Exercise

Exercising Our Faith. — Strong faith must always be an exercised faith; and he that dares not exercise the faith he has shall not have more. “Take away from him the one talent and give it to him that hath, because he did not put it out to usury,” In Mr. Whitfield’s life, you do not often find any complaining of want of faith; or if he did, it was when he only preached nine times a week; he never complained when he preached sixteen times. Read Grimshaw’s life: you do not often find him troubled with despondency when he preached twenty-four times in seven days; it was only when he was growing a little idle and only preached twelve times. Keep always at it, and all at it, and there is not much fear of your faith becoming weak. It is with our faith as with boys in the winter time. There they go round the fire, rubbing and chafing their hands to keep the blood in circulation, and almost fighting each other to see which shall sit on the fire and get warm. At last the father comes, and says, “Boys, this won’t do; you will never get warm by these artificial means; run out and do some work.” Then they all go out, and they come in again with a ruddy hue in their cheeks, their hands no longer tingle, and they say, ““Well, father, we didn’t think it half so warm as it is.” So must it be with you; you must set to work if you would have your faith grow strong and warm. Need of Spiritual Exercise. — Some men seem as if they only had to meet one form of trial. They remind me of the Indian Fakir; he holds his arm straight up; that is the triumph of his strength. Now, God does not exercise a believer’s limbs till they grow stiff; but he exercises them in every way, that they may become supple, so that, come what may, he is ready to achieve any exploit.