St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-24
able from its effect. In this sense faith

able from its effect. In this sense faith
and victory are one. To attain Christ
ian faith is to attain Christian victory
in the same way that the mastery OF
language makes linguist. The apostle
does not mean that il you merely sign
your name to the prayer book you have
thereby overcome the world, the flesh,
and the devil. Or that the adoption Of
the Westminster confession, revised or
not, will help you to love your
enemies, and pray for the Armin-
ians. There was time when faith In
Christ meant life in God. Now it means
anything whatever, from loyalty to an
infallible, immoral monster imprisoned
in the aVtican, down to the blandest.
blankest, shallowest Unitarian estheti-
cism conceivable to a sane being in
Christian environment Christian faith
has Jared hard at the hands of her
friends. Stripped of her life by Komish
Journalism; of her love by Protestant
dOgmatism and of her truth by Uni
tartan liberalism, she now presents her
self only as the shadow of what she
was to Paul and James and John. Real
faith is the reborn life. "Who-
the Christ is born of Cod"
Belief in Christ makes man not better
merely, but other. Paul was perse-
cutter; belief made him preacher. He
was cruel: belief made him merciful.
He gloried in his Jewish blood: he came
to glory only in the cross. So he VINO
to-day believes in such way as to be
begotten of God must show himself a
Christian man. Are you a millionaire,
and was your pride in your purse? You,
cross. Were you crueIP This faith will
make you merciful. Were you hateful?
1t will make you forgiving. Were you
rogue, cheat, thief? 1t will make
you honest. 1t will be your victory
over all sconndreliSm.
No great life is reached without faith.
1t Is the small soul whose range OF
knowledge is confined to his own eyes
and finger tips, whose desires never
rise above his stomach, and whose ex-
pectations do not reach beyond his
tombstone. Men of faith are the men
of action, and the souls that believe are
the souls that live both here and here
after. Doubt cuts the nerves of hero
ism, and never makes martyr. Infi-
deity never regenerated soul, nor
raised up fallen people, nor laid the
corner stone of a state, nor inspired a
single philanthropist, nor wrote
Bible, nor built cathedral,
nor painted great picture.
Infidelity is negative. 1t is like con-
flrmed dyspeptic, who can do nothing
but look blue, and try to digest what to
him is indigestible. "Voltaire had q
torch to burn, but no hammer to build"
The boy Phillips. mounting the plat
form in Faneuil hall to defend Love-
joy; Luther mailing his theses to the
church door in Wittemburgh, and
standing before the pope's legate to de-
fend the Christian conscience from
papal tyranny; Paul in the presence OF
King Agrippa preaching Christ; Peter
on PentecOst declaring to the murdererS
of Jesus the resurrection Of Jesus
these are sublime examples of the Ian
guage that faith dares to utter in times
of spiritual battle.
There are moments when more de-
ponds on the word of the man of faith
than upon the cIashing of swords or the
roar of artillery. 1t is in such moments
that Faith gains her best victories, TOR
then there comes the tongue af1ame with
Pentacostal truth, ardent with indigna-
ton and with love, piercing the heart,
bringing conviction, laying the corner
stones of states. creating history, and
establishing divine kingdoms, creeds,
codes Of conduct, churches.