3 April 1836
adams-john10 Neal Millikan Religion
528

3. V:30. Sunday.

Mrs Frye

At the Presbyterian Church heard a young man by the name of Grundy, a nephew of the Senator from Tennessee of that name, who was present. The text was John 3.3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”— This text is the quintessence of Calvinism, but the discourse endeavoured to reconcile it with reason— The main inexplicable difficulty in my judgment is, how a strong metaphorical image addressed by Jesus to Nicodemus a Jew, can be applied to Christians born two thousand years afterwards— In the afternoon I attended with my wife at St. John’s Church where Mr Hawley read the Evening service for Easter Sunday, and preached from 2. Samuel 7.18. [“]Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 19. And this was yet a small thing in thy sight O Lord God: but thou hast spoken also of thy servants house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”— This text seemed to have been selected to give notice that the Church stood in great need of repairs and that the pew holders would be shortly called upon to contribute for that purpose— Mr Hawley, in the midst of the service baptized three female children—

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