whirlpool of a cold, formal
religion.

Some teach that the soul once born of God can never apostatize. "Once in
grace always in grace," is the manner in which they state it. We are fully
persuaded that the individual who teaches such a doctrine is wholly
ignorant of grace and devoid of God's enlightening Spirit. What would be
the need of Christians being warned to "watch and pray, lest they enter
into temptation," if there be no possibility of being overcome by it? If
there is never a return to sin after regeneration, why does John say to
his little children, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous"? 1 John 2:1.

The reader will not understand us to favor the teaching that Christians
must of necessity occasionally commit sin and that none live a sinless
life. It is impossible for man to be committing sin and at the same time
be a Christian. A sinning Christian is a phenomenon never known in the
kingdom of grace. The Scriptures plainly teach that when once we enter a
state of grace, we should always, by living a pure, holy life, continue in
the same. But the teaching that when we once enter a state of grace we
always remain in that state, no matter what we do, is certainly very
foreign to the Holy Scriptures and soul deluding. God spoke by the mouth
of an Old Testament prophet nearly six hundred years before the coming of
"grace and truth" by the Savior, saying, "When a righteous man doth turn
from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block
before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he
shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not
be remembered." Ezek. 3:20. What need be, and what can be, plainer than
this text? Here iniquity and sin are used interchangeably and are
perfectly synonymous. If a righteous man (one in possession of grace)
commits sin his righteousness is no longer remembered. This is as much as
to say he is no longer in grace, but is fallen. In the next verse this
holy seer receives words from the mouth of the Almighty and gives the
righteous man warning that he sin not. If he does not sin he shall live.
It is sin that brings death to the soul. Ezek. 18:4. It is sin that
separates us from God. Isa. 59:2. It is sin that causes our names to be
blotted out of the book of life. Ex. 32:33. It is sin that withholds good
things from us. Jer.