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Source: Church History Vol. 3 Chapter 34 Page: 649 (~1872)

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649 "Faith was not a new element infused into the nature of man by the Savior when he came; but he, in bringing to bear upon man the experiment determined upon for his salvation, finds the principle existing in the being of man under another name, and giving it now prominence and a new signification under the name of faith, makes it in its development the element with which He works, and upon which He proposes to depend in effecting the salvation of the human race.

"God and Christ, the Father and the Son, are the beings in whom this faith in man centers; and were it not for the confidence in God and in Christ which man feels is unto an acceptance with them, the effort made in the mission of Jesus must fail.

"Repentance is the natural result of a conviction of sin; and being necessary to a forgiveness in one already within the kingdom, is still more necessary to a remission by an admission into that kingdom which was presented to view in the preaching the gospel. Faith, or confidence in God, assures man of an acceptance, and remission is an act of clemency on the part of God, reaching the person of the seeker after such favor, as soon as he is placed in a condition to be reached by it; which condition cannot be attained unto but by a willingness to obey the commands of God. Hence, however much virtue there may be in a command given of God, as emanating from him, the real power of the command unto the person commanded is found in the obedience to what is commanded.

"Obedience is therefore the prime object of the commands of God; and the value of the obedience rendered is in exact ratio with the willingness of the one rendering it. Those who gladly obey find a better acceptance than those who account obedience as of debt.

"This rightly considered, enhances the propriety of each subsequent action of the seeker after, and the recipient of, divine favor. Nor is such a seeker likely to refuse compliance with the commandment to be baptized, baptism being commanded as necessary to a remission of sin. The Holy Ghost having been made the

(page 649)

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