1841 William Miller Evidence from Scripture & History - A2Z.org

It is a prophecy of what would ha to the people of
Ood arr a punishment for conduct =in specifid. 1
shall, therefore, in explanation of our subject, show,
I. For what the people of God are pmmhed ;
IL Show how they are punished ; an4
111. The time they will be punished
I. First, then, we are to examine the cause of their
punishment. The text tells us that it is because the
will not be reformed by me by these w, but u&
walk contrary unto me;" that is, unto God
1st. A perverse wilL We should suppose that a man
who has had his will subdued by the love and Spirit of
God, could not be in possession of a will so dimetrically
opposed to the will of God. Yet history and facts
show us plainly that it is so. David, a man after God'a
own heart, did perform, by hia own will, that which waa
strictly forbidden in the law and commands of God
Par, too, after his Lord told him he was every whit
clean, and after he boldly asserted that, if all uten should
forsake Christ, he would not, immediately and willingly,
as it is implied, cursed and swore, and said he knew not
the man. I am aware that the theory of the present day
is contrary to the idea that the Christian has two wills,
carnal and spiritual ; but, npon this theory, I cannot account
for the idea of Christians being punished at all,
either on the principle ofjustice or equity. Therefore I
am constrained to believe that, in the heart of a Chriatian,
there are two wills. Sometimes he is in subjection
to the will of God, and enjoys the sweets of reconciliation;
and again him own will govern and controls his
acts, and he must feel the chastising rod of his heavenly
Father for his wilful disobedience or neglect of his religious
duty. It cannot be the will of God that his people
16will not be reformed by him" Here is another
idea conveyed in our text, which shows that the heart of
a Christian is not wholly pure, - mill not be reformed
by God;" &owing the same independent spirit that aur
primitive father and mother did in the fall, to be a%
gods." We cannot bear the idea of being dependent
on God for our reformation Let us have the power of
doing it ourselves, and we will not m@ct it; but to rray
!22