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Now where are we to look for the origin of true and living faith, if it be not in this operation? "Faith is the gift of God." And there are a variety of faiths. There is a faith, so denominated, which stands in a belief of certain systems and opinions, and which may stand in rational ideas. It was said, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe and tremble." But this belief has no tendency to change or crucify our passions or lusts, for they remain devils still. There is no virtue in opinions-that is certain; but faith works by love to the purifying of the heart. This is another principle. It is lively and universally operative in its nature, and saving in its effects. It never stands separate from the baptism of the Holy Ghost which produces it. It is the gift of God to man, because of obedience. And when, season after season, we have come to be reproved because of transgression, and when we have repented thereof, we have consequently felt the peace and joy of his cousolation, season after season; for it is a progressive work. There is then begotten in our souls a living faith, a holy confidence, which will be strength to us in times of succeeding desertion-an holy confidence, that he who called us when far off, and who has brought us thus far on our journey, will conti

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nue to perfect the work to the praise and glory of his own name and our soul's solid peace.

Here is that faith which was not only once delivered to the saints, but that which is delivered to the saints in every age of the world. Here is a medium of communication between God and the children of men. Under the influence of these feelings they come to be partakers of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his "Except blood, ye have no life in you." What is the blood? It is that life which circulates through the whole system. And how beautiful is the analogy between this and spiritual things. And as assuredly as the natural outward blood is the outward life, and gives vitality to the whole animal system, so does that blood which is the life of Christ, give a life of purity, holiness, and selfdenying obedience to every manifestation of the Father's will. It is the life of every Christian, which circulates through his whole soul. There is no part left dark, and no part which cannot come under the influence of this heavenly and controlling principle. Here we become partakers of the flesh and blood of Christ, and are nourished by it unto eternal life.

Shall we then turn back and become partakers of the beggarly elements of bread and wine, as

typical of Christ's coming in the flesh? There is no need of this, when we are partakers of that internal light and life. We need not return to external objects, for as surely as the knowledge of the glory of God comes to cover our minds, so surely shall we become partakers of his divine nature, and experience the regenerating influence of his spirit upon our minds, which will nourish up our souls unto eternal life.

Here is a spiritual religion which is applicable unto our understandings. It is a religion which all can understand. It is this baptism of the Holy Ghost, which operates on all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men. It is a gospel preached in every creature. For Christ's disciples were not sent forth merely to preach and to baptize, but they were commanded to go forth and to preach the gospel baptizingly. Jesus declared that it should not only be preached baptizingly, but he also gave these men commission that, when they were endued with power from on high, they should bear outward testimony in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and in the uttermost parts of the earth. And although this medium of communication may be good, useful, or instructive, and have a tendency to stir up the pure mind by way of remembrance, it never can supersede the necessity of that inward, spiritual

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gospel, preached in every creature, which is, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Here we come immediately to know the divinity of Christ operating on our spirits, and we need not go back to theological discussions respecting his manhood or Godhead. All that is to be done is to come immediately under the influence of his power, and it will lead us out of the bondage of sin and corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons and daughters of God. And as we attend to these divine operations, our faith will be strengthened, our souls will be more and more nourished, and more and more acquainted with the pointings of this divine teacher, till we shall become wise in those things which are hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed unto babes. And this was a cause of thankfulness, even unto Christ himself. "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight."

And now respecting election and reprobation. The true ground of this stands not in any fore-ordination of God before the foundation of the world, but it stands in our obedience or disobedience to the law written in the hearts of all men. we will attend to the baptism of the Holy Ghost,

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which is a reprover for evil, and which speaks peace for obedience, we shall grow stronger and stronger until we overcome every thing of an opposite nature. Here we become elected together with Christ, as he was elected, because he was obedient to his Father's spirit. Here is the true ground of election. And if, on the contrary, we deny his power and are not obedient to his manifestations, our evil propensities will grow until they predominate over the good, and thus we shall bring ourselves into the state of reprobates, and we shall feel punishment-shall feel those everlasting burnings that we can never escape from. But I apprehend there is a state attainable where God will, at all times, appear in his own native loveliness, where we shall not be afraid of the operation of his power; we shall not be afraid of its rising, because we know that it only appears in judgment against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men.

Christ himself makes allusion to this in the parable, where he compares this work to a "little leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till the whole was leavened." And we all know the nature of meal, that it is passive and obstructs not the operation of the leaven. It is compared also to "a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his

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