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Principles of the Interior or Hidden Life
Principles of the Interior or Hidden Life Author:Thomas Cogswell Upham Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER SECOND. ON THE DOCTRINE OF HOLINESS. Having in the preceding chapter given some generaj idea of the Interior or Hidden Life, the important inquiry na... more »turally suggests itself, In what way shall we gain admission into this desirable state ? The gospel evidently contemplates, in the case of every individual, a progress from the incipient condition of mere forgiveness and acceptance, immensely important as it is, to the higher state of interior renovation and sanctification throughout. The apostle appears to have reference to this onward progress of the soul in the expressions he employs in the commencement of the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. " Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God ; of the doctrine of baptism and of laying on of hands, and ol resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit." What direction, then shall we take ? What course shall we pursue, that we may rise above the merely initiatory principles and feelings of the gospel life, and enjoy the delightful privilege of walking in close and uninterrupted communion with God ? In answer to this general inquiry, we remark, that the first and indispensable prerequisite is Holiness or Heart. It is generally supposed, that God may exhibit pity and pardon to those in whom there still exist some relics and stains of inward corruption ; in other words, that those may be forgiven or pardoned, who are not entirely sanctified. But those who would walk acceptably with their Maker, who would receive from him his secret communications, and enjoy the hidden embraces of his iove, must see to it, first of all, that they are pure in heart; ...« less