Faith and Its Effects

What is FAini? This is a question, which by the pious of all ages has been regarded as pre-eminently important. And surely the magnitude of the inquiry cannot be estimated beyond what its merit demands. What question can be more momentous to one who would secure the divine approval, since without faith it is impossible to please God? Yet the subject of faith has been so ably discussed by theologians of deep piety, that the author of this work has no intention of entering upon this ground as the revealer of any new theory. She may not speak of a higher anticipation than that of bringing forth truths as old as the Bible, with the humble hope that the Holy Spirit may cause them to be presented to the reader with vitality and freshness.

And why write a book, if nothing new to communicate? We answer, with the hope that some sincere inquirer, who may have been long looking for some new revelation, or that some great thing be wrought, may cease the vain endeavor, and in lowliness of mind ask for the old paths.

Few, perhaps, have been more perplexed in relation to faith than the writer was in early life.

She has since discovered that the religion of the Bible does not require great powers of mind to reach it, but deep humility of spirit to come down to its simphcity. That the Bible is the word of God, is a truth with which from infancy she had been familiar, yet from a want of a proper realization of this fact her difficulties mainly arose. For years past she has in experimental verity apprehended the Divinity of the Word, and consequently her difficulties about faith have all vanished.

Meeting with many who inquire the heavenly way, and yet have been hindered by similar perplexities, the author, in her frequent communications with such, has in her directions pointed to the law and the testimony as an infallible guide, and a sufficient rule for faith and practice. Her endeavor has been to meet these diversified cases, (which have ranged from the unawakened sinner to the traveler in the way of holiness,) on the ground of Bible truth; and rt is hoped that something which has been presented may instruct and interest a few in each class of experience. If the work may be in any degree instrumental in the awakening and ultimate salvation of souls, the author’s highest ambition will have been reached, and the glory shall be ascribed to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Mr. M aclmowledges himself unawakened — What is faith? — Interview with a Hicksite friend — Displeasure incurred — Doings and sayings at a class meeting — An unUkely subject of prayer presented — All things possible with God — Mrs. W.’s inquiry — The

sinner condemned already — The culprit C; Iiis agony when

under condemnation, the effect of his faith in man — Mr. M not

a believer in the Bible as the word of God; otherwise not unawakened — Indescribable sohcitude — Influential friends cannot save —

Mr. M under condemnation — Why the word of God has not

the same effect as a voice from heaven.

My Dear Mr. M. You acknowledge yourself

unawakened, but in this I think you are in part mistaken. In view of your inquiries after the way of life, I would hardly dare pronounce you wholly unawakened. You would not with so much sincerity desire instruction relative to that faith without which it is impossible to please God, unless you were in a degree aroused to an interest about your spiritual state.

By your inquiry, “What is faith?” I am reminded of an interesting incident in my religious history, which in all its bearings is to my mind signally illustrative of faith and its effects. As you have

Ilicksite Friend.

been religiously trained, and are not unused to rehearsals of Christian experience, you will know how to appreciate such intermixtures of my own experience as will be helpful toward illustrating the subject.

Some time since I invited a Hicksite friend to accompany me to meeting. You know of Elias Hicks — of his rejection of the atonement, the only foundation of the Christian’s hope, and also of his light estimate of the Scriptures, designating them as the dead letter, &c. So you will not be astonished when I say that I could not think of my friend as a follower of Christ. Knowing that she regarded herself as a professor of religion, and that any approach to her which failed to recognize her as such might wound her feelings, I knew not in what form of expression to give vent to my un* utterable yearnings for her. At length, after a little suspense, I said,

“Mrs., do you not sometimes feel that you

would love to forsake all and follow Christ?”

She gave an evasive answer, and by her manner most clearly indicated that she was displeased. Finding her thus guarded by a religious yofession, which, if touched, gave displeasure, I ceased approach her on the subject of her salvation.

About ten months after, in admonishing the members of my class, I said,” Too many mistake the mark, by absorbing themselves in their own

The Covenant. Dismay.

experience, whereas the design of God in redeeming us unto himself seems to be this: — That we give ourselves at once wholly and for ever away to his service, in order that we may be unto him a peculiar people, zealous of good works, not living to ourselves, as we should do were we ever absorbing ourselves in perplexities about our own experience. Who would not dismiss a servant that was ever saying, * I have about as much as I can do to serve myself?’” &c. Several members resolved to come up to the point of entire consecration, that is, to serve Christ wholly: we then covenanted together to begin at once to work for God. I suggested to them to single out some individual, not the most likely, by way of being religiously influenced, but the most unlikely, and to interest themselves, even as for their own souls, in the experience of such, until we should meet again on the coming week.

Pursuant to the advice I had given, I began to think, Who shall I take to labor for so absorbingly during the week? when it was suggested. You had better inquue of God. I did so. To my astonishment, the individual referred to, with whom my former efforts had seemingly been so fruitless, was presented. For a moment, I turned away with dismay. My thoughts ran thus: — Were the most vile, reckless sinner, suggested, or even a professed infidel, I might in some way know how to approach

An Unlikely Case.

him with hope of success, but here is one whom I cannot meet with the Bible, for she regards it only as secondary authority, neither can I approach her as an acknowledged sinner, for she is wTapped in the cloak of a profession. An “unlikely” case indeed, my heart responded. But this current of thought was arrested by the chidmgs of the Spirit. The unbelieving lord of Samaria was brought to my remembrance, and I at once said, “Lord, I will not say if thou shouldst open windows in heaven, then might such a thing be, as that this person should be powerfully awakened to a sense of her condition as a sinner. But I will say, * All things are possible with thee, and all things are possible to him that helievetJu Only teach me how to approach her, and, * behold, here am I.’”

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