Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-20
DR.. NEEoHAM ON FAITH.
a Sermon Of Great Power on This Theme
Mr.. Bliss ut Old Market.

The revival meetings yesterday were
4 O'Clock and again at s o'clock I'm Grace
Street Presbyterian church to large and
deeply-lnterested congregations. At 500
o'clock the evangelist spoke on Faith"
taking the eleventh chapter OF Hebrews
as the basis OF his remarks. He said We
may know technically all about faith, and
In reality nothing about its power. Men Of
great intellect are butting their heads
against n granite wall in seeking to prove
the unreliability of the Scriptures. The
believer accepts Gods word as simple
matter OF faith. without faith 1t is i'm
possible TO please God. A Christian should
always be asking. How can please God?
This should be our business. our study,
how to please Him. We may be phlan-
trophists and patriots, We may build
schools and hospitals, but unless we have
faith in God we are not pleasing Him.
When we have faith In Him we give up
our all to Him. submit our will to His,
lay down our arms at His command. What
is faith?. 1t Is belief OF testimony. but 1t
IS more than belief Of testimony. Demons
believe and trembe. We must have con-
fidence in Him who gives us his testimony
Abraham Is a great example of faith. He
belonged TO "a nation OF idolators. He be-
lieved God when he told him In His ola
age that his seed should be az numerous
as the stars. He believed without ques-
ton. Zacharias Is an example along the
same line: who did not believe God, but
wanted further evidence that God would
give him a son, and he was stricken dumb
until his child was born. That Is the rea-
son we have so many dumb Christians in
our churches. They are waiting for some
extra evidence, and not believing God.
This surely Is presumption. Abraham had
absolute confidence in God. He went up
the mountain with Isaac ready to offer
him up. He knew that in Isaac was his
seed 10 be raised up He went there ready
TO offer up his son with assured confidence
that God would raise him up again.
Like Abraham. we must have confidence
I'm God. Many are stumbling along the
line Of feeling Now, feeling has nothing
TO do with faith. except as a consequence.
The word feeling never occurs In the Bible
in this relation. God does not base sal
walton on our changeable emotions. We
are all constituted with different physical
natures. Some Christians are stoics, others
are all exuberance. We ought to get this
word feel out Of our vocabulary. We
are no: saved by feeling, but by faith. We
must believe without seeing. We must
have full trust and faith in God, and be-
lIeve what he tells US. We are apt to
hold on TO some OF our own righteousness In
case Jesus Christ would fail us. This is
n rotten plank we are standing on. and oh.
that God would sweep this rotten plank
away, then shall we be saved by Christ
alone.
DR.. Needham will preach in the same
church to-day at O'Clock on THE House
hold of God" and at s o'clock on How
may we know that we are saved" Prayer
meeting at 7 a. NJ each day.
MIR. BLISS AT OLD MARKET.
Mr.. Bliss preached 10 a large congre-
cation at Old Market Hall last night, from
Luke XIV, 9: "And the Pharisees ana
scribes murmured. saying. This man re-
ceiveth sinners and eateth with them. lie
smoke of the manner in which Christ had
affiliated with the publican. and argued
that he was still doing so in order to bring
them back TO God.
Mr.. Stuart Hopkins sang. Throw out
the life line" and a number OF hymns
were sung by the audience, Mr.. Ilbpetts
leading the Singing.
Rev. DR.. Tudor Mr.. Gervas Storrs' anu
Mr.. Tibbetts offered prayer
DR.. Tudor dismissed the gathering win
the benediction.