correct psychology. It is the testimony of metaphysicians, from Sir
William Hamilton down to the writer, that consciousness does not take
cognizance of causes, but effects. Feelings are effects and not causes.
Consciousness tells us when we feel good or bad, but it does not tell us
what makes us feel good or bad. When a man has been taught that a
certain feeling in the heart is produced by a certain agency, his faith
and reason may decide that that agency produced the feeling, but
consciousness has nothing whatever to do with _the cause_ of the
feeling. Likewise, a certain feeling in the heart may be attributed to
the Spirit because one has been taught that the Spirit will produce such
a feeling, but consciousness can not trace that feeling to the Spirit
himself. A man should feel right because he knows he is right, and not
know he is right because he feels right.

In deciding whether we be children of God, we have two witnesses: first,
the Spirit himself, and, second, our spirit. The Spirit testifies as to
who is a child of God; our spirits testify as to what we are. If our
spirits testify that we are the character which the Spirit says belongs
to a child of God, then we have the testimony of the Spirit himself
bearing witness with our spirits that we are children of God. The
testimony of the Spirit, in the nature of the case, must be general. He
testifies that whosoever believes in Christ, repents of his sins, and is
baptized into him, is a child of God. This is the whole of his
testimony. Your spirit, likewise, must bear witness to your position on
all of these points.

No one but your own spirit can testify that you believe in Christ; you
may profess to, and the whole world may believe that you do, but your
own spirit knows that you are a hypocrite in making the profession.
Likewise, no one can testify but your own spirit that you have repented;
you may make professions of repentance, and the world may believe you
thoroughly sincere, but your own spirit may tell you that your
profession is false. In a similar manner, no one but your own spirit can
testify that you have been baptized; your father and mother may say so,
the church record may so testify, and yet it is possible for them to be
mistaken. To be certain you are a child of God you must have the
testimony of your own spirit that you believe, that you have repented
and that you have been baptized. If, in the judgment day, God should ask
such people, "Have you