Do you not preach, sir, the ancient faith spoken of in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, for modern believers to imitate? Or is the miraculous faith of the ancients to be pourtrayed to men in this day, only as a beautiful picture to be admired by spectators, and not copied and imitated as a doctrine of modern practice? If there is such a thing as _common_ faith, in distinction from the supernatural and miraculous faith, named in the eleventh of Hebrews, what part of the scriptures teach it? Please to name the chapter and verse; and when you have pointed out to me the specific scriptures that teach a faith inferior to that of prophecying or working miracles, &c., please to tell me wherein lies the power of such a faith? If it cannot reveal any thing to the children of men, how can it increase the sum of knowledge with any reasonable prospect of filling the earth with knowledge, as the waters cover the bed of the great deep? If it cannot forecast events beyond the mere common prescience of human minds, how can the wise man foresee the evil in time to hide himself? Is it not passing strange, sir, that from Adam to Noah, and from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to David, and from David to Malachi, and from John the Baptist to John the Revelator, the miraculous faith should be tenaciously and rigorously contended for; while since that day, men, professing godliness, not only contend for an inferior faith, but contend against the antiquated faith that was sustained for more than four thousand years, giving to God a great and glorious name for all his wonderful works and mighty deeds. Why do the modern clergy commend the faith that put to flight the armies of the aliens--quenched the violence of fire--and staggered not at promises that required supernatural agency to fulfil, if we are not to imitate and practice such faith? Why so much time and labour exhausted in order to define and extol a faith that belonged exclusively to past ages; and if the scriptures speak of no other faith that is pleasing to God, would it not be better that mankind be informed more explicitly what is the nature and effect of that common and inferior faith of which the Bible illustrations are so inapplicable? Seeing that the Bible illustrations of faith pertain to examples of a supernatural order, will you please to give us those that are of a natural and common order, suited to our age, that is, and, of a right, ought to be free from supernatural and miraculous deeds, signs, wonders, and prophecyings? In so doing, and publishing the same through your widely-circulated paper, you may rest assured that it shall have prompt insertion in the STAR, and greatly oblige. Your humble and obedient servant, ORSON SPENCER. LETTER IV. ON WATER BAPTISM. _Liverpool, June_ 14, 1847. Reverend and Dear Sir,--You, sir, need no argument to convince you that WATER BAPTISM is the first ordinance, after faith and repentance, that initiates the believer into the kingdom of God.