Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-07-16
How to Acquire Faith.

1AUN w AAUH u4AO uAblli
a Sermon, By The Rev. D. Il. Whitakcr, Minisfci
of The Nee Church SOcie'y, Wilmington.
.Whosever liyeth and belioyeflrin me shall never die
Beiiuvesl tLor thisi She saith unto him.. yea Lord,
,Gonlu cone info tile wor.d'@iohn lie si-7vs. So "'
Such was Martha's crced--simple, definite, suf-
fcent, which crVers the whole ground of christian
faith, and superGeies and sets aside. valueless,
all other creods. Such also was the creed Of John
the Baptist the precurior of the Lord, who saw and
testified that he is the Son of God such Peters
confession, "Tbou art tho Christ, the Son OF the
living God " Thou art,' said Nathanael, 'fhe
son of God-thOu art the King of Israel. 81
believe" said tae Ethiopian minister, THAT Jesus
Christ is the Son of God - "Thesc things are writ
ton, says John. ''that you may bolievo that Jesus
Christ is tho Son OF God, and that believing ye may
have lite III his name y WhosOeyer contesseth
that Jesus is tho Sun Of GGd, God abidoth in him,
and he in Cod 1--WE have believed ,, |. @ all the
disciples,-"we have believed that thou art the
Christ the Son of the living God"
Before his birth, the angel Gabriel announced MS
name 10 Mary as tho Son of God and, after his
crucifxiop when s'the vail of the temple was rent
in twain from the top to tho bottom, and the earth
qunked, and the rocks were rent, and the graves
we're opened and the bodies arose, the centurion and
they that were with him watching Jesus, seeing the
things that were done, exclaimed, Truly this was
the SON of Ged" Sun of God ,--"God Of Cod
Light OF Light-Nery God Of very God;' God bodily
mauifested;--the infinite God, the great Am, in
human form; God in ultimates, descending to the
lowest sphere of nature, putting on flesh, submit
ting himself to all the c0nd tons of humanity
born, living, acting suffering, and diving as man
is born lives acts, suffers and dies God the umega
as we'll as the Alpha, the last us well as the drst
and Infinite in each several degree CT iie from the
first to the last God the Father, dwelling IN the
Son, and mdnifesns the Father, the divine love ;
tod the Sen, dwelling in the Father in manteStihs
:he Son, tho divine wisdom; one God in ono person.
| the person Of Lord Jesus Christ; the Author, the
ion tha Rptn a SAViOur.
all worlds aud worthy to receive the love- reverence
a. homage of all intelligent beings throughout all
the worlds tla. he had made. "Believest thou
| this2" "Lofd, VIC belieie-holp thou our unbe-
| lief.n
| Such Is the nnture Of n savtAg, living faith hpd
Ne shall in this DISCOURSE cousiler how such ialth
may be acquired; and we are instructed 70 osest M
that there are three methods by which the faith tha
springs from the heart, and Overeomes the WoIlu
ay be procured, LIST. By direct al proaeh to th'
Lord in his divine humanity "a. by leaInlni
truths from the wold I'd. by llVlnS hccoEulhS
those truths And,
lst Having faith is procured hy approaching tn
Lord in his divine humanity. $40 whom shall wv w
gs,' says Peter, "but unto thee, "Ihou NAT l1
words Of eternal life;n and the Lord, IN the word
is distinctly called man, 1.-The man Christ Jesus,
and a mediator. No man cOmeth unto Inc falhel
but by me, He that secih me seeth tie Father
The works that / do, do not of myself, my lhe
| Father that is in me he dOeh the works BelleSes
thou not that IN in the Father and the father III
me? All that the Father hath is mile. We mus
then ii we desire the light life, 60 10 the LoT1
stree be is the only being that can give II 70 U.S. lie
| with the most perfect confidence in his aoiilty anu
| his mercful intentions towards us We aro men
created in his image and called TO hafplhess anu
eternal life: but we hayB been selfish, and hhvo lost
| the imaee in which we were created The Lord
desires 10 recreate and TO restore the lnst Iesem
| bance; and if we desire that he should 40 So u VIZ
| have fully made up our minds upon the suuJcst'
aud are really in earnest about it, we must go 10
| ,vitb buuni tv
fimity, we are not worthy to enter ms pFesehee''
we must go to him with reverence, (toF he = we
| being of beings and the Lord OF lerdsl We must 81
with affection. and if have but litte auectiob'
wa must 70 with the little that We have, Lor he Is
the best Of beings, God tull OF compassloh' long
suffering and gtaciousD and II We nave hel.her @
| humility, reverence. nor leVe nor ahg pIoPeE
Thoughts of God nrr any right affections, II we are
in want of all things that are calculated TO recon-
mend us to the divine FAVOR and are conscious tut
such is the case with u.s. and are At tine sahe 'ilo
satisfied thn in this great purpose OF our iVe'i 'he
Lord is the only who can electually ald US, We
must 90 to him to give us some just conceptions oil
him. 10 give us the thoughts, the affections ana the
words which will enable US to approach him loving
| ly, reverently and acceptably; but Whatever our
| deficiencies may be, and our deep sense ol theni
nav he our best recommendation To hlm alone we
must go and apply for the benefits wo seek we
cHnnet tain them by consulting cur own uhep.
! lightened reason. Tie world which knows not the
Lord cannot with all its preenson, confer IL upon
| US None can impart to us life and none can snow
us the path Of life but tie Lord. 10 hi and hlm
alone must go for instruction aud Inflammation;
and ii apprised by his greatness, let US eail
to mind his ineable gOUdness il We are uverwhelm,
ed by sense of his infinite majesty lot us think oil
| his infinite condeseenson in assuming cur nature
with all its imies in order that he might redeem
us. Let US not because We are unworthy IhlnK
| that he regards us win alenaled feehngs-lOr nc
| knowelh our frume-he remembereth, that we are
dust and he Is not as some sunposei the enemy VI
his own children, however errhs they may pc
Such he pities and still lcves with lnhnlte love
| Let US regard him rather us an almlghty fliehu
| who leOks with Joy the returning Wanderer, ahu
is now stretching out his arms to raise him IRON
degradation. If we fear to go to him as King, as
mighty sovereign, before whom angels pow any
arch angels veil their iaees, let us go 10 MIN as
/ tender father, kind benetactor who mas all ant
more than all the power of the greatest earthly
potentate, and who, at our solicitation, Is merely
exert that power in the promotion of our best ant
| highest interests.
But there must not only be a going to tho Lore
with con1ding trust, but there must be hcavenl,
habit Of going to him. VIII ch will produce, in time
freedom in going to him aud love going to him
great adviser in all difficulties, prOtectO
| amidst all danger; our unerrink guide through thu
nrieacies that perplex us; there must be an abiding
in him, as the branches abide in the vine from whcl
| they draw their life; consciousness that withou
him. the giyer and preseryer Of life and the Saviou
Of mems lives, we are nothing and can do nothing
that We ought to DO and to do. Ina word, we mus
look to him, and acknowledge him, occasionally
when some fit of seriousness Ito which We are al
more or less label comes over us-whcn We ar
smitten with some visitation Of Providence tina
causes us TO turn to him for consolation; but W
must look to him continually and acknowledge hin
as the being in whom alsne we live and move an,
have our being who has in his hands our most vita
interests, temporal and spiritual, who can max
prosperity and adversely blessing to US, VIII
knows our thoughts before we utter them. Venus
go to him those who called to the high ofic
, Of co operating with him as FRIEND and Of CO
operating with him into tho greatest Of all abor'
, the work of own reformation and regeneration
in the restoring to souls that divine image Of th
Creator which We have lost by our own recklossnes
and folly; in the securing tn ourselves and other
these virtues Of heavenly truth and love of whic
we are created to be The receptive organs, whic
: How down from the Author Of all good, and cons
q tute the life of angels and Of men We must go
5 him, in order that we may be cURjoined to him, th
/ Head over all things TO the chulch and to ever
member oft.
! Seldom as We 60 to the Lord, and continually
I lovingly and Ieverently we ought to 60 10 hin
in consderatisnof the great and endearing relation
e he sustains to as eur Creator, Saviour and al
: mighty Friend he overooks our absences and mer
cifuy comes to us to look after and our welfare
Behold, he says, stand at the door and knock