Hence, sir, the concession of Mr. C. G. Finney, and Nettleton, and of your own Mr. Knapp, all great Revivalists, and talented and devout men, that the "sectarian churches need to be converted over again." And I am constrained to add, without any inviduous feelings, that such teachers themselves need to be converted from a traditionary faith into the same faith with the ancient worthies spoken of in the eleventh chapter to the Hebrews. They themselves cannot _know_ God without that same ancient faith that secured to its possessors revelation from God, and the power of working miracles, &c. God has never called men to testify to the truth of the Old and New Testament, unless the truth has been revealed to them _personally_ from the heavens. When it is thus revealed, they will obey like the ancient saints, and the power of godliness will follow their faith, "even healing the sick, casting out devils, and speaking with new tongues." You, sir, will surely admit, that the faith of the ancients was far superior to modern traditionary faith, and was attended with a power which this latter faith cannot, in its very nature, ever attain to. By the ancient faith, or faith of immediate revelation, men wrought righteousness, subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire--stayed the sun in the firmament--sealed up the heavens as brass for the space of three years and a half, or opened the windows thereof for the rain to descend in showers or torrents, even to a universal deluge. Surely it will be no disparagement to such exalted names as yours, and that of my old acquaintance President Barnas Sears, and my former instructor President E. Knott, to turn, like Paul, to the banner and standard of such a faith. By such a faith they are prepared to work the works of God; and either in time or eternity, to work even far greater works than Jesus ever wrought on the earth, as his own word declares; for, sir, this kind of faith shall abide beyond the veil; for God himself made the world by faith, and the spirits of the just work by faith, and obtain revelation from God, and minister the same to militant believers on earth, from the faith of the sanctified in light, to the faith of the militant here below. "The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." Surely we may count all things but loss for the excellency of the _knowledge_ of Christ Jesus our Lord; for he that gets the knowledge of Christ by revelation to himself, and keeps it, shall never fall.