Again, another, forming an _opinion of faith_ from the letter of scripture, straightway imagines, that he knows what faith is, and that he is _in the faith_. Sad delusion! For to know what faith is, or that we are in the faith, is to know that Christ is in us of a truth; it is to know the power of his life, his death, his resurrection and ascension, made good in our souls. To be in the faith, is to have done with notions about it, because it is felt by its living power and fruits within us, which are _righteousness_, _peace_, and _joy_ in the Holy Ghost. Would you divinely know the mysteries of grace and salvation? Let divine love work within you. Without this, be as learned and polite as you will, your heart is but the dark heart of fallen _Adam_, and your knowledge of the kingdom of God, will be only like that which murdering _Cain_ had.――If love is not the spirit that forms and governs every thing that proceeds from you, every thing that has your labour, your allowance and consent; you are broken off from the works of God, you are without God, and your name and nature and works, can have no other name, or nature, but pride, wrath, envy, hypocrisy, hatred, revenge and self-exaltation.――Nothing can possibly save you from being the certain prey of all these evil spirits, but that love, which is God himself, his light, and spirit within you. But now, since divine love can have no beginning, but from the divine nature in us, therefore saith St. _John_, we love him, because he FIRST loved us: the same as saying, we desire God, because he first desired us; for we could not desire God, but because he first desired us, we could not turn to God, but because he first turned to us. *Believe me then, thou great scholar, that all thou hast got of wisdom or learning, day after day, in any other school but this, will stand thee in as much stead, fill thee with as high comfort at the hour of death, as all the dreams which night after night, thou hast ever had in thy sleep.――And till a man knows this, with as much fullness of conviction, as he knows the vanity of a dream, he is not yet in the light of truth, not yet _taught of God_. Behold your state ye ministers, that wait at Christian altars, who have neither faith, nor hope, nor desire of _heavenly fire_ kindled in your souls; ye have a priesthood, and an altar not fit to be named with that, which in Jewish days, had an holy fire from God, descending upon it, which made priest and sacrifice acceptable to God, though only a type of that inward celestial fire, which Christ would kindle into a never-ceasing burning, in the living temples of his new-born children.