Modern religion rejects immediate revelation; consequently, all that knowledge that flows from visions and dreams, and the ministry of angels, and the prophetic inspiration of the Holy Ghost. A greater curse cannot well be conceived. There never was a people that lived a hundred years, or even fifty years, without immediate revelation from God, but they fell into gross darkness and contention, and those hurtful lusts that drown men's souls in perdition. There never was a people that survived the gift and blessing of immediate revelation any considerable length of time, except they fell into idolatry and worshipped strange gods; and their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after strange gods. All Israel fell into the worship of Baal, and hundreds of them became prophets to Baal. They, indeed, were the descendants of the mightiest Saints that ever lived, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses, &c. They had in their possession the writings and traditions of their fathers, but still they were cursed because they rejected the knowledge of God through immediate revelation. They became like blind men groping in the dark. They taught their children to rebel against prophets and miraculous gifts. Modern christians, with the Bible in their hands, are in as gross darkness as the worshippers of Baal. The god they worship is no more like the person of Christ, or the person of a man, than Baal was. Their order of church authorities and church gifts, and ordinances of healing and anointing, are probably about as remote from the apostolic pattern, as the worship of Mahomet or Vishnu is. Do not believe, sir, for a moment, that I intend, by this humiliating remark, any disrespect to the supporters of modern christianity. No: God forbid. As good a man as Paul the apostle was once as vehemently opposed to immediate revelation and spiritual gifts as you are, or any other abettors of modern christianity; but, by timely repentance, he escaped that awful curse of aversion to the only means of knowing the only true and living God. But multitudes of his countrymen still adhered to the belief that the gift of revelation had ceased, and prophets and miracles were no longer necessary. And you firmly believe that the curse indescribable has followed them to this day. Oh! how astonishing it is that you, sir, and your high-minded associates in modern christendom, should plunge into the same doleful abyss--reject the same doctrines and ordinances, as no longer necessary, and entail the same curse upon your children for generations to come! In this you are fighting against Jehovah. Every year and every day while you persist, the darkness of your minds will become more gross, and you will bring the worst passions into the field of conflict against the Saints. God will withdraw his Spirit from you, and you will ultimately be forced, through weakness and multiplied divisions and contentions, to unite the scattered fragments