Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-01-21

! L loyCi Va d1tu, IcIdIc cACAuSlESIT " NIX
acles. But suppose this were true.
would ask, What We're the apostles to be.
lieve, when they prayed for miracle 3
! Were they to believe that the precise mira
Gle would be performed for which they
prayed! 1t is evident that they were
In the verses Just alluded to, Christ says,
For verify say unto you, that whose
ever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou
removed, and be thou cast into the sea. and
shall not doubt in his heart, but SHALL
BELIEVE THAT THESE THINGS
! WHICH HE SAITH SHALL COME
TO PASS, he shall have whatsoever he
saith. Therefore | say unto you, what
things soever We desire, when We pray,
! BELIEVE THAT YE RECEIVE THEM, and
We shall have them" Here it is evident,
that the thing to be believed, and which
they were not to doubt in their hearts,
was, that they should have the very bles-
sings for which they prayed. Now the
objection above stated, lies in all its force
against this kind of faith, when praying
for the performance of miracle. fit be
impossible to believe this in praying for
any other blessing, it was equally so in
praying for a miracle. [ might ask.
Could an apostle believe that the miracle
would be wrought, before he had fulfilled
the condition inasmuch as the condition
was that he should believe that he should
receive that for which he prayed. Either
the promise is a nullity and a deception,
Or there is possibility of performing the
condition.
Now, as have said, the whole diff
Guilty lies in the fact that the Spirits infu-
ences are entirely overlooked, and that
faith which is of the operation of God, is
left out ofthe question. 1.-THE objection
is good against praying for any object it
Is as good against praying in faith for the
performance Of miracle The fact is,
that the Spirit of God could give evidence,
on which to believe that any particular
miracle would be granted; could lead the
mind to firm reliance upon God, and
trust that the blessing sought would be OBJ
tanned. And so at the present day he can
give the same assurance, in praying for
any blessing that we need. Neither in
the one case or the o:her, are the anfuen-
ces Of the Spirit miraculous. Praying is
the same thing, whether you pray for the
conversion of soul, or for a miracle
Faith is the same thing in the one case as
IN the other 1t onl y terminates on a differ
ent object, in the one case on the CONVEX
sion of a soul, and in the other on the per-
Torrance of miracle Nor is faith exer-
clsed In the one more than in the other.
without reference to promise; and gen.
eral promise may with the same proprietv
be applied to the conversion of a soul as to
the performance of a miracle. And it is
equally true in the one case as the other,
that no man ever prays in faith without
being influenced by the Spirit of God
And if the Spirit could lead the mind ofan
apostle to exercise faith in regard to a mir
acle, he can lead the mind of another
Christian to exercise faith in regard to re-
ceiving any other blessing, by reference
TO the same general promise.
Should any one ask, when are we
vnder an obligation to believe that we
shall receive the blessing for which we
ask?' answer:
(l.) When there is a particular promise,
Specifyiny the particular blessing: aswhere
we pray for the Holy Spirit. This bIes-
sing is particularly named in the promise,
and here we have evidence, and are bound
to believe, whether we have any Divine
influence or not; just as sinners are bound
TO repent whether the Spirit strives with
them or not. Their obligation rests, not
upon the Spirits influences, but upon the
powers of moral agency which they pos
sess; upon their ability to do their duty
And while it is true that not one Of them
ever will repent without the influences Of
the Spirit still they have power to do so,
and are under obligation to do so, whether
the Spirit strives with them or not. So
with the Christian. He is bound to te-
leve where he has evidence And al
though he never does believe, even where
he has an express promise, without the
Spirit of God, yet his obligation 10 do so
rests upon his ability, and not upon the
Divine influence.
(2) Where God makes revelation by
his providence, we are bound to believe in
proportion to the clearness Of the provi-
dental indication.
81 So where there is prophecy, we
are bound also to believe But in neither
Of these cases do aoc in fact, believe, with
out the Spirit of God.
But where there is neither promise,
providence, nor prophecy, on which to re-
pose our faith, we are under no obligation
to believe unless, as l have shown in this
discourse, the Spirit gives US evidence
+ by creating desires, and by leading us 10
pray for particular object. In the case
of those promises of a general nature,
where we are honestly at loss to know
in what particular cases to apply them,
it may be considered rather as our priv
lege than as our duty, in many instances,
to apply them to particular cases; but