Faith

Faith is the saving grace — it is the connecting-link between the soul and Christ. Take that away and all is gone.

He that feareth God knows half of God; he that believeth God knoweth all of God that he can know; and the more he believeth God, the more he nnderstandeth God, the more he comprehendeth his glory, his character, his nature, and his attributes.

You will never get too much of this precious grace of faith. If you pay all the way to heaven, you will never have a penny to spare when you get to heaven’s gate; if you live on faith all your journey through, you will not have a pot of manna left. Pray, then, for an increase of faith. Let faith be the Aaron; let prayer be the TJr; and faith and prayer can hold up the hands of Moses, whilst the army below is fighting the enemy. Would you be kept from falling? Ye must be strong in faith. Little faith falls”; strong faith stands.

While he had faith, Peter walked on the waves of the sea. That was a splendid walk; I almost envy him treading upon the billows. Faith was Peter’s life-buoy; faith was Peter’s charm — it kept him up; but unbelief sent him down.

Christian, take good care of thy faith; for, recollect, faith is the only way whereby thou canst obtain blessings. Prayer cannot draw down answers from God’s throne except it is the earnest prayer of the man who believes.

If God gives you only half a grain of faith, that will carry you to heaven. If you can only say, “O Lord, I would believe, help thou mine unbelief ;* if you can but put out your hand with Simon Peter, and say, “Lord, save, or I perish,” it is enough. If you can only pray that poor publican’s prayer, “God be merciful to me a sinner,” that will do.

Faith is the ladder on which my soul must walk to ascend to heaven. If I break that ladder how can I ever approach my God? Faith is the angelic messenger between the soul and heaven. Faith is the telegraphic wire which links earth and heaven — on which God’s blessings move so fast that before we call he answers, and while we are yet speaking he hears us.

Have you little faith? Take it to God, and he will turn it into great faith. There is no hot-house for growing tender plants in like a house that is within the curtains — the tabernacle of God, where the Shekinah dwelleth.

Reason is a candle; but faith is a sun. Well, I prefer the sun, though I do not put out the candle. I use my reason as a Christian man; I exercise it constantly: but when I come to real warfare, reason is a wooden sword; it breaks, it snaps; while faith, that sword of true Jerusalem metal, cuts to the dividing of soul and body.

Faith is the fire which consumes the sacrifice. Faith is the water which nurtures the root. Faith is the sap which imparts vitality to all the branches. If you have not faith all your graces must die.

Faith is the salvation-grace. We are not saved by love; but we are saved by grace, and we are saved by faith. We are not saved by courage, we are not saved by patience; but we are saved by faith.

Whatever you leave out of doors of a night, do not leave that little child faith; whatsoever plant is exposed to the frost, be sure to put faith within. Take care of faith, for it is so weak generally, it needs well to have a good preservation.

In the deepest winter time faith is a road on which the horses of prayer may travel — ay, and all the better for the biting frost! But blockade the road, and how can we communicate with our great King?

If ye would be Christian larks, and not Christian owls, seek to have more faith; if ye would mount in sunshine, and carol like the bird of day, then seek strong confidence.

Faith is the silver thread upon which the pearls of the graces are to be strung. Break that, and you have broken the string — the pearls lie scattered on the ground; nor can you wear them for your own adornment.

Virtues without faith are whitewashed sins. Obedience without faith, if it is possible, is a gilded disobedience. Not to believe nullifies everything. It is the fly in the ointment; it is the poison in the pot.

Live by faith, in the power of the Spirit, in the beauty of holiness, in the hope of the Gospel, in the joy of your God, in the magnificence, and yet the humility, of the children of the great King.