ness, the pearl of great price. I found this, however, blessed; at times greatly so. And the power of sin was in a great measure broken. At length God was pleased to show me that I must believe, that I do receive the things that I ask for. In a moment I saw my error. I had long been convinced, that I staggered at faith; that unbelief was my great sin; and accordingly would direct all my forces to this point. I tried to believe. I prayed for faith. I sought for faith earnestly. Sometimes it seemed that Christ was near me, and the prize almost within my reach; and I would say in my heart and aloud, 'Lord, I do believe ;' and then I would watch my heart to see what the effect was. But at this time it was clearly revealed to me, that I was waiting for EVIDENCE, the evidence of sight before I would believe; and that I was unwilling to take the evidence God had afforded, viz. his inviolable word and promise. I saw now, instead of praying for faith, seeking for it, looking for and expecting it, I must believe. It appeared to me a reasonable command 'Reckon yourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord;' and I resolved, that I would obey this command; for it was my imperative duty. I would believe, because God had commanded it. It seemed a fearful step to take. It was an hour of conflict, but Jesus triumphed. I saw that all other means had failed; and this was my only resource. I accordingly entered into an engagement with God, that henceforth, until faith should be exchanged for sight, I would never doubt; I would live in the en

entire surrender of my whole being to God, believing that He accepted the sacrifice, and that I was wholly the Lord's. I have found my God, a FAITHFUL GOD. And my whole soul exclaims, glory, glory be to Thee, Oh God, for this living way of salvation through faith in Christ. May a humble, holy life praise my Redeemer for his unspeakable goodness to me, and eternity complete and perfect what time begins."

"JESUS, the life, the truth, the way,

"In whom I now believe;

"As taught by Thee, in FAITH I pray,
"Expecting to receive.

"Forgive, and make my nature whole.
"My inbred malady remove;

"To perfect health restore my soul,
"To perfect holiness and love."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST.

On the Dispensation of the Holy Ghost.

Ir is a scriptural, and I suppose, a generally acknowledged fact, that the world is now, in a special manner, under the dispensation of the Holy Ghost. The Father, in conceiving and adopting the plan of man's redemption, may be said, in relation to our apprehension of things in TIME, to have reconciled justice and mercy prospectively. The Son, by coming into the world in accordance with the plan of redemption, and by fulfilling in his death on the cross the indispensable conditions of the plan, rendered this reconciliation not only prospectively, but presently and actually possible. The office of the Holy Ghost, among other things, is to teach men; and by teaching, and other spiritual operations, to induce and enable them to accept and to realize in their own renovated persons and natures all the benefits, which the wisdom of the Father has provided, and which the voluntary humiliation of the Son has rendered possible. The work of man's salvation, therefore, in its practical and personal application, and so far as it remains uncompleted, may be said to be under the direction

of the Holy Ghost. Accordingly when our Savior left the world, he held the following language to his disciples. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." And again, he says, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth, for He shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify me; for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." John, 16: 7, 8, 12, 13, 14.

The Holy Spirit, therefore, is to be regarded as the appointed and effective renovator, guide, comforter, and teacher of the children of men. In the moral and religious world all good is from Him; and beyond the reach of his influence, and irrespective of his presence and operations, there is not and cannot be any thing, which is valuable or desirable. There are some reasons for saying, that the dispensation of the Holy Spirit is precisely opposite and antagonistical, in its principles and results, to what may be called the natural dispensation, viz. the law of the natural heart, or the reign of SELF in the soul. Man, before his fall, had a true life in God. He did not live by his own vitality, and flourish upon his own stock. The pow

er of God possessed its habitation in the centre of his soul; a living, animating, purifying principle. If he possessed, as undoubtly he did, what might properly be denominated natural ability, it was, nevertheless, natural ability, made alive, inspired, animated by an ability out of and above nature. It was enough for him to know and rejoice in the fact that God was the continuance, as well as the beginning of his inward life; that every good thought and good feeling, that all purified activity and divine strength, all holy love and all angelic aspirations, were from God, and from God alone. And his apostacy, as it seems reasonable to suppose, consisted in the alienation and dethronement of this inward divine power, and in the substitution of SELF instead of God. In the language of another, "man broke off from his true CENTRE, his proper place in God, and therefore the life and operation of God was no more in him. He was fallen from a life in God into a life of SELF, into an animal life of self-love, self-esteem, and self-seeking in the poor perishing enjoyments of this world. This was the natural state of man by the Fall. He was an apostate from God, and his natural life was all idolatry, where SELF was the great idol, that was worshipped instead of God." *

The object, therefore, of Christ's coming into the world, was to place men essentially in the condition in which they were before the Fall. Not only to secure their forgiveness, but to make them holy; not only to make them holy, but to make them so, *Law's Spirit of Prayer, Part I, Chap. 2d.