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menced, wil be accomplished lot me thank you for that what
you have been mr this matter; at least let mo tell you of
the influenee 4u have had over me, perhaps without
knowing it crtaitrtte before J was aware that anything of mine
could interest you. Indeed it was your faith, it was your
holiness, which J was obliged to hear harshly spoken of, that in-
voluntarily attractodä me: J remember one évening, when 1
réceived from you à bDlank shéet ef paper, in vain attempting to
oxpress in words soon undeceived myself: but J hope
there is notbinc — ng 5 learned to love God by
loving you
Vet J would not conceal that J have not been able to see
tho absoluto nocoes mo forms, into which Reéeligion
and Christian?“ bani Hcd. There also J may porhaps be
enabled to se ⏑r“ akfterwards. — Alas, it is porhaps
one of the greatasft — our impeorfoct state in this life that
we cannot alwavs clearh distinguish between that which is purely
divine and that whie partakes more or less of the human
character: still more we might be disposed to complain (if it was
not wrong to complain against tho ways of Providence) that we
cannot cling fast by our faith, that we cannot retain unshaken
our view of the things of God, and at e same time conceive
the possibility of another view as ne“ ypproximating the
truth. It is this which appears to us to lead to so much bitter-
ness of spirit, to so much hostile decision among those who
have so much reason to be united in one brotherly love; and
it is this also which has opened so wide a field to the hopeéless
scoptic.
But a human undeérstanding even if inspired by the purest
spirit of God cannot conceive supernatural things without clothing
them in expressions, forms, »ymbols; indeed these truths would
be quite incomprehensible ta otherwise. Too éasily however
these expressions come to d to lead us to think that
differences exist in the ng, which are limited to
the external garment o ue ut Duere is indeed but one
trutn; but it ie wire Cecb Ce?hs has revéaled to us
certain portions o it. ob les us réceivc them with joy, let us
look up to him eéearnestly and steadfastly in order that we may