03.01. The Touchstone of FAITH

01. The Touchstone of FAITH With this subject I begin; and truly there are few subjects which have a greater claim on our attention — and especially at the present time, when there is so much to weaken and overthrow it. There is in these days a vast amount of unbelief, showing itself not only in France, in Germany, and in Italy, but even nearer our homes — in the midst of our Country, and in the heart of our beloved Church. To believe is spoken of in Scripture as essential to our salvation. It is the highest spiritual act of a child of God — and great is its power in our approaches to Him. ’All things (says the Savior) whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.’ And on one notable occasion, when a heart-broken parent came to Him, having failed to receive relief from His disciples, he thus imploringly addressed the Savior; ’If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’ To this our Lord replies, ’If you believe — all things are possible to him who believes’ — all things, even the restoration of the poor, possessed child. The faith required of this person was such trust and confidence in the Savior as would lead him to put himself entirely in His hands. And this is precisely the kind pf faith which He demands of us.

It is not the mere acknowledgment that there is a God above who has made us, and a Savior who has redeemed sinners. We may be fully persuaded of this, and yet be none the nearer to Heaven. Much more is needed — namely, to trust in that Savior, to venture everything upon Him, and to live for Him in this present world.

Neither, again, is it a mere expectation or hope — but feeling, living, and acting under the impression of an ever-present Friend and Deliverer. But it may be asked, ’Are we accountable for our faith? Is it a state of mind over which we have any control? If we do not believe — is it a sin, a positive sin, or merely our misfortune?’ In answer to this question I would say, that God requires it of us — ’This is His commandment (says the Apostle), that we should believe on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ.’ ’He who believes not God, has made him a liar, because he believes not the record that God gave of his Son.’ And surely He never issues a command that we cannot obey. Where unbelief then is willful — it is clearly a sin, an act of rebellion against God. And the awful effect of it will be to close the door of mercy, and to place us among the lost; for it is written, ’He who believes not, is condemned already.’

We occasionally — not often — meet with people who are open and declared unbelievers. They even go so far as to boast of their rejection of God’s truth, as though there was a kind of manliness and courage in asserting their freedom from its restraints. Thank God, there are probably none such among my present readers; for happily such people are not often met with, and such a book as this would not be likely to attract them.

There is in the present day, however, a class of people — frequently young men — who have acquired a little smattering of science, and pride themselves on making discoveries which seem to contradict the teaching of God’s Word. They feel at liberty to play fast and loose with the most sacred truths — and take a pleasure in unsettling the minds of others. And is not this intellectual skepticism growing among us? I fear it is. It seems to have taken the place of that cold, dry, formal assent to religious truth, with which so many contented themselves in days gone by. They were satisfied with being Christians in name — but the truth is, that there never existed in them any real faith in the Savior, or any true love for Him. And therefore, although they professed to believe in Christ, there was an absence of all living faith in their hearts. There are many who have inherited from their forefathers a kind of traditional religion — but it has been of a cold and formal type, and therefore worthless. They had no real faith — their belief was a mere imagination — it had no life in it. This they discovered to their cost. The consequence is that they have cast off what was a mere semblance, and have allowed themselves to drift on the wave of free thought. And now they question everything, and find themselves plunged into the most miserable unbelief, either concealing within their hearts a secret skepticism, or else unblushingly avowing themselves to be unbelievers.

It is difficult to say which state is the worst — the former state of cold indifference, which in fact amounted to hidden unbelief; or the present open avowal of semi-skepticism. In any case, the presence of unbelief in the heart is an offence to God, and separates the soul from Him. The fact is, that a person may be outwardly well conducted; he may pass muster as a worthy member of the Church, and may even show zeal in its welfare — but if he believes not, he has no part whatever with Christ. And if he remains in this state, his case becomes utterly hopeless — it is beyond a remedy! For remember, the great indictment against a man need not be on account of any specific sin which he has committed, but simply because ’he has not believed the record which God gave of his Son.’ In truth, there is no sin so great, or so fatal, as unbelief. There is no sin, according to God’s estimate, of deeper dye. It is a sin which man alone can be guilty of. It cannot be laid to the charge of fallen angels. Along their gloomy coasts, no tidings of redeeming love have ever echoed. Salvation has never been offered to them. No, it is especially man’s sin. It is the sin of sins, the master sin, the sin which is the root and parent of all sins — for is it not written, ’He who does not believe the Son of God shall not see life — but the wrath of God abides on him!’

Oh the misery of this state of unbelief! A person may have been long possessed by it; and it may have surrounded his heart with a thick crust, which the sharpest arrow of conviction cannot penetrate. Or he may have recently had his feelings injured by it. Once he followed Christ. Once his heart was warmed by the sunshine of His love. But now all is changed. There is a dark cloud which shuts Him completely out. He is filled with doubts — and all peace is gone from him. He is like a vessel which has no pilot to direct it, and no helm to steer it — tossed hither and thither by opposing waves.

I will now pass on to a totally different phase of unbelief, which I will characterize as involuntary — for it takes possession of the mind wholly against our will. There are people who are assailed by temptations to unbelief, but it is against their will. The unbelief of such is hateful to them — it is their misery. They feel it to be a dead weight bearing them down — and they long to get rid of it, and to mount upward on the joyous wings of an unfettered trust.

You will bear in mind the distinction I am drawing between willful and deliberate unbelief — and that which is involuntary and unwelcome; the unbelief which a person encourages and glories in — and the unbelief which he groans over, and from which he earnestly desires to be freed.

It has been remarked that our Lord’s enemies, the Sadducees doubted — and so did His disciple Thomas. But what a wide difference between the two! The doubt of the Sadducee was the cold, calculating doubt of a skeptical and unloving heart — the doubt of Thomas was an honest doubt, a doubt that arose from a certain infirmity of character, and which caused him sore uneasiness. The one was, I might almost say, the doubt of love — the other the doubt of indifference; one the doubt of a weak, but loyal servant — the other the doubt of a rebel. They both craved a sign; and while our Lord denied it to the one, He mercifully gave it to the other. And we have reason to believe that the Sadducee remained locked up in his wretched skepticism — while we know that the Disciple was brought to a full and earnest reception of the Savior, so that he gave Him the entire allegiance of his heart, exclaiming, ’My Lord and my God!’

Now, I believe that there are people like Thomas to be met with everywhere — people who are troubled at times with unbelieving thoughts and feelings; and the earnest desire of their souls is, that they may be enabled to overcome them. The world has not perhaps an idea of what is passing in their minds — and does not suspect that there is any impediment which makes the chariot wheels of their faith at times drag heavily. But so it is. And I feel that their case needs to be handled with tenderness, and calls out the special sympathy of the Christian teacher. Well may his heart bleed for them — while they mourn over their unbelief, and would give worlds to have it removed.

I will now mention some of the causes of this peculiar phase of unbelief, which you will remember I have called involuntary, because it lingers in the heart against our will.

First, it may arise from the particular character of a person’s mind. There are some minds, which are naturally cold and suspicious. They are slow to receive any truth, whether it be of a spiritual or of a purely intellectual nature. Their bent is to weigh and measure every side of a question, and rather to look for the difficulties in it — than at once to embrace it as a whole.

Now, with such a condition of mind, but little can be done — until its wretched narrowness is broken through, and its icy coldness thawed. I believe that nothing but the grace of God can remedy its defects. The heart needs to be renewed and remolded, by the almighty Spirit of God; and the conscience so thoroughly awakened, that it shall feel its needs of just such a Savior as the gospel reveals to us.

Another cause of this unbelief may be, that the person suffering from it has been perhaps thrown among godless men — for we often find to our cost that this evil disease of unbelief is sadly contagious. A young man, for instance, has been brought up religiously. He has imbibed pious thoughts and feelings from those nearest and dearest to him. He goes into the world, and mixes with others. Bad men, as well as good, come across his path. He hears one speaking of sin with a degree of approval which at first shocks him — but he becomes used to it. He hears another holding up religion to ridicule — this makes him feel at the moment utterly powerless to stand up in its defense; and under the cowardly attack which is made upon him, his ground gives way. Then a third starts actual objections to revealed truth, and uses some specious argument, which cannot easily be met by him.

Now, these objections, and that argument, though spoken at random, stay with him. He cannot get rid of them. They haunt him like an evil spirit. They have broken down the barrier, and he cannot easily repair it. The bloom and freshness of his earlier feelings have been rubbed off, and his spiritual health has received a shock, from which the recovery is often difficult.

Thus many a one, who perhaps has entered the world with right feelings — comes out of it with his mind soiled and tainted for years to come! The arrow of skepticism has struck him, and he cannot rid himself of the pain and injury which it has inflicted on him. The seed has been sown — and alas, it bears its bitter fruit. The poison has been imbibed — and it affects his whole spiritual system. For we all know, that although the effects of the deadliest poison may be remedied at the time — but if it is allowed to rest undisturbed in the system, even for a few minutes, it is fatal, and the strongest antidote cannot neutralize it!

How necessary then to guard against the first infusion of evil! And the moment we feel its power, at once to expel the intruder. For if we encourage even the little beginnings of unbelief, instead of casting them out — they will be sure to have a deadly influence over our hearts.

There is a third cause, which is, I fear, the parent of unbelief in some hearts. I mean the indulgence of sin — not of open sin perhaps (for many would start back with horror at the idea of such an imputation), but of some secret, hidden, heart sin — which probably the world does not detect. Nothing warps and distorts the moral symmetry of the inner man, so much as secret sin. It deteriorates the heart. And most assuredly, if sin is allowed a resting place within us — then God Himself will soon be put away, His truth will become distasteful to us, and we shall settle down into a state of cold, heartless unconcern! And is there not yet another way in which unbelief presents itself, which is by no means uncommon? How often does a passing doubt — an occasional misgiving — come across the mind even of the earnest Christian? He sits down to read the Bible — that book which is so precious to his soul — and the Tempter whispers in his ear, ’Is this really from God? Is it His message to me?’ Perhaps your heart within is able at once to answer the question. You have tasted of the preciousness of God’s Word, and you feel it to be from Him. Or you kneel down in your secret chamber, to spend a few minutes in prayer; and even while you are on your knees before God, the thought comes across you, ’Does God indeed hear me? And will He answer my supplications?’ And then you happily remember how in days gone by He has heard and answered you, and revealed Himself to your soul as He does not unto the world. Well indeed if it be so with us. But it may be otherwise. The evil when begun, may go on increasing, until your spiritual comfort may be completely undermined by it. And yet God may bring good out of evil. Although these thoughts are very apt to leave their trace behind them, causing us much pain and uneasiness within — He may allow us to be assailed by them, and may use them as ’touchstones,’ to test the genuineness of our faith. Like the passing wind, they may try our very roots, but make us perhaps cling more tightly to the ground on which we are resting. And thus ’the trial of our faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes,’ will be ’found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.’

Here then I must close this section. I have mentioned four not unusual phases of that involuntary unbelief, which I have desired chiefly to bring before you — and which, if not removed, are calculated to give pain to many hearts. I leave them with you for the present. Think them over. And may the discovery of this evil within you be one step towards its removal! In this next section I shall speak both of the Remedy, and of the Physician who is ever ready to apply it. Meanwhile carefully examine your own heart; and pray that Christ may graciously manifest Himself to you — removing all your doubts, and filling you with joy and peace in believing. In the last section I spoke to you of Voluntary and Involuntary Unbelief — the former most hateful to God, as showing a mind in direct rebellion against Him, and effectually closing the open door of mercy; the latter distressing to the individual Christian, and calling forth our pity, rather than our indignation.

I dwelt chiefly on this latter phase, Involuntary Unbelief, and showed that it chiefly arises from one of these four causes:
from the peculiar character of a person’s mind;
from the fact of our being thrown in with godless people;
from the encouragement of some hidden sin within us;
lastly, from some temptation, to which even a child of God is liable. And now I am to try and help you in the expulsion of so unwelcome an intruder.

I will suppose I am speaking to one in whose heart there is at the present moment some symptom of this unbelief. It is there — and though you would give worlds to displace it, you have no power of your own to effect its removal. What is to be done? Your obvious relief is in Prayer. God is the Giver of all true Faith. Entreat Him to take away that evil heart of unbelief, which, like an insidious cancer, has been long striking its roots deep within you — and to give you a believing, loving, trusting heart. Let this be the one main petition you urge with Him — not coldly or formally, but earnestly and heartily; not once or twice, but day by day; and He will not deny your request, or allow you to remain long unrelieved.

You cannot heartily love and serve God as you are. Your unbelief must be expelled, and a settled faith must be given you. And remember, this is one of those ’good and perfect gifts,’ which ’comes from above.’ Faith is not a plant which springs up of its own accord in the human heart. It is an exotic, and must be transplanted there from another and a heavenly soil. Ask God for this precious gift — and by direct prayer to Him you will surely obtain, sooner or later, the comfort which you so much need. Whenever then you hear the whisperings of unbelief within you, undermining your spiritual comfort, and keeping you from God — instantly approach your heavenly Father; tell Him of your trouble, and plead with Him for its speedy removal. Say to Him, ’O You who are ever ready to help Your poor weak servant — be pleased in mercy to extricate me from these doubts, which are so miserably impeding the very life of my soul, and grant me the priceless blessing of a true and living faith.’

Further, try to realize the preciousness and nearness of the Savior. Put yourself in His actual presence, and entreat Him to befriend you. He invites all to come to Him who are weary, and need His aid. Draw near to Him, then, and He will give you the rest which you are sighing for, showing you plainly His truth, and revealing Himself to your soul. Place yourself at His feet. Give yourself to Him heart and soul.

You have perhaps hitherto followed Him, but it has been afar off. You have been afraid to take up His cross, for you have dreaded its weight. You have hesitated to yield up your affections and your will to Him — and therefore He has stood aloof from you, and has been as a Stranger to you. But now surrender yourself wholly to Him, without reserve — and forthwith your doubts will disperse like noxious vapors, the light of Heaven will shine in upon you, and joy and peace will be your portion. But you will say perhaps, ’My views concerning Christ are at present sadly defective. I need to be more fully persuaded as to His nature and His power to save me. For how can I heartily embrace Him as my Savior, while these doubts of mine are keeping me back?’ But let me ask you, Do you understand the nature of the Sun which shines in the heavens? Do you know all about that great luminary? Probably not — but still you draw near to it, and are warmed. And so it may be with Jesus, ’the Sun of Righteousness.’ Oh, place yourself within His influence, and let His rays of light shine upon your soul. Remember, your Savior loves you, and is willing (oh, how willing!) to impart unto you His most precious gifts. He feels for you, for He knows all your infirmities; and since He Himself has suffered, being tempted — He is able to support those who are tempted.

You have perhaps read many books, and some of these have rather added to your perplexities, than removed them. But now you come to Him, in whom all fullness dwells — to Him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. You drink at that Fountain Head, and your soul is calmed, refreshed, and satisfied.

It is said of Pascal (a holy man and one of great intellect) that when, after reading many deep books, he found them utterly powerless to give him relief — he at length came back to God, threw himself upon Him, and, shedding tears of joy, exclaimed, ’O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — not the God of philosophers and wise men — I come to You.’

Those were the noble words of a great mind, which felt its littleness, and that God alone could reveal Himself to the heart. And does not this remind us of One greater than Pascal, who exclaimed with joy, ’I thank You, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes!’

Yes, try to exercise your faith — the little faith you have, which can hardly be called faith, it is so mixed with unbelief — try and exercise it. And, like the man whose hand was paralyzed, and in the act of stretching it out received strength — so will your withered faith be strengthened by the Lord Himself. Place yourself at the Savior’s feet with a soul-felt homage; and as you trust Him He will enable you to trust Him more. The daily Reading of God’s Word is another important remedy. And although perhaps your mind at the time may not be disposed heartily to welcome all its statements, still read it solemnly and prayerfully, as one who longs to find the treasure it contains. Read it with humility and devoutness, and entreat God to teach you by His Holy Spirit.

Wait upon God too, in the more Public Ordinances of His own House, remembering that a special blessing comes from United Worship and the Preaching of God’s Word; and that Faith, the Faith you long for, ’comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ And what shall I say about the Holy Communion? Your state of partial unbelief scarcely warrants your admission to this, the highest of Christian ordinances, which demands the entire allegiance of our hearts. And yet I dare not advise you to stay away, until your doubts are removed. It would be like saying to some poor sufferer, ’Wait until your malady is cured — and then place yourself under the physician’s care.’ I would rather say, ’Come — the Lord has a remedy for earnest, seeking souls. He has a remedy for you. He longs to heal you, and to give you ’the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.’

Yes, if your doubts distress you, and if your heart’s desire is to have the little faith you possess strengthened — then entreat the loving Savior to accept you, and to permit you, unworthy as you are, to take the very lowest seat at His Banquet. And when there, may your Lord in His great mercy ’make Himself known to you in the breaking of bread!" But you will perhaps say, ’How can I profitably use these different means of grace, seeing I have so little faith?’ Are not Prayer, and Bible Reading, Public Worship, and Holy Communion, direct calls upon faith? Are they not absolutely worthless without it? Yes, it is so. But in the humble, earnest effort to use them — God will meet you with His blessing. Remember the case which I have mentioned of the man with the withered hand.

Once more, engage in some directly Christian work. Exercise is needful for the body. Your limbs, if unused, soon become weak and powerless. Employ them, and their strength returns. So it is with your poor imperfect faith. Give it some employment. Do some act for Christ in the world. Engage in some definite work for Him, and you will find light. ’He who follows Me, shall not walk in darkness.’

Such is my advice to anyone, the language of whose heart is at this moment, ’Lord, increase my faith!’ But let me add a word of WARNING, of affectionate warning, to anyone who is daring to encourage the deadly fungus of unbelief in his soul. Do not, I beseech you, play with God’s truth. Do not trifle with it. And, above all, beware how you seek to disseminate the miserable seeds of doubt, which are, alas, embedded in your own heart. It is cruel, selfishly cruel, to leaven others with that which (if you would own it) has a withering influence on your own heart, and is the very plague-spot of your life. I would rather say, ’Give up your hopeless opposition, and humble yourself before the great truths of God.’ Thus your present skepticism, which leaves you without hope in life, and without an anchor to cling to in death — will be exchanged for a wiser and happier course.

I cannot now close this subject without mentioning two or three DIFFICULTIES which may possibly present themselves to your mind. The first suggests itself in this shape: ’My earnest desire is to love and serve Christ — but I have so many of these doubts, that I fear He will not accept me, and that my state of mind is beyond a cure.’ It is true that your condition is painful — but it is better, far better, than that of one altogether dead and unconcerned. Better to be feeling after Christ, though you cannot lay hold of Him as you would — better to touch even the outer hem of His garment, though you can get no nearer, than to be cold and indifferent about Him. Be assured, He knows all your difficulties, and all your weaknesses — and loves you in spite of them.

Again, a person may feel that he cannot take in the arguments which convince others. His mind is of such a texture that the clearest evidences do not impact upon him.

Now, the religion of Christ has its proofs for all earnest seekers. One is convinced by arguments which satisfy the understanding. In the case of another, the heavenly truths which God’s Word contains commend themselves to the heart, and plainly declare themselves to be from Him. For there are many who are no theologians, and yet they are quite satisfied as to the truth of the gospel, having ’the witness in themselves.’ The best and strongest proofs, after all, are those which are common both to the ignorant and the learned; namely, those which speak to the awakened conscience, and to the heart which thirsts for pardon, love, and peace. There are probably thousands of humble-minded Christians who know nothing of proofs, nothing of evidences, nothing of arguments — but still they believe, and are blessed.

Further, you perhaps complain of the weakness and littleness of your faith. But it is well if you have even the germ of true faith within you — though it be sadly mixed, and almost overpowered by unbelief. In the case of the father who came to Jesus with his afflicted child, his prayers showed a weak, though a true, faith — ’If You can do anything, help us.’ A severe Master would have rejected such a prayer at once. But not so with Jesus. He accepts the tenderest bud of living faith, and He will assuredly accept ours.

Strong faith is what we should all desire, and seek for — but even in its weak state it may put forth its hand, and grasp the prize, saying, ’Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief.’

Lastly, the difficulty of reconciling the various dealings of God with men, and of making Scripture statements entirely harmonize, is a serious stumbling-block to some. And so it must ever be with our defective understandings. Be content then with the thought that we all now see through a glass darkly; we know but in part — but we shall hereafter have every mystery cleared; we shall ’know even as we are known.’ May God grant that you and I may one day enjoy the unspeakable blessing of an assured and unclouded faith! ’Blessed are those who have not seen — and yet have believed.’ Blessed is he . . .
who has a sure anchorage even in the roughest storm,
finds peace in the hour of death,
commits his soul calmly and trustfully to his Savior, and
wakes up to exchange his imperfect faith for sight, and his wavering hope for everlasting enjoyment in the very presence of his Lord!