Norwich bulletin., 1914-01-20

words, judging from his language" I certainly did not mean to say or infer that this was his whole creed. But l leave it to the readers of this letter to decide whether it is not a natural in- ference from his language that, at least, a part of his creed was belief in Jesus as Lord" and Christ and Master" But seeker goes on to say, Belief does not give life: belief simply leads to knowledge, and it is through knowledge that we are saved;" and again, knowledge takes one out of the realm of belief and creed. and through knowledge he ob- tains power. and bears the fruit of the spirit, and does the things that the Master stated that all those should do who followed Him."
 Here again 1 find Seeker" widely at variance with Christ and His apos- ties Seeker says there is no life in doctrines. Christ says The words that l have spoken unto you are spirit and are life" Seeker" says Belief does not give life"
 Christ says, He that believeth in Me. though he were dead, vet shall he Heveth in Me shall never die:' and ! If thou canst believe. all things are possible to him that believeth;" and, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that who- soever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life;" and, "Nerily, verify. l say unto you, he that neareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath eternal life and cometh not into judgment, but l hath passed out of death into life" 1 St. John says. But as many as re- | ceived Him,t to them gave He the right | to become children of God, even to | them which believe on His name" l And from St. Paul we have these | words:-"The righteous shall live by i faith; and these For ye are all sons | of God through faith in Christ Jesus" :; | and these, But the scripture hath | shut up all things under sin, that the | promise by faith in Jesus Christ might l be given to them that believe;" and i these, That life which I now live in 1 the flesh I live in faith the faith which | is in the Son of God. who loved me
 and gave Himself up for me" For | many other passages of like import l let seeker" consult any concordance l When seeker says Belief leads to l kx0wledge," I am with him, so far 1 as to allow that Christian belief is not
 simply intellectual assent, but an as- 1 sent of the heart and will besides, SC 1 that it kindles the affections and rouses the will to obedience. | ma 1 word, belief. in the Christian sense
 is something that rouses to action
 and such action intends to confirm the
 belief, to make it more assured tC | bring one to q state of moral cer- l tinty,h which is the only kind oi l "knowledge" We can at present have
 in religious matters. That is evident l ly what St. Paul meant when he said
 T know whom I have believed" He
 had, indeed, accepted Christ in the be-
 ginning from belief, from conviction
 but as he went on in life and tested 1 Christs claims and promises by daily
 faith and obedience, he found him
 self accommodating in his every day
 experience a mass of evidence. whicf
 led him to the high state of mora certainty where he could say, |" | know" (have experimental evidence
 of) whom I have believed" Fol
 something may be said of Christi 1 they may know Thee. the only true
 God, and Him whom Thou ddst send
 even Jesus Christ" Our knoWledgi
 of God and Christ is never absolut,
 and direct, but partial. indirect prob
 able and inferential. Faith is in ing. It proves itself in action. Tha
 is to say, by acting on our faitl
 carrying it out in the daily life, W, l gather around it an amount of con | firmatory evidence which assures tt us a high degree of moral certainty ; But, that is all. For faith alEay exceeds the evidence" The last lnl between faith and actual, exact posi- : tive knowledge Is always wanting ! Faith still continues to be faith. 1
 
 } last link between it and actual knowl l edge will not always be wanting.
 It is buttressed by the conviction that the probabilities in its favor ar
 more and weightier than those whicl bear against it. But all the time 1t i conscious that 1t is assurance" am conviction rather than ''actua knowledge that there are still prob abilities which bear against it, tha , the final verification yet awaits experi mental proof. For example, our faitl ) in a future life still awaits it's final am 3 complete verification. We may b 3 profoundly convinced that there such a thing. but, in the nature of tn case, we can never have ''actua Knowledge" of such q thing until W have made the great and final eN . pertinent, passed into the great be
 yond, and demonstrated for ourselve ? that what we have believed in is a l actual fact. In the words of St. Pau l We walk by faith, not by sight" an again Now l know in part; but the '> shall l know fully even as also l wa l fully known" When, then, seeker 5 positively asserts" Knowledge take one out of the realm of belief" all : have to say is that such knowledge l will never be sure until in St. Paul l | language, that which is perfect f come,' and that. in asserting that W : have such knowledge" now as take
 of Of haI aF