The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-26
THE POWER OF FAITH
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR APRIL
LESSON TENT MATTHEW 9:lS34
PREPARED BY EDWARD LEIGH PELI4 d. D.
pe notes on the and must be reprinted

from the dead. nor could the faith
of the blind men give them sighk II
was Jesus who did 1t and thell latin
was only the condition on which he
/ did it. lie did not necu the faith
/ 81 the Sick to help HIM make them
well as "A physician does; ne simply
required 1t OF them.
Bu Why should JesSs require faith
( of those whom be would help? Some
OF as have a grudge against him be-
cause va imagine that IL r. an arbi-
trary requirement, hus II Is not an
arbitrary requirement. Imagine IL
| you can a home in which SONY secret
/ enemy has poisoned the minds of the
children against their father until
they no longer have any confidence in
/ him. II would not ice nome Il:
would be horrible wreck Suppose
the father should undertake TO bring
order out Of the chaos--how would he
go about u2 There is no obedience.
no love, no service rendered. nothing
but chaos. Would he itrst require OF
his children their service? How could
he get them to do anything worth
while II they did not trust him i?
Would he require their love? How
could he get them to love one In whom
they had no confidence? Yet he must
: +'+-ttatrr-- srrurtfriug or right relations
between his children ana himself will
never be restored and the home VIII
not be recovered. what can nc re-
quire Of them but faith what can
he require less than faith? What
chance Is there that order witt c0mS
out of the wreck IL his children dc
not learn to trust him?
So God comes into this wrecked
worid-wrecked because man was led
to doubt him--and undertakes TO
bring his children into right relations
with himself. There IN no love, no
obedience, no service, nothing but
| chaos, What can he do? How can
the children be brought together
around the Father in loving obedi-
ence TO him if they do not trust him :
What can God require of them but
faith? What can he require less
than faith? What chance is there
that order will come out OF the wreck
If his children do not learn to trust
him?
Am helping him to bring order
out 81 the wreck by trusting him?
Two Illustrations.
/. may be pardoned for usins
here an Illustration which / have used
elsewhere in these lessons: Do yoI
not remember when you were a chile
and you were visiting at a neighbours
and great storm arose. and nigh
| came on how you stood at the window
with your little face pressed agains
the pane and watched the light il
your home over the way and shud
dered at the thought of having to e
| through the dark and cold and rniI
to get there And how when YOU
heart had almost famed within you
there was loud rap at the door, ant
father came In with an armfni o
wraps and a great umbrella, and how
= ne wrapped YOU up head and ear
, and took you in his arms and carried
YOU out and you did not feel tha COLI
or the rain and how when the wral
was taken off you were In your owl
home This, says Jesus, is all Their
! IL of death TO those who trust them
selves in the arms Of him who is th'
resurrection and the life. We shall
, GO to sleep In his arms. and whei
I Ne. awake IT will be In ctr Father
, house
I . You might as well stab YOU
mother as to doubt her. You do sta'
. her when YOU doubt her, 1t was th'
= worlds unbelief that broke the hear
. If Jesus. And vet we talk abou
\ daHbt as ii it-were a virtue and s.
, around telling the world that w
t Christians have such hard time be
= cause yst. are required to believe God