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108 those who think and act under the influence of the genuine spirit of the Lord and his commandments. In this view the Apostle said, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

I have been thus particular in indicating the genuine spiritual meaning of this term as used in the Scripture, because upon it hinges the signification of the description of the fifth stage of man's regeneration as contained in the parable of creation. So you will observe that while man may be naturally alive, and perform his natural duties with energy and enterprise, without a single spark of living fire from off the altar of God, he can be spiritually alive only as he lives in the love, faith and knowledge of God, and performs all duties, natural and spiritual, in their light and under their influence.

In the early stages of regeneration, we begin to do right, because we think we ought so to do, but we do not exactly do it from the living fire of God within the heart. We recognize the Lord; we study his commands; we try to be just to the neighbor and punctual to our religious duties. But we do not see them from love, nor do we much enter into the deep spirit of their meaning and practice. While we are perfectly willing to say that all our good is from the Lord, we feel it as our own. And while we are free to admit that our regeneration is