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the nature of the knowledge which every professor of religion ought to possess. The Scriptures teach us further that this profession of faith must be an audible, open, candid profession, such a profession as springs from unfeigned faith in the Saviour. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This confession must, the Scriptures also teach us, be such as is actually accompanied with the habitual practice of good works. “For what shall it profit a man though he say he hath faith and hath not works?” Can such pretended faith save him? Cer- tainly not. No man can be considered a partaker of true saving faith, let him profess what he may, if he does not, at the same time, practically demon- strate his faith by a suitable exemplification of that Truth which is according to godliness, and hence no man can be considered a genuine member of the church of Christ according to the divine constitu— tion of that society who does not adorn his public profession by the actual fruits of righteousness and true holiness, for holiness becometh the house of God forever. Without a clear indication of this holiness no profession of religion, however loud, can be rightly sustained as either credible in itself, acceptable to God, or profitable to those who make it; and this holiness which is thus so absolutely es- sential to the genuine Christian character is some-

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