FAITH

Many people’s faith is what they have schooled themselves into naturally by argument and process of natural reasoning, proving things logically, so as to demonstrate the fitness of things as they would a problem. All that is natural, and with respect to natural things I have no objection to the utmost extent of it; but it has no more to do with religion than it has to creating a world; it has no more to do with religion than to creating a soul anew.

The faith I want is that which is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, through the preached word. The faith I want is that wrought in the heart by a supernatural power, the grace of the Holy Spirit descending from above, and taking possession of the soul for Jesus Christ to assert His authority and His sovereignty therein. If faith does not purify the heart, it is not worth having; if it does not make its possessor love holiness, it will never give him a place in heaven; if it does not make the possessor hate sin, it is not the faith of God’s elect; if it does not “work by love,” it is a lazy faith and good for nothing; if it does not “purify the heart,” God will never make that heart His habitation. It is faith’s province to trust God; it is God’s business to deliver. It is faith’s province to walk in the dark; it is God’s business to guide it. It is faith’s province to wage war with its thousand foes, quite apart from how they are to be conquered; that is God’s business. It is faith’s province to take God at His word; it is God’s business to honor faith.

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