The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-12-24
MR.. ArGnRY'SARrICLE.

There Is, perhaps, no Woru IN all the
Bible upon which so great stress Is laid as
this word faith and its equivalents. With
out faith, an apostle affsrms, it is impossi-
Bile 10 please God. He that cometh 10 God
must first believe that He is. Its by faith
only that we can have spiritual life. Faith
It is that justihes. Through faith only can
we be saved. It's faith that is operative
in purifying the heart and overcoming the
world. Faith that brings usinto union
with Christ Faith that girds our loins to
run therace Of duty and trial set before
us. Faith that aninates and ,sustains un-
der the great fight OF Affections Through
which our robes must be washed and
made white in the blood OF the Lamb
Faith is our passport to heaven. All who
have true faith will eventually be saved /;
those who have 1t not will certainly be
damned.
Faith then is not only an element, but
a most essential element in religion. This
It Is that constitutes the great distinctive
mark between the friends and enemies of
God.
IA uho are Of faith arc he Children OF God.
ThO@ rho hare not faith arr The children Of the
deri. Those who have believed upon the
only begotten Son OF God have spiritual
lives; they have passed from death unto
life, They have been quiekened blythe
spirit and made alive forevermore. How
important then that oil should have faith.
Without faith there is no salvation. God
will accept nothing else in its stead. II
faith be wanting repentance will not save
us-reiormation will not save. Indeed,
,,.t+haut fafth thara 30 n ha M 0anpipa "a !
pentance. They are co-incident and co..
ordinate. They go together, neither is
complete without the other.
What then is fifth? 1t is simply the be-
lief of,testimony. The cordial reception,
oh the testimony that God has given US
respecting himself his purposes 81 grace
and mercy toward our lost and guilty
world, and laying hold upon the hops
offered US in the Gospel OF Jesus Christ
This is all. Nothing very mysterious this.
ANY little child may understand II 1t will,
what it is to believe. 1t is simply to credit
what God says, when he aftirrns that we
are by nature sinful and lost, and that our
only remedy Is In looking to Jesus-be-
lieying upon him as the Precipitation for
our sins. Loving trust and trusting love
in the blessed Savior; just to accept as
true what the Bible so clearly affirms, that
he died as o ,ransoma for fimy and that
thus believing our sins viii be blotted out
and we adopted into the family and favor
OF God.
4 The obedience and death OF Christ are
now set TO our. account Our sins are Inn
puted to him, and his all perfect righteous
ness is imputed to US.
That is, God accepts His sufferings in
the place OF ours as full and adequate
satisfaction for our manifold sins, and re-
ceiyes and treats us as righteous or sinless
persons, because OF our faith and trust In
Christ. Thus we are relieved from the
sentence OF demnation-adopted into
favor with God and receive the gift OF the
Holy Ghost to abide with US, and carry
ontheiwork of saiciifGation in our hearts
till we are ultimately made meet Tor an in
heritanee among thesaintsin light-among
the spirits ofthe Just made perfect. Dear
reader! have you this faith? You ought
TO have It. Every intelligent being in the
universe ought to have i. God has left
none without witness. The heavens de-
clare the glory OF God and the armament
showeth his handiwork. Day unto day
uttereth speech and night unto might
showeth knowledge, There is no speech
nor language where their voice rs not
heard. Even theheathenare left without
excuse for their unbelief much more than
ali who enjoy the light Of the Gospel.
Faith Is the gift OF God, but there is no
gift He bestows more freely and willingly.
Only ask and you shall receiye-seek and
won shall find. II faith is weak making
pray Tor more faith. Cry 70 God 70 help
your unbelief. Open your eyes TO theeyi-
dence shining around you, and yield to ita
convincing power. Forsake all known sins
and cry earnestly to God for the renewal
of the Holy Ghost to deliver both from its
power and dominion, rs also from IL
guilt, pollution and awful penalty-thus
doing. theIgift Of faith will notylong be
withheld. M
those EiyePoInts in Rssnrd toInsersoil.