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 hand affords him a knowledge of his own weakness and nothingness, and on the other, shews forth the divine strength and power. Man has nothing of his own, except his sin and folly: all he possesses of goodness, truth, or power, are the Lord's gifts to him. To suppose that human ability or power can contribute anything to aid or steady the Divine, is at once an error so pernicious and deadly, that it not only closes the mind against the light of truth in the soul, but extinguishes the heavenly life. The destroying of such life is expressed by "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the Ark of God."

In religion, a mere faith alone—a belief without the works and life of charity in the soul, is but the puny hand of Uzzah—a mere human power, fraught with error and deceit, leading astray from the true doctrine of heaven, which teaches that without holiness, personal and practical, there can be no salvation—no heaven. Such error is weakness itself! it is the hand of Uzzah impiously put forth to steady the Ark of God which contained the Divine Law of life. This faith of error destroys the life of heaven in the soul, and thereby brings on spiritual death.