of Scripture inspiration, but not the prevailing _theories_ of the
doctrine. The doctrine I could defend with ease: the defence of the
theories was impossible. I accordingly laid aside the theories.

Again; I heard and read continually about the influence and work of the
Holy Spirit; but I seldom heard and read of the influence of the truth.
Yet in Scripture we read as much and as often of the latter as of the
former.

I had been led, in some way, to believe that Adam was the federal head
of all mankind,--that God made a covenant with him that was binding on
all his posterity,--that the destinies of the whole human race were
placed in his hands,--that it was so arranged that if Adam did right,
his posterity were to be born in a state of perfection and blessedness,
incapable of sin and misery,--that if he did wrong they were to be born
depraved and miserable, under the curse of God, and liable to death and
damnation--that as Adam did do wrong, we all came into the world so
depraved that we were incapable of thinking a good thought, of feeling a
good desire, of speaking a right word, or of doing a right thing,--that
Jesus came into the world to redeem us from the guilt of Adam's sin, and
from the punishment due to us for that sin, and to put us on such a
footing with regard to God as to render possible our salvation. I had
been led to believe a hundred other things connected with these about
the plan of redemption, the way of salvation, imputed righteousness,
saving faith, &c. When I came to look for those doctrines in the Bible,
I could not find one of them from the beginning of the Book to the end.
I was in consequence led to regard them as the imaginations of
unthinking, trifling, or dreamy theologians.

There are few doctrines more generally received than the doctrine of