places plain and the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea." Now unto what is that allusion to be applied? Not to the undulations of this outward globe; but to the dispositions of the human mind. Many among us are proud, haughty, headstrong, fierce, and cruel: and the design of this baptism is, to bring these mountains in our minds, down to meekness. There may be many among us who are desponding and despairing, and who are ready to adopt the language, "Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Is his mercy clean gone forever, doth his promise fail for evermore.” These he supports. The administration of this baptism has a tendency to raise us up into a state of firmness; and when this is the case, our crooked and perverse dispositions will be made straight, and the rough places plain. When these effects are produced in the mind, the glory and the knowledge of the Lord will cover and overcome every earthly propensity, as the waters. cover the sea.

These are the effects produced by the christian religion, or the dispensation of the gospel; and it operates immediately on each individual; not in this, that, or the other society, through systematic organization, or through any medium, but through the revelation of God, unto the

souls of men. Therefore, it is essential for each of us to come to this principle. And what is this baptism? And what is its operation upon our minds? It is plain and easily understood, as many who have arrived at the years of maturity may testify with me, and who have experienced sorrow, trouble, confusion, dread, and dismay, on the commission of evil thoughts, words, and actions. Is there an individual among us, who can do that which is wrong, wilfully, and not feel compunctions of soul? No, verily. For though we may, by sinning day after day, and week after week, have our consciences seared as with a red hot iron, yet we all know this painful feeling of the fire. We may become seared as with a hot iron, so that the part which has been touched may loose its vitality, yet underneath there must be life, and there must be a feeling of deep distress. So it is, and so it will remain, with all those who are disobedient to this heavenly vision, and whose consciences have been seared as with a red hot iron. And it is one of the matchless mercies of God, that he does not cast off his people forever, neither does he design to "be always wroth, lest the spirits should fail before him, and the souls which he has made."

When we come under the influence of these

:

feelings, we shall be made to cry out in agony,
"Who among us shall dwell with the devour-
ing fire? Who among us shall dwell with ever-
lasting burnings?" My friends, no fire can con-
tinue to burn longer than the combustibles which
give it nourishment shall endure. When we have
experienced judgment, and the baptism of the
Holy Ghost, which operates as fire upon all un-
righteousness; and when it has performed its
operation, it ceases to act as fire-it then as-
sumes another operation. "Who among us
shall dwell with the devouring fire; who among
us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" We
are informed in the following text—“ He that
walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he
that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that
shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that
stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and
shutteth his eyes from seeing evil: He shall
dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the
munitions of rocks." The revelation of God
shall not be affected by any of these combusti-
ble materials which keep the fire in existence.
"His place of defence shall be the munitions of
rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall
be sure.
Thine eyes shall see the king; they
shall behold the land that is very far off." Here
is a beautiful description of the effects produced

by a submission to that fiery baptism which operates on every soul, and whether he will hear, or forbear, he cannot escape its operation. Whether then, is it better, to continue under the feelings described by this exclamation "who shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" or to come forth and dwell on high, and to have a place of defence, which shall be the munitions of rocks, and to experience the blessing of having bread given us, and to have our waters sure, and to see the king in his beauty, and in the excellency of holiness, and behold the land that is very far off? Now as we attend to these feelings, painful as they are when they have been produced by a forgetfulness of God, have they not been succeeded by a calm? Have we not been favoured with a calm, and enabled to "look upon Zion, the city of thy solemnities, thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation; a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken."

When we sit in our houses, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, or when we rise up, have we not had introduced into our minds quiet and consolation? We have all experienced this at one time or another. And what produced these feelings? Was it the natural conscience, N*

education, habit, tradition, or speculation? No verily; these are feelings which do not apply unto our own minds. As to conscience, it is the effect of education and the power of habit; but this divine principle which is preached in the soul, the impress of the finger of God, is of another nature. But under the influence of conscience, which is the result of education, there is something very different. As some of us can look upon one day in seven as a sabbath in which we ought not to labour:-but there is another sabbath. And there are those who see every day alike. There are those who, under the influence of these systematic notions of religion, believe that all men can be saved, others that they will be saved, and others that none but the elect will be saved. It is this external and conscientious religion which is the result of education and tradition, that is the means of introducing all the absurdities and discordancy of opinions among mankind. But if we ever come to be followers of Christ in the regeneration, we must walk as he walked, we must mind the same thing, we must follow the same living and eternal principle that he followed, when in that prepared body in which he came to do his Father's will. Here I want us all to come-to this baptism of the Holy Ghost which reproves for evil. It is that which