The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-08
IRREGULARITIES OF FAITH.


Trust Ono Of the Blessed Conditions OF
Belief, Says ME-. Read.
The Rev. /. w. Read preached before q
large congregation in the Market street
Baptist church yesterday morning on the
IRREGULARITIES of Faith" He took as his
text Romans 20, ''Strong in Faith" He
said:
!. Faith IL not . thing, but belief. It 10
thought Of sometimes as that which is tangible;
this is incorrect. We have each . conscience.
It cannot be touched, seen or tasted, and yet 1t
II none the less powerful Faith can not be
touched, seen or tasted, but it has great power.
tits just taking God at His word. I may have
oil this world can give and yet have no faith. I
may never have stepped upon the sands of AT.
RIGA, but believe that country is. may never
have picked the fruit OF South America, but /
accept the picking of some ono else and enjoy
the fruit There are many things in Gods ma
ture that we cannot understand, and We cannot
handle Him, but We may by belief appropriate
to ourselves the blessings OF that nature and en-.
Joy the presence of that life.
Faith leads to trust This IL one OF the
most blessed results OF faith, for there are
times in the life of every one when darkness
gathers and the storm thickens, and the clouds
break and the deluge comes. and there 10 no
strength or sight or wisdom to check the calam.
ity. Happy is the one who can say: 81 believe
In Him and SO trust all to His keeping"
child trusts its mother absolutely, because it
believes what she says IL true. / care not how
hayward that child may be, when trouble or
danger comes its trust in the mother Is wonder
full. Every child Of God has the same trust in
Him. Believing Him to be true to VI and tax
ing His salvation as a free gift the soul II led to
trust Him in the time OF deepest distress.
A life of faith is contrary to spirit OF
worry. Let the man away from God worry, but
let the man born of the Spirit exercise faith in
Him that will Danish all such things. Muller
never worried. but spent the time he might
have worried in prayer. His faith enabled him
to rise above his necessities and lay hold on God
a. suficient to satisfy every need. The men
who have won the greatest victories and who
have achieved the greatest success have been
those who have cast worry TO the winds and
have pressed on to success. The Christian who
has the happiest life is he who rises above dim
culties by . strong and abiding faith In God.
Seeing is not an element OF faith. "We
walk by faith. not by sight" The man who
says he will only believe what he can see II q
fool, and does not mean what he says. When at
West Point few weeks ago stood In the gov
eminent cemetery and looked upon the graves
Of Generals Winfield Scott, OF military fame,
and Anderson, who had charge OF Fort Sumter
when fred upon in 1851 never saw these men,
but my heart swslled with emotion a. l thought
of their lives as recorded in history. ] believe
In them. That poor woman who, in IRE, tell
from a fourth.story window at the request OF
friends, believed where she could not see and
was saved from death. belief in God In 70 lot
90 OF everything and fall into His arms Feel
ing does not enter into faith, but comes as re-
suit of il. Some people try to put feeling first
instead OF last The matter stands like this:
Fact isth, feeling. First the fact that am q
sinner and Chris, 10 . Savior Second, faith BY
the sinner IN Christ AZ the Savior. Third. feel
ings OF Joy and peace in consequence OF faith in
Jesus Christ People SO frequently try to feel
bad and then feel worthy, and then feel that
Christ wants TO save them and then believe on
Him. II is an awful fallacy Let feeling be
cast to the winds and exercise faith in Christ,
and all the feeling needed will come. the
Christian is always talking about feeling when
!, IS faith that is needed.
Faith makes advance possible. No man can
advance in anything except he believes. have
In believe an accomplishment possible before /
can attain il compass Ia . very peculiarly
constructed instrument, with its needle always
pointing toward the pole. No one can tell all
shout The subtle power which accomplishes
this result and vet in time of storm or darkness
men will risk their lives and their ali upon the
tact that the needle points TO the north.
While we may no; understand all about God
20 can safely risk our all upon belief in
Christ, and in time OF darkness and storm rest
In this belief, knowing that no breakers can
wreck our bark and no winds OF adversely send
- upon the rocks of ruin.