IZ*** illMII.NI INI 111 11 111 M II UVANCtiiUCAL TKACT SOCKET*, 'FlTlTJlSBURG, Y.\. No. 2SQ. FOX-:HU:NTER LY CJSAR MALIK, JK * BVA. " 1ST AMERICAN iBITIOJf, TRA.NILATBB I PETERSBURG, VA. I'RI N '."'*<' OPFICE, * 18G4: THE FOX-HUNTER. "Take us the foxes, the little foxe?, that spofli tlie vinei." — Bono of Solomon, 2: 15. By the foxes, may we not here understand those painful doubts, which even humble, watchful Christians still feel con- cerning the state of their souls, and their present peace with God ? Ask sucli a christian, " Is your soul perfectly happy — that •is, are you sure that at this moment God loves you as his dear child ? and. glorying in his grace, is it in his prefect peace that you seek to obey him ? Or, do you still doubt; so that you can only hope for, but not appropriate such happiness V "Ah!" replies this disciple, "I would not dare to say absolutely that I am a chill of God. When I look to the Saviour— to his fullness and love, T cannot butfeel sure that he will finally save me ; but when I consider myself, how can I think that he has already done it, since i so little resemble a redeemed christian? Indeed, would it not be presumplion in me to believe I am loved of God, when, almost constantly, I deplore my unfaithfulness and backslidhfgs ? The doubt which this disciple entertains of the love of God, T call a fox; because, instead of relying only and at once upon what the Gospel says, the di iciple looks first to him- self; and, justly dissatisfied with his own imperfect love and obedience to God, he cannot believe himself to be the object of the divine favor, until he shall have become more faithful and submissive. How shall this Christian be delivered from his doubt3, and •btain that " peace of God" of which the apostles speak, and with which the Saviour blessed hi* disciples ? -{Rom. y : 1 ; Phil, iv : 7.; J : 27. ) Only ia tas way ; &/ leading hiia U-a- siaapltr fcuat ia tat 2 THE FOX-HUNTER. free gift, and the faithfulness of Ged; for if he truly believes I God says, he will necessarily appropriate and enjoy it. .:, but not till then, knowing that ( he. is redeemed by Christ, since God tells him so, he will contend against sin ; *npt in the strength of his own resolutions, whieh, sincere as they may be, are only human, but through the efficiency of that filial spirit'' which reigns iff a'l ified "by faith. (Acts xv : 9 : Eph. i :.' 13.) To- illustrate this subject/ the reader. is j requested to listen o following authentic story. We shall here bee a* minis- ter of God, a hinder of certain foxes, which were spoiling fine vines ; he disperses "many painful doubts by the simple "Word of God," imparting in their plaee the peace of the eh I ' ree pious persons, a gentleman, his wife and daughter, were conversing with this minister: ail submitted to the au- thority of the Bible, but their submission was mingled with H'olings of self-righteousness. They were not urib.etteveH, to be brought to the Saviour, but truly obedient to the Son of God, and desirous only- to do his will; none of them, however, dared, to be sure that he was already redeemed by* Jesus — was a " child of God/' and" thus could' "glory in the Lord." . ■ (1 Cor. i : 31.) erice the lather, after devoutly professing his sincere faith in the Son of God, added that he did not i'oA authorized to call himself ^one of Christ's' flock. '' I hope/'- he saidysigh- ingj " but I am not sure." "So then," said the minister, u if you should die this night suddenly, you would not be wholly at peace concerning your soul's salvation ?" " Who, sir," said, the mother, l - ( can allow himself this per- fect peace? Doubtless a true Christian, since he relies on the mercy of God in Jesus Christ, has a ' good hope' of this salvation, as the Scripture saith j but who would be so pre- sumptuous as to feel mvc that he has a right to be fully re- ceived of God ?" " You will think me very proud, and very presumptuous," replied the minister, " since I can truly say that I possess this perfect peace? -And I beg you' not to suppose- that it is" because I am worthy, and thug have, as you call it, ' a rignt ' - THE fOX-HUN to be recti tod. Am I not, on the contrary, a greater sinner tha since I am tli Far from me be the thought that I am better one else, or that I have any . ' rod jives me. Fut since he gives it i d il ashap- I declare it ? It is me to affirm i; ? Would i irlde rather, not to V "Certainly,' said the father, "\ : *'it — here is my <1m indeed to! von? It is so easy to be this poiv#. And it is this- which mad-, am fe ' "I lik'> 'id agree with you, thut i whoever i ves him this peace, rejoices in the " I should like to kn can be sure— • t Bible/' sail the minisl I I think that we four ;.: _ - Bible is perfectly true. 3 of St. John, the i men, the wit;. we believe, on his ' we, on his * >w me to re] It will illusl " r \ Letroo] -upon the Place in Paris ; andj in g instantly set » the line i j ed it you, a captain. him, asked with u Now, what will wfco, re believing, wish to see and feel, and, like the 4 THK TOX-Xf NT3ER Thomas, wait for palpable proof before reiving upon -testi- mony, he will say, ' A Captain of the Guard always wears a Captain's uniform, and mine is only that of a common soldier. I cannot, therefore, believe myself a Captain !' and the sol- dier would return to the ranks. " But if, on the contrary, he believes fully and implicitly the Emperor's word, and that his rank, as Captain of the Guard, depends not upon the uniform he wears,- but that the uniform must be the consequence and evidence of his' rank,* (and this will be his thought if he honors his Emperor), he will not hesitate because of his dress, nor will be return to the line. And such, indeed, was the conduct of this man. As soon as the Emperor left, the soldier laid down his gun, saying, ' He may take it who will/' and, instead of returning to his comrades, he approached the group of staff- officers. On seeing him, one of the Generals scornfully said: . ' What does this fellow want here V ' This fellow,' replied tht- dier proudly, ' is a Captain of the Guard.' ' i r ou ? in friend ! You are mad to say so ! ; ' He said it,' repli ■ soldier, pointing to the Emperor, who was still in sight. ' 1 - ask your pardon, sir/ said the General respectfully, f Iwas not aware of it/ ' Here, then, was exhibited a manifold faitb. Since first the soldier believed the Emperor, upon his word, because he heard him, (as the Samaritans said of the Saviour,) and after- wards, on the soldier's word, the General believed the Em- peror. " You now see," continued the minister, addressing the young lady, " how a person may be sure that God gives peace : it is by believing his testimony, just as the soldier believed that of his Emperor. • That is to say, as he belie v T .ed himself to be "captain before wearing his uniform; so, on the word and promise of God, one believes himself to be a ' chiiu bf Jesus,' before being sanctified by his Spirit/'. " A striking anecdote, truly/' said the father ; u I hope I shall profit by it. But allow me to ask, since the soldier made Captain will necessarily wear his uniform, and since the Bible declares that the true believer must possess a certain charac- ter, how can any one think that he has fcrue faith so long as he does not behold in himself tho qualities -and fruits of faith ? fan iim-wvxm*. • » t An#i I cenfoss it is this which makes ine doubt whether I have received the G-race of God — 1 who have daily proof that it is not the Holy Spirit which guides me in all things ." "'Another fox!" said the minister; "and this is a large and strong one. But the Bible can take him. Listen, tten!" " True faith produces good works. The Apostle James expresses this very clearly : ' Faith, without works, is dead/ (James ii : 17.) But when these effects are' wanting, which proves that their cause is also wanting, what does the Bible then direct us to do ? " You, dear sir, reason thus : ' True faith produce such and such effects; but I do not' produce them, therefore I have not true faith.' And thus far your reasoning is right and scriptu- ral ; but then, leaving the Bible and common sinse, you add: ' Since true faith produces certain effects, and the?e do not appear in me, I must try to produce them, in order to he sure that I have true faith;' while you should say, arguing from cause to effect : ' I must first have true faith, then I shall do the works of faith.' "" Thus, for example, you know that the true believer loves to read the Bible,* aud to commune with God in his delight. And if you see that you have not this habitual love for the Bible, you say : * Ah I I must read the Bible more, other- wise how can I admit that I am a child of God V Thus you are like a person who should say : ' A good fire srives heat; but this room is not warm, so there is sot a good fire. Let me try to make more heat, that there may be a good fire.' " " That would be absurd, sir," said the lady; " for the fire produces heat !" • u Yes madam/' continued- the minister, -'just as the eap produces fruit. Where there is no fruit," it is because the sap has failed. This is taught in the parable of the barren fig tree, (Luke 13.) At the vine-dresser's request, hisiord was patient with this tree. But jyhat was the request? For three years the tree had been barren, and so the lord ordered It'to be cut down. But the vine-dresser, who knew why the fruit failed, asked his lord to let him dig about the tree, and dung it. The vine- dresser, reasoning justly, did not say, * Tk« tree aiwt produ«a fruit, so that the sap may coma ; but THE FOX-HtJN] 1 fchert Must be first m^re sap, that it may produce Llic fruit.] s wise .man began with the cause and proceeded te the . ; far from reasoning as you do about your works, (which 3 ou wish to produce, to assure yourself that your faith is good !)• he argued that faith — the sap—must be purer and more abundant, and then works — tho fruit — would follow as the consequence/' ."I understand now/' said the gentleman. "Yes, I see that -I must ur§t have'a simpler, purer faith, before I can pro- duce abundant fruit, or any works' conformed to the will of &od." u Certainly," continued the Hunter. " So will the engraver who cuts the arms upon your seal. The first impression no' being to his taste, he applies himself to mend the seal and ' engraving, and not the impression." " Certainly !" said the lady. " Had he made a thous. jressions, they would have been the same while the sea anged." '''.Wherefore, madam/' continued the minister, " when yo saw that your actions did not correspond' with the Bible-model, should have attended first to the seal — to the faith whiek produced them." " Th! i ' said the father. ''- Bat allow me to say I have still, at least in regard to myself, a great difficulty. If I am, as you say I should believe — if I am one of the redeemed tf God — one of bis children, he would tell me so, and I should rejoice in it: whereas it is not so with me. It seems as if •verybody would be saved rather than myself. This is. my great grief." " But sir," replied the minister, " if God has told you so, and repeated it often, and you have always refused to believe wonder that you do hot know it, and do not possess this joy of the Holy Spirit? * " Would the soldier have exulted.- in his promotion, if, though the. Emperor had told him, lie had refused to believe vord?. The Apostle says to the Ephesians : ' After ye believe!, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise; ih. i : 13 ;) but you, sir, would wish to have this seal, and the jeyit brings, before you believe!. But though you may attempt to change the order of its operation, that grace remains ever the same - r only, by denying its presence and effi- cacy, you deprive*youvself of its •effect " 11 It is, indeed," said the father, " to wish for the fruit before having the sap !" " Listen to. another proof of it,'' contiuued the minister. •- I was preaching in a garrisoned town. • The generals and other officers, with brilliant epaulettes, sat before' me. In explaining tbo text, • Faith, without works, is dead,' I had occasion to show that divine works are. in the believer, the evidences of divine fail h ; that is, they are the operation of the Holy spirit in the heart which lie has purified; and the j better to show Yhat faith must necessarily precede works, I *i suddenly suspended my argument, and addressing the officers, •aid to tli em : ' Am I not right, gentlemen? You donot re- ceive your epaulettes before your commission, but your oom- e yeur epaulette*?' The soldiers- smiled assent. I continued my discourse, and God blessed that question ; for ) the same evening a Colonel said te me: 'Thanks to God, I now understand that I was Colonel before I wore the uniform. I believe God. who tells me» he has pardoned me; even/ added he, lowering his voice, ' though I can scarcely yet per- ceive the epaulettes of my rank.' " " True," said the young lady, " and yet, evidently, he was sure of it." u Yes, my dear," said the minister ; " and if I did not fear to weary you, I could tell you the reply made me by a young lady who at first had sighed as you do/' w Relate* it, I pray you," said the father. " It will interest us all." " Well, then* on a little missionary tour," said the minister, " I stopped, towards evening, at a country seat. The conver- sation of the evening was, as ours now. upon our duty to believe what God says." '"And were there, then,*' said the father, apologizing for the interruption, "these t /6xss i the Utile Jbxc& which spoil -the vines V " " Savern! ef theua," replied the minister,*smiling. •• 1 had, therefore, to parfonn my ofn«e ef ftuaier, and the those was truly a gjeed one as yen will nee. ^ The compaoy were children, tlie eldest a daughter named Eliza, and ffcr two .brother*' " This young lady, wl led with doubts, whfehjfroce interested in oar discussion. * ! asked me ho,v, on the sii : ; •■ could be sure that he is p chil 1 when he daily feels that *h ihling the Lord Jesti " I then I rei ares, and I dwelt esj who, on the simple w i to doubt, was nevert su _ : \va • also . sure that il fed in one . of the descend I was •■.'■. this young lady> tl first th it ; ,- given us 61 . - lIo; te she must look for 9 ■'. • : . iy 6u the expiatory gacrifi ' God further d ought to life. " A.od w . le if it was j^sary that she should true faith ,'Xfk order to be sure that she beli it though' these proofs \ and sensible demonstration fter-thel existence of dlv conse- quences of then l - I then quo. od ; which we.hav stand it, I N " Suppos' tds in a brook where we were from the sand a rou^h g g you: * this is a fine diamond! when it shall be cut," \' pricej of it to the ere -ken of te THE FttX-HVXTKK. S m«. I •h»*rfYllj giv« yoa thsitc "Now," said L to this youn in your hands only a p - ; but pince you»believe if Son.' " The next mo to drive on to the next villagej t ; came quickly down the I drove away. I called out to the d Eliza, what are you befora she replied, ' but very rough !' Sim] which declared that she believed though she saw how ] and believed God's declaration, that the Sou hath eternal So I replied, as I drove away : • Go polished.' "' " Good !"' pa diamond ! jjut I now understand. B net a common stone 10 TTtE FOa>H&NTER. is already a child ot God, and not the unbeliever's heart. This is now clear to me." "Yes!" said the mother; "but I have, a scruple which prevents my believing that I am a diamond. Do I believe what God says enough tc be assured of his promise?" " Foxes still !" replied the minister affectionately. " Come on ! to the chase ! we will take them, if God please i " And this fox, dear madam, is the notion that you make God's declaration any more true by your believing it, more or less." " But/' said the gentleman, " if I believe it but little, isnt not less true for me than if I believed it entirely V* "You mean to say," replied the. minister,, that the more firmly you believe what God affirms, the more you enjoy thi* truth, or promise; and certainly you are right. %s we live by faith it is plain that the more you believe God the more you will live by him. But this is not what madam said when she expressed fears of no£ believing firmly enough for this to be true in regard to herself. What the Bible says is true, not because we believe it, but only because God says it. Whether it is believed~or not believed does irot affect its truth. It was perfectly true before I believed it, ancWif I do not believe it, the thing remains none the less true. For example, God telle me I am born. in sin — a thing I certainly cannot feel, since I could not feel my birth, and which I shall not make more nor less true by believing or denying. If, then, I believe it, I simply ' set to my seal that God is true/ says John the Bap- tist ; and if I do not believe it, its truth is not destroyed, but only, St. John says, - ' we make God a liar by not believing what he affirms/ . " Then, sir," said the lady, " we have only to believe that God says a thing! When we are sure he says it, are we alse sure that the thing is true ?" . "Certainly!" replied the minister. "If God says, for example, that he created the world of nothing, it is entirely true. He who believes it, on the word of God, is sure of it. So, if God tells a soul that he now has eternal life, this soul, if he believes God, must be sure of it." "Sure?" returned the lady. "What, sir, at eaee, **i without any previous preparation or dispesitiea f* THE FOX-HUNTEE "Judge of it yourself," replied the minister.. " I open the testament at the tenth chapter of Romans, and read these words in the 9th verse: ' If thou con/as with tJuj mouth the * " Oh !" said the lady, ".that I can do sincerely. Yes, thanks to God, I confess openly, and with my mouth that, Jesus is Lord— that is. God himself." " You do not say it," asked the minister, " as so many do, merely from education and habit, without any serious convic- tion of it, for who in our country does not say that he believes m the Lord Jesus F" "No!" said the lady promptly "J believe sincerely and • earnestly that the Lord Jesus came from God, and that he is God himself; Cod, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit." * ' "Let us continue, then," said the minister; « ' And thou kmevest with thy heart that God raised hint' '' « That is my belief," interrupted the lad y. •< Yes, the Lord Jesus is in heaven, at the right hand of the Father !" "Well, then, madam," resumed tie minister,' "since Ood says to the. person who has this faith, and who declares it a* you have done— Thoushali besaved, whatomjht you to believe you will be?" "Saved!" uttered the lady tremblingly. " Yes, madam," affirmed the minister, " if you are eonseious arid sure of your belief in the truths you have expressed, and thus you do not found your belief on man's teaching, but en the word of God." ' fe "But why do you repeat, on the word oj God?" a^ked the lady. « Is it notenough that I believe this, because it is in the Bible ?" . « You will not be offended if I say this is another/**. " said the minister. " Let me show it to you, that, you may chase it from your heart. You ask me if it is not enough to behevewhatis in the Bible, without the assurance that you believe it upon the word of God? But do you not see that the word believing is used instead of being persuaded or eon^ vm<*d that a thing is true ? Now self-given assurance is net faith ; since faith is not the persuading one's self that a thing 12 Tv; 7'. roX-feVNMt. is tri&e ; but the admitt :d ©r testimony of another." - " Let us understand this./ ' said th< . ".fori think it is very important." ... " It is indeed/' said the minister. •■' I ■ 'y,- there- fore, a few illustrations. Suppose we were' hi Bethany, with. Lazarus and his sisters, and we sec a dozen men approaching, among whom one, whose exterior is remarkable for its gl- and sweetness, is evidently honored answer, a woman throws hetftolfat his feet, and worships ' Hor- rible !' you exclaim,. " is she a ;a orship ami 1 She is right/ I reply, 'for this man is the Messiah — God manifest in the flesh ! 7 ' 4 The Messiah !'■ you exclaim • ' is it possible? Do I see the Messiah?' And personage approaches, and asks you, ( ) ( Whom say you that I am pu art the Christ, the son of t e ; ich s'ciev made,#nd which the Lord : tedtohiia by the Father. (Matt. , you see, you have not declared wlnit \ crraaded youv- ssl/waM true, but what w lieved because Qed revealed it t© you." "Then, sir," gaid th< iat they believe in Jesus Christ — -and, i, toes not? — ha\e received the revelation from God, •■■.• faith ?" " Ah ! madam/'' replied the minister, u : toil us, sir, that I must believe that th* me from God, and that he is th© Messiah \ • the foundation %£ the world — the seed of the woman, -Emmanuel^ — not because I imagine it to he' true, nor because »\\ the world says professes it, but simply because G "Observe/' said the mini^r , lares thisi . TBK JOX-H-UN'TII*.' 18 when he says : ' Xe man ean say that Jee«.* is. the Lerd, but by the Holy (iho3t. (1 Cor. xii :8.) Supposition, imw tion, cannot proceed from the teaching of the Holy Spirit. To imagim: and to say | vicar, is one thing ; but to believe it because God says it, is another thing, and this is, indeed, to confess Christi." f I do not clearly u tinctiou," said the father. " Will you explain if. ;" ' ; Suppo ' aister, Ci that I embark by night at Boulo^n ; for L im told that the Freneh am- bassador is on board, I a n pi I hope to see him in the morning. And, inj ;'it the next morning [ meet five "*jr six gentlemen he deck * and noticing on 5 of them covered with decorations^ to whom the others show df ' That is the ambas- sador,;' and ! . for it is he. "Y, - : s person is the amjiaa- gador • ion ; and, it is no* position, my own on ; for, on ap- y I am to fee -and the French am in order to try uu. with [ blush and ] ionfu r my mistake. But ir, rs his hand, sniilin t, I am tb< bassador.' Now, you belief changes wholly its na- ture-; since at first it w wn , ~ -ion, while 3 from an aasuram me, and rests upon the veracity of him who speataa to i certainty is faithj belief; while the firs': is only imagination, easily dispelled.'? " Mow does thia apply to our of being save said the young lady. '* I will tell you, j confidently : l l am . i mud me! ; are yon ■ iui tbey lay ; and when you asi ving in Jesus/ ily : ''It is med us.' So that . e themselves that they are saved, . . ;, *t ifee.Sa- v' 14 TKB FOX-H¥NTER. viour has redeemed them. Their belief, then, in the persua- sion that they themselves have f rmed, and not a certainty proceeding' from what God has told them." " But, sir/' resumed the deiughter, " the SuvLur does not n -'.w speak to us as God addressed Abraham, personally. No Christia * can say that the Saviour has positive y told him tha. he has redeemed him/' "And yet, dear daughter/' replied the minister, "if it is riot God himself who has teld me what I # bel;eve respecting my salvation, what other is my belief thai that human, me- chanical, unreflecting faith whieh the Romanist has in his priest, or the Mohammedan in. his fakir ?" •'But, sir/' "persisted the daughter, "where and when doee Crod thus speak to a person 1" . "Dear Mies/' said the minister, "does not God speak to you personally when he tells you, in the Bible, that you are a .ost sinner t. Does he not a so tell you personally that- pardon of sins, and eternal lUe are his free gilt, and that .this, gift i« wholly in Jesus, whom God declares to yen to be his son ? — And finally, is it not to you, distinctly, that he says : 'Who- soever belives wnat God says of bis Son, and consequently trusts in him from tie heart, is freely justified/ and ought te 'know that he hath eternal life V " I pray you, my friends/' continued the minister, address- ing also the parents, "does not this Book speak to us person ally every time we read or hear it? Are noMbe words it addresses to iur soula wha. the sound of the be 1 or the noise ©f thunder is to our ears ? This sound, this noise, if general, is alsq individual. Observe in a city, when the authorities publish a law, although addressed to all the citizens, is it not also to each one separately, as much as if the magistrate should speak to each person f * Do you think that "when the law has been published, any citizen would say it doea not eoncern him, because the authority has not spoken to him individually?— How then, after the Bible has been pub ished in our own language, and read in our hearing, shall wesay : 'God has not spoken directly to me/ Would this excuse have been receiv- e if an Isrealits had made it when God published the law in Horeb 1 And did the Lord speak less strongly, er individual- ly, whei ke was lifted mp en the cress ? er when the Father THE JTUjAlUN II. i: §1 said of Je*,us : 'This is my beloved Sou; hear ye him V ' Just as, in the nineteenth Psalm, \he heavens dcclare'the glory of God to all men who see them, so by every man whom it reaches is the perfect law of God to be heard." "I underhand," said the daughter. " When I hear the voice of God he speaks to me, and I am bound to believe him. But, sir, I do not feel that he says I am one of his children — of his elect. "Dear < aughter," replied : ! ' "please God that this crafty fox be the last ! " You say : I do not feel V But do you feel that there has been a deluge upon the earth 1 — And yet you are sure of it, simply because God t^ils you so. Do you feel that Jesus is the Son of God ? And yet you are sure of it, and because God tells you it in his word. If, then, the same true God, in the same sure Word, tells you that the soul to whom he has given his faith which you have in Jesus, Bon of God and Saviour, 'is passed from death unto life/ and that he is a child of God — if God tells it you yourself who believe in the Saviour, why will you reply to God : 'I am not lurt, although thou tellest jue so, for I de not feel it' ? This, eertaimly, did not L ho relates, if I mistake not, in a private letter, that , I )him : k Martin, do you /'*el that you are a ch >d V answered shortly : 'No, but I. am store of it. Get thee behind me.'" "Firm and beautiful rep] the father. It alone is vorth a volume." "But," said the mother, "true faith is not only knowledge, it rs confidence — it is a feeling. For. example: though I know believe that Moses gave law* to Isreal, I do not believe in Moses ; that is, I am not subject to hint! I do not feel, then, in regard to him, what any pious woman felt before the taber- nacle of the wilderness."' "If, then, Madam, usi ." own words," replied the iter, "you believe in Join* Christ, as the Isrealitisn wo- man believed in Moses, you tr.ttst hare the same kind of sen- timent toward the Saviour which she had toward Moses. "But remark, that when Moses declared anything to the children @f Isreal. this woman did*not say : "TIio thing is not true for me, because T 80 not yet feel the effect* ef it;' but on 14 TCHI TOT-HtfNTOWfc feke.eonti-ary, *h« said : 'The thing is true, since Moses says it; and onl^ after this could she/W the effect of it." "I see the difference," said the lady. "Yes, I must first be- lieve in Jesus Christ with confidence, and then I must rest in all that he says." " Right !" said the minister. (i So the Scripture eaith : 'With the heart man believeth \into righteousness/ (Rom. x. 10,) and does not regard those as true believers whose hearts are not interested in the person and work of Je^us. In the parable of the sower, for example, those only recer»ed the ► eed, that is, truly believed, who received the word in a good and honest heart. Though at Samaria, the magician, Simon, professed to believe, he had no part nor lot in this matter, since bis h»art was not right in -the sight of G^d. (Acts 8.) '* But it is one thing to say that true faith in Jesus exists in the heart, and another thing to say that God must not bo believed until after a person shall have/eft the effect of what he affirms. God must be believed at once, and upon his word. The feeling of what he declares must therefore follow and not precede belief in his word. The believer will then say : \ I feel because I have believed ; and not i 1 believe hwause I have felt.' " £< How simple this is !" said the father. " And is it thus, sir, that the Bible characterises true believers?" " Always," replied the minister. "When GtSd said to Noah that there should be a deluge upon the earth, Noah be- lieved Q-od. Then the effect, the evidence of this faith was that ' he feared,' as St. Paul says, (Heb. xi : 7,) aiul ' prepared an ark/ The building of this vessel was the result, the neoes- sary consequence of Noah's belief ; and the patriarch- muit have said, during the century and more that this work lasted : 'I build the ark because I believe God.' Never did he think of saying: ' I am sure that I.s-^lieve God, because th God, who spared not his own Son. but delivered him up for us to death, will with him also freely give us all thin (Rom. viii : 32 ; 1 Thess. v : 24.)"' 'f Rest, then, with full certainty, in the l faithfulness of- God.' (1 Cor. i:8, 9.)" .\mon !" said the three disciples; and they said it in the "•true liberty of the Gospel. (John viii: 36.) •fBUGGLING AGAINST JJ@1JBTS AN© FEAR8L When* darkness leng lias veiled my mind, Aad smiling day once more appears, Than, my Redeemer, then I find The folly of my doubts and fears. Straight I upbraid my wandering heart, And blush that I should e?er be Thus prone to act so base a part, Or karfeour one hard thought of thee. Oh let me then at length be taught, What I .am still so slow to learn, That G©d is love and changes not, Nor knows the shadow of a turn. Sweet truth, and easy to repeat ; But whea my faith is sharply tried, I find myself a Jeai ner yet, Unskillful, weak, and apt to slide. But, nay Lord, one look from thee Subdues the disobedient will ; Drives doubt and discontent away, And thy rebelious worm is still. Thou art as ready to forgive, As I am ready to repine ; Thou, therefore, all the praise receive ; Be *]sm$* *** ! $ 1& abhowreaee mm®. Hollinger Corp. P H8.5