Basehore's.

MONDAY, May 28. Gather at the meetinghouse. Organize. Take in
questions: discuss some of them. Fine, delightful day. Stay at Brother
Emmanuel Arnold's.

TUESDAY, May 29. Get through with the business at three o'clock.
Brother Quinter and I come to Jonesborough, where he delivers a sermon
in the Presbyterian church. Subject, Rom. 1:17. TEXT.--"_The just
shall live by faith._"

This text was Luther's sword. With it he slew more of the enemies of
the Reformation than Samson slew of the Philistines with the jawbone
of an ass. The text readily suggests two questions.

_I. Who are the just?_

_II. What is faith?_

These two questions being clearly answered, the grand copula, upon
which the meaning and force of the text depends, is readily understood
as to the quality of the life which it involves. It evidently means a
good life, a holy life, an obedient life, a humble life, a pure life
out of a pure heart. It means that the just or righteous shall live a
life conformed in all respects to the character of that state of heart
in which love to God holds dominant rule, and subordinate love to man
prompts to a life of vital charity.

I. _Who are the just?_ The just, in the sense of the text, are those
who are righteous, and who desire to grow more and more righteous in
God's sight. Men may be righteous in their own sight, and very
unrighteous in God's sight. And precisely the reverse of this: they
may be great sinners in their own sight, and just or righteous in
God's sight. This last state was Paul's experience when he pronounced
himself "the chief of sinners." He felt that he was righteous or just
in God's eye; but in his own eye, enlightened by the Word and Spirit
of the Lord, he was vile. This consciousness gave vent to many
exclamations such as these: "O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliver me from the body of this death?" Again: "For I know that in
me, that is, in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing." On the other
hand, the Pharisee, who stood praying in the temple was righteous in
his own view of himself, and "thanked God that he was not as other
men"--a sinner like unto them, he meant, of course. This line of
thought suggests another question:

_How are men to become righteous or just?_ "For the scripture hath
concluded all under sin." This same apostle tells us that "we are
justified [made righteous] by faith; ... for with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness." Probably no passage of