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p368 [Mr Biava] [From the French.] BELOVED BROTHER, - … You must ever keep before yourself and the brethren this truth of the unity of the church - of the presence of the Holy Ghost, and of the coming of the Lord. I say the brethren, because, I suppose, they are grounded not only in the forgiveness of their sins, but also in the precious fact that we are dead and risen with our precious Saviour. This is deliverance; we are not in the flesh. Not only has the blood sheltered us, but we have been brought out of Egypt by the power of God and the deliverance which He has wrought. We are in Christ. The blood of Jesus has procured pardon for us; we are in Him. The first truth disposes of what we have done, of all the works of the flesh; the second, that we are dead with Christ, places us in an entirely new position, accepted in the Beloved. The first disposes for ever of what we have done; the second, of what we were in the flesh, and that we are no longer. To enjoy it, self must be judged - I know that in me there is no good thing. You will find that Romans 3:20 to 5:11 treats of the former question; Romans 5:12 to the end of 8, of the latter. The first part speaks of sins, the second of sin. Remember me affectionately to the brethren, though I do not know them; to -, too. Let her be of good courage; if it is her turn to bear the cross for love of the Lord, she will not be sorry for having borne it in faith and bravely.
London, January 12th, 1866.
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