Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1860-03-24

faith of these believing Jews2 This is an i'm
portant question to settle; for these things were
spoken and recorded by Jehovah himself, fol
our instruction. And it must be exceedingly
important that we understand clearly what il
| was that these disciples believed, and what the
Saviour taught them as the way to eternal life;
for, most surely, the faith and life which would
take them to heaven, will take us there ALSO
| Indeed, it must have been placed on record as
the very way of life to all future rogeneratons.
| What, then, was the nature of their faith A
| glance at the context will settle the question.
The Saviour was teaching them respecting
the Father and himself; and the two verses
next preceding our text read as follows And
| He that sent me is with me: the Father hath
not left me alone; for do always those things
that please him. AS he spake these words,
many believed on him. We here see that
their faith must have been, that Christ was the
| Son of God, and that the Father was not
another being, away off somewhere else; but
that the Father was with him and in him. and
that he was acting with and as the Father and
doing the Fathers pleasure; SO that the Father
was in him as his will This must have been
| their belief; for, in the very words that inspr-
| ed them with faith, the Lord says He that
sent me is with me: the Father hath not left
me alone; for do always those things that
please him. thus showing, that though the
Father had sent him, yet that did not imply
separation. They therefore felt convinced that
the Lord was God; and being convinced of this
great truth, and feeling conscious that they
were standing before the almighty God, who
could read every thought and feeling of their
souls, they saw, and deeply felt at the heart,
their own nothingness their own sintnness,
and their entire dependence upon him. They
therefore yielded themselves up to the power
and influence of his living words, and believed
on him. and they believed on him as God him
self They looked to him, and nowhere else,
for help; in his words they placed the most i'm
plicit and undoubting confidence; they felt that
they were creatures of his hands, and that NIL
their welfare and happiness depended upon
him. We can draw no other conclusion from
the facts before us; in fact, such is the nature
and character of all true faith. All the instan-
ces of faith in Christ, recorded in the whole
gosple show that they believed in him, and
trusted in him, as God, and surely that faith is
good for nothing, that believes and trusts in
ANYTHING short of the tone only living and true
| God,n and in him alone. Besides, it was this
God that was promised him; they were looking
for i'the mighty God, the everlasting Father,the
| Prince of Peace IT. them the faith of these
believing Jews was saving faith in Jesus
! Christ it was certainly because they believed
in him MS Cod as part of Cod, our
Saviour on whom alone they could depend;
as they looked to him alone, and obeyed his
| Word Faith becomes saving, when, in pray
| eriul dependence upon the Lord, we resist
! temptations, and thus, through faith, purify
| the heart by obedience to the commandments
| and we are never saved, till the work is done,
the heart purified, and the commandments low
ed For this reason the Lord says, +" II We con-
| tinue in my word, then are ye my disciples in
| deed: and We shall know the truth, and the
! truth shall make you free"
| Here the Lord makes an important dstnc-
ton between theoretical and practical knowl-
edge. These disciples had some faith, and
| they had truth in the understanding; but they
| had not yet practised that truth; and the Lord
ntimated to them that they did not know the
| truth. Now they had seen the truth; the Lord
| had showed it to them; they had felt enough OF
| its power to begin to believe in III but they
had not vet cultivated it, and raised the fruits
| of righteousness from it, and thereby become
/ practically acquainted with its nature and use,
| it was to them as stranger, who had been IA
yorably introduced to them, but of the depth
of whose wisdom they were still ignorant
| Now, to really know the truths of the com
| mandments we must cultivate q familiar and
practical acquaintance with them. 10 do TINS,
| we must bring them into our house and fnmi-
| ly; take them with us wherever we go, and
| make them our constant companions and coun-
/ sellers. To know the truth, we must practlse
| ii: there is no knowledge like practised knowl-
edge. Theoretical knowledge, without being
| practised, is defective and surface knowledge
TO him who has it, however true it may be in
| itself to him it ia not clear, solid, and full
| Truths, before they are practised, are heeting
/ things of the head like bird on the wing, they
| may soon be out of sight: but practice brings
them into the heart and gives them root and
permanency. Truths merely seen in the mead
are not ours. To be ours, they must be loved
to be loved, they must be known; to be known
they must be practised. Nothing spiritual is
ours, till we love IT, To love the command
ments, we must keep them. And it is only by
A love of the commandments, that we can have
a love of the Lord; and it is only by love OF
the Lord, that we can be his disciples indeed
and it is only by being his disciples indeed
that we can know the truth; and it is only by
knowledge of the truth, that we can be freee
from our sins.
The great light which our text thus she'd
forth, teaches us clearly why religious knowl
edge has not kept pace with other sciences |
is not because it is not capable of greater pro
gress and development than all other sciences
but because people have ceased to practise it
precepts by making salvation to depend upoi
faith alone Now, no man can know the di
vine science of theology, and enter understand
ingly into its deep and sublime truths, unes
he seeks practical and experimental knowl
edge of its laws,-unless he tests the truth AM
, excellency of every moral and religious rule b.
his own heart and life's experience: this is tn
, only way to develop divine science. He tina
doeth the truth cometh to the light" saith on
Lord. Now, what does he here meant n
/ man can do the truth till he sees it but tn
fact is before he practses it he sees 1t at a DIS
j lance. But, by doing the truth, he cometh !
the light; he experiences it.. ltbecomes a ligh
in himself; he is acquainted with it, and know
1 IL. Besides, the divine truths are given for II
Y other purpose than to be obeyed; and, whe
Y man sincerely yields to their influence, he find
/ that repentance and faith, and the love OF Go
and the neighbor, are operating in his soul to
gether and producing the tree of life. Reopen
. lance breaks mp the falow ground of the hear
@ and prepares it to receive the good SEEDS
faith. Love warns the soil truth from III
Word waters the plant; and daily repentanc
uproots the newly discovered vices, and keel
a the soil stirred and fresh, so that the roots {
the divine tree may spread and grow. IN
q process goes on, till the heart becomes purihe
from every vice, and the full strength OF all til
/ affections goes into the tree of life; so that
j love God with all the heart, and there is =
. love of sin left This brings us back into u
n ual,lcn of Eden, with the tree of life in u
: midst; for it makes garden of the mind. b.
L fore We commenced the cultivation, it was
4 wilderness; and the first thing we hear
- the voice Of John, crying, "Repent for Il
20 kingdom Of heaven is at hand" " Make straig
20 in he wilderness highway for your Cod
"a ABEL SILVER.