To Mrs. B——
Mark .xi, 24 — 1 John v, 14, 15 — An illustration — Answers to prayer — “The faithful and true” — “In God will I praise his word” — The bank bill — The infidel minister — Faith and sense — The word personified — An end of the difficulty.
I RECEIVED your note of yesterday, in which you refer me to the interesting passage, Mark xi, 24. I respond with pleasure; but as my time is limited, I cannot hope to present you any very full exposition of my thoughts. The passage you refer to is in perfect keeping with 1 John v, 14, 15: “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
For illustration, let it be supposed that sister
B is a dear friend from whom I expect great
favors. The granting of these favors is conditional. She has made known her will, involving a variety of points, and then referring me to this, says, “Ask what you will, and if according to the principles laid down, I will grant it.”
Faith in Mrs. B. How I have obtained answers.
If I have perfect confidence in sister B —
after ascertaining whether what I desire can be granted in accordance with her will, I go with confidence, and present my petitions, believing that I receive them, because I have your wm-d, assuring me that I shall have them. If a friend, meeting me on my return from your presence, asks, “Have those petitions been granted?” I unhesitatingly answer, “Je5.” “But I do not see the result,” says the friend. “That does not make the case doubtful,” I reply; “for sister B.’s word is as good as her bond, and I have her wore?, so you may rely upon it, just as firmly as though you saw me in actual possession of the thing desired.”
The many gracious answers to prayer which I have received, on precisely the same principle, given in the illustration just presented, eternity will reveal to the praise of God. But I would not defer it till I have passed the bounds of time, to exhibit His faithfulness. His name is “faithful and
TRUE.”
I love to testify, by my words and actions, before God, angels, and men; yes, and before infernals too, that I do rely on the faithfulness of God, I am willing, if this be the will of God concerning me, to be brought into circumstances which may call forth an exhibition of my trust in God before a congregated universe. This, I believe, has been the spirit by which I have been actuated for several
Who believes the Bible? $100. “I have got it.”
years past; I have had some thorough tests by outward circumstances, and inward exercises, and to the praise of God I say, I have not cast away my confidence, nor made shipwreck of faith.
We cannot honor God more than by trusting him, neither can we dishonor him more than by doubting his word. David loved to praise the word of God. With him my heart often exclaims, “In God will I praise his word P^ Psalm lvi, 10. Upon no other subject does my heart labor for utterance as upon this, and never do I find language so utterly inadequate to express the views and emotions of my full heart, as when trying to present the Holy Scriptures as the word of God. Should one express on this point all that language would convey, and this before congregated thousands, many of the company might indignantly respond, “Who does not believe the Bible to be the word of God?” And yet, dear sister B, who does believe it?
It is a circimistance which does not seem to have arrested the attention of Christians generally, that a promise fully credited does in itself convey the thing promised. Thus a person owes you one hundred dollars. You call for payment, and he
hands you a bill for that amount on” The
Bank.”” Did Mr. A pay you the amount he
owed you?” asks a friend. “Yes,” you say, “and I have the money in my pocket.” “Let us see it,” continues the inquher: whereupon you draw out
Why! it is only a promise.” Infidelity deplored and indulged.
the bill and read,” The President, Directors, and
Co., of the Bank, promise to pay, &c., one
hundred dollars.”
“Do you call that one hundred dollars?” rejoins your friend: “why, sir, it is only a promise of that amount.” “True,” say you; “but the paper of that institution is just the same with me as the gold.” Here is faith — faith that recognizes the thing promised in the 2)Tomise.
How pleasing to the proprietors of a moneyed institution must such demonstrations be, of confidence reposed in their veracity! Does not the above illustration agree with, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature?” Thus it is that “faith is the substance of things hoped for.”
Go where infidelity and skepticism are most deeply deplored, even to the ambassador for God, whose absorbing employ is to defend the Bible as the word of the Lord, and, with David, “in God to praise his word.” Remind him of the requirement, “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord,” and then ask, “Are you living in obedience to this command?” “No.” “Why not?” “I cannot say why, unless it be my unbelief.” Wnbelieff In what does he mean that he lacks confidence? Not in himself; for he will tell you at once that he does not expect any good thing from himself. Not
What I believe without other evidence. What God writes he speaks,
in the ability of God to make him holy, for this he acknowledges.
Give him the oft-repeated direction, “Cast yourself wholly on Christ for salvation from all sin, and then claim the promise, * I will receive you,’ and thus ’ cleanse yourself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God,’ “what would he say in reply?” What! must I rely upon the word of God without any other evidence?” As much as to say, “I do not conceive this to be a sufficient foundation for my faith to rest upon, and unless some external or internal communication apart from, or added to this, be given, I cannot believe that I receive the thing desired.”
Does not this imply unbelief in the Scriptures, as the voice of God? Were that voice audibly uttered, would it be doubted? What makes the difference? Infidelity! Skepticism! Doubting whether the written word be in reality the same as the voice of God. If that voice were heard it would be believed: it is not heard, therefore it is doubted. Can these doubting ones say with perfect truth, that they believe the Bible to be the word of God? It is, therefore, I express my painful convictions, that the Scriptures are not generally received as the word- of God. Faith is not sufficient without sense. “Except ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe,” is a reproof as truly deser’ed
Divinity of the Word. Faith touches Christ.
now, as in the days of Christ. The Bible is the WORD OF God. The awful sublimity of this truth is strikingly exhibited in Rev. xix, 13: “His name is called The Word of God.” Here the word is yrsonijied as Christ himself. Also John i, 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my Word, hath One that judgeth him, the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day.” In many other passages is the word of God thus personified, as identical with God himself. In relying upon it, efficacious influences ought to be expected as confidently, as were healing influences from touching Christ when he was on earth; for in relying upon the word, we in verity rely upon Christ, and touch him as truly as though his bodily presence were with us, and we were permitted to lean upon him. But who believes the Bible to be the
word of God? Does sister B? Does brother
B? Lord help us to believe it; not as a” dead
letter,” but to apprehend it as spirit and life. Our difficulties about faith will all be at an end, when we believe the Bible to be the word of God. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Yours, in the truth of the gospel.
Believe that ye receive.” Conditions.