Elder C.H. Cayce in "WITH OR WITHOUT MEANS"

Elder C.H. Cayce (1871-1945) in an editorial titled "WITH OR WITHOUT MEANS" for the August 20, 1907 issue of "The Primitive Baptist" wrote the following:

"Life is imparted by a direct touch of life; it is not imparted through a means or medium. Hence, sinners are regenerated, born of God, or born from above, or quickened into divine life, by the Spirit of God coming into direct touch with their spirits. When they have thus been made “new creatures” in Christ they are capacitated to hear and understand the gospel, and they never are until then. We are sure that the reason why many of the Lord's children in this country of ours do not believe the gospel, or do not believe the truth, the doctrine of God our Saviour, is because of false teaching. They are blinded and led astray by false and judaizing teachers, men who are teaching for doctrine the commandments of men."

I cannot believe that this champion debater and apologist for "Primitive," "Old School," or "Hardshell" Baptists would make such a statement as the above, saying that "life is not imparted through a means or medium." It is easy to disprove this assertion.

First, every human being's life came through the medium of his father's sperm and his mother's egg, a case of life coming from life. That disproves Cayce's statement and I cannot believe he would make such an ignorant statement in lieu of this fact. My physical life and existence came through the means of my mother and father.

Second, God raised the physically dead by the means of Elijah, Elisha, Paul, and Peter. That again overthrows Cayce's proposition. (I Kings 17:17-24; II Kings 4:32-35; II Kings 13:20-21; Acts 9:36, 20:7-12) 

Third, God raised to life a valley filled with dry dead bones through the prophesying of Ezekiel. That too disproves Cayce's proposition. (Ezek. 37: 1-14)

Fourth, God uses the preachers of the gospel to save sinners, which salvation involves giving life to dead sinners. (Col. 2:12; II Cor. 2:16)

I also am bewildered how Cayce could say that many of God's children do not believe the gospel. First, because this is in direct contradiction to numerous texts of scripture, such as what Paul says in II Thess. 1: 8-9, where he says that those who obey not the gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction. Second, Cayce, like Sylvester Hassell and others, have said that the gospel is preached directly to sinners by Jesus himself when he regenerates them. For instance, I have often cited these words of Hassell:

"Jesus is the Great Preacher, and, by His omnipresent Spirit, He preaches His gospel savingly to His people (Isa. 61:1-3,10,11; Luke 4:16-30; Heb. 2:11,12; Psalm 110:3)."