GPS-09-Faith

CHAPTER IX.

FAITH.

We hope that the reader has carefully studied the lessons al­ready given, and that he has not forgotten the marks on the guide-posts along the road to the Tree of Life. But as we started far back in the brush, bogs, muck, and mire of Calvinism, our journey thence to citizenship in the kingdom of God has been necessarily a long one, and made rapidly; it may not be amiss for us to go back and familiarize ourselves a little with the scenery along the road. We have seen that the destiny of each individual was not un­alterably fixed in heaven or hell before time began, and that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him; and hence every one may make his calling and election sure—that you did not enter the world laden with hereditary depravity, by reason of which you are wholly opposed to all good, and irresis­tibly inclined to all evil, and unable to do any thing commanded you of God; but, on the contrary, you are quite competent to fear God and keep His commandments, and in doing so you will have discharged your whole duty. We have further seen that God has one kingdom, body, or church, on the earth, and only one; that it was set up on the day of Pentecost, in Jerusalem, by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the agency of the apostles, as guided by the Holy Spirit; and may be as surely known and identified, as men and things may be known by the features peculiar to them. And men must enter it by being born of water and of the Spirit; and thus, as individuals, they become branches of Christ, the true Vine, or members of his body, the church; but to speak of organizations as branches of the church of God, is nothing less than the confused dialect of Babylon. We have further seen that before we can be born again, we must have been begotten with the word of God, as the incorruptible seed necessary to the accomplishment of this end, and that this Word must be preached, heard, and believed, in order to the production of that change of heart, and reformation of life, which must necessarily precede the new birth. As faith is the grand mainspring which propels the human machinery in all acceptable obedience to God, we propose to pause here while we open our Bibles and examine it in the light of inspiration. We think it likely that more has been said and written on the subject of faith than on any other subject con­nected with theology; and if every trace of every thing that un­inspired men have spoken and written could be blotted out of human memory, we are not sure that the world would be greatly injured by the sacrifice. Indeed, it seems to us that the greatest labor on the part of those who would understand the subject, is to disentangle it from the speculations of men with regard to it. What, then, is faith? whence cometh it? and what is its office in the plan of salvation?

WHAT IS FAITH?

Many persons speak of it as some indescribable gift infused into the heart by God, when they neither expected nor desired it; while others seem to think it a gift, only to be obtained after hours, perhaps days, weeks, months’ or even years, spent at the mourner’s bench, or elsewhere, in imploring God to bestow it upon them. Paul says: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1. This verse is perhaps better rendered by Anderson, thus: “Faith is a sure con­fidence with respect to things hoped for, a firm persuasion with respect to things not seen.” Christianity is a system of faith, and is not susceptible of demonstration like a problem in mathemat­ics. We do not know that there is such a place as heaven, like we know that there is such a place as Nashville; because the lat­ter we have seen, the former we have not seen. We have a sure confidence with respect to it—a firm persuasion that it exists, be­cause we believe the testimony concerning it, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7. Faith, then, may be defined as a firm, unshaken confidence, conviction, or belief in the truth of a proposition, based upon testimony concerning it. The order is: Fact, TESTIMONY, FAITH. First, a fact must exist, then it must be revealed with testimony sufficiently strong to establish its truth, then the confidence in, or firm belief of this testimony is faith. In support of this position, it may be well to make a quo­tation or two. When Jesus saw the centurion’s confidence that a word from the Master would heal his servant, He said to them following Him, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel,” and then said to the centurion, “As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the self-same hour.” Matthew 8:10; Matthew 8:13. Here Jesus used the words faith and belief in­terchangeably, showing clearly that the centurion’s belief was his faith. Again: Paul tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is.” Hebrews 11:6. Here the necessity of belief is given as a reason why persons can not please God without faith; and the fact that we can not please God without faith, is as good a reason why we must believe; therefore, with Paul, faith and belief were synony­mous terms. Once more: “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Romans 4:3. What was accounted to Abraham for righteousness? Belief; and that this belief was faith is seen in the 9th verse in which it is said, “Faith was reck­oned to Abraham for righteousness.” Surely, nothing could be more clear than that believing God constituted Abraham’s faith. Why, then, was not faith used in the 3d verse in place of the word believed? Because the word faith is always used as a noun, and never as a verb; nor is there any power as a noun, and never as a verb; nor is there any power in the English language to convert it into a verb. We can not say, “Abraham faithed God,” but we can say, “Abraham believed God, and his faith was accounted to him for righteousness.” We can not say, “Faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, but we can say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” We can not say, “He that faitheth not shall be damned,” but we can say, “He that believ­eth not shall be damned.” We can not say, “If thou faithest with all thy heart, thou mayest,” but we can say, “If thou be­lievest with all thy heart, thou mayest.” Nor can we convert the word faith into a participle, and say, “That faithing ye might have life through his name,” but we can say, “That believing ye might have life through his name.” When the thought is ex­pressed in the shape of a command to be obeyed, or as having been obeyed, or as a condition to be complied with as an act of the mind precedent to further obedience to the gospel, the style is: believe, believeth, believes”, believed, believing, etc.; but when used as a noun, to indicate the conviction which exists in the mind, with one single exception (2 Thess. ii 13), the word faith is always used. These facts will be further developed as we proceed with the examination of our second question, viz.:

HOW DOES FAITH COME?

After asking, “How can they call upon him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14) intending, doubtless, to make the im­pression that they could do neither, and clearly showing that after the facts of the gospel exist, the order is: preaching, HEAR­ING, BELIEVING, Paul remarks, “So then faith cometh by hear­ing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. Hence, after Jesus had taught the grand facts of the gospel to the apostles, His first charge to them was, “Preach the gospel to every crea­ture.” Mark 16:16. And why? Certainly, that those interested might hear, BELIEVE, and OBEY it. In His most solemn prayer to His Father He said, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word.”John 17:20. Observe, he prayed for them who should believe on him through the words of the apostles; and as He required them to preach the gospel, the people were expected to believe in Him by hearing the gospel which the apostles were required to preach. In keeping with this arrangement, Peter preached to the Pentecostians, and “when they heard this they were pricked in their heart.” Acts 2:37. So their faith came by hearing, and they were of the class of believers for whom Jesus prayed. The faith of the Gentiles, too, came in the same way; for Peter said, “Brethren, ye know that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.”Acts 15:7. Luke further tells us that “many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were bap­tized.” Acts xvii): 8. “It came to pass in Iconium, that they [Paul and Barnabas] went together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.”Acts 14:1. The Samaritans also “believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, and were baptized, both men and women.” Acts 8:12. Many other examples might be given illustrative of the same fact; indeed, there is not a single ex­ample on record where faith came not in this way. We once saw an educated mute, who was quite an intelligent member of the church of God. We wrote on a slip of paper and handed him the following question: “Sir: Paul says ’faith comes by hearing; as you can not hear, how came your faith?” He was a good penman, and quickly wrote the following answer: “Though I can not hear, thank God I can read. I heard the gos­pel like I heard the question you asked me. John says: ’Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book; but these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believ­ing ye might have life through his name.’ John 20:30-31. I read, understood, believed, and obeyed what was written.” We were pleased with his answer, for it evinced that he knew much more about the faith required by the gospel than many who have ears to hear but seem not to understand what faith is, or how it comes. We have often heard persons praying most earnestly to God to give them faith, and the preachers exhorting them to believe, without presenting one word of testimony to produce faith, as though their loud vociferations could scare them into the exer­cise of faith, or awaken their God (who, like Baal, was either asleep or on a journey), that He might hear and answer their prayers for faith. Such persons always have the deepest sympa­thy of our heart; hence, in great kindness, we say to them, “Come, now, and let us reason together.” When they ask far faith, they have not faith, for surely they would not so earnestly beg for that which they already have. James says: “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed; let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” James 1:6-7. Now, as he asks for faith, and would not knowingly ask for that which he has, it follows that he has not faith, and therefore can not ask in faith; therefore let him not think that he will receive any thing of the Lord, or that the Lord will give him the faith for which he asks. Again: “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23. Then, as they pray for faith, and therefore have not faith, their prayers can not be of faith; and as whatsoever is not of faith is sin, it follows that all such prayers are sin. Once more: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6. As prayers for faith are not made in faith, but without faith and as without faith it is impossible to please God, therefore such prayers are not pleasing to God. And as they are sinful, and therefore not pleasing to God, and noth­ing can be received in answer to them, it surely would be better not to make them. But an objector says: “It is certainly legitimate to ask God, in prayer, for that which He has promised to give us; and the Bible says faith is the gift of God; therefore we may ask Him for it.” Most assuredly we may pray to God for that which He has promised to give us; but do the Scriptures teach that He has promised to give faith to those who are without it? Before we proceed to examine the proofs relied on to support the theory, we beg permission to remark to our contemporaries that consistency looks quite as well in them as in us, and the demand to reconcile scriptures seemingly at war with positions taken should extend to them as well as to us. This is not always remembered. Every knotty quotation is reserved for us to explain, every seem­ing contradiction is zealously sought after and brought forward for us to harmonize, and every quibble that can be thought of is expected to be attended to by us, while the objector’s theory may be flatly contradicted by the plainest teaching of inspiration, and no attempt is made by him to explain or harmonize any thing. We are tired of this. We want to see an objector be a man, and dig up the briers, thistles, and thorns from his own garden before he points at the weeds and grass in ours. Come, then: what do you think of the quotations already made from James 1:6-7, Romans 14:23, and Hebrews 11:6, and our reasonings thereon? And when you shall have harmonized these with the right of such as have no faith to pray for faith ( and many others which you can easily find), then try the following: “He that believeth not shall be damned.” Mark 16:16. Will God punish men in hell forever for not believing, when He has to give them faith? While you smooth these kinks out of the theory that faith is a direct gift from God to the sinner, we will see whether or not your proofs contradict us. The first passage we will examine may be found in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, where Paul, in speaking of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, says: “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wis­dom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to an­other prophecy; to another discerning of Spirits; to another div­ers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.” We have given the sentence with reference to faith with is con­text, and the connection most clearly shows that the faith which enumerated among the gifts of the Spirit is not the faith for which the alien is taught to pray. If he may pray for faith because it is here said to be the gift of the Spirit, then he may pray for the power to work miracles, prophesy, speak with tongues, and in­terpret tongues, for they are all in the same connection and by the same authority said to be gifts of the same Spirit. Surely, no one will say that this faith, or any of these gifts, is to be given to the unconverted alien, in answer to prayer, or in any other way. There was a faith of which Jesus said: “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20. And again: “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” Luke 17:6. We hear Paul also calling Titus his “son after the common faith.”Titus 1:4. Paul had preached the gospel to Titus, and when he believed it he was begotten by the incorruptible seed, or word of God; and this belief of the gospel Paul calls the common faith, because this is the faith common to all God’s people. But the word com­mon implies uncommon, hence, as Paul spake of the common faith, he did it in contrast with the uncommon or miraculous faith given by the Spirit. Does any one think he has it now? Then let him remove the mountain or tree by his word, and thereby establish his claim. The next and last passage to be examined is in the following words: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8. Is faith the thing here said to be the gift of God? The demonstrative that never refers to the thing nearest us or last spoken of. For such pur­pose this is preferred. That, as a demonstrative, refers to the thing farther off or previously spoken of; hence, in this sentence, it must refer to something behind faith. We would paraphrase the sentence thus: “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that salvation is not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” This is the obvious import of the passage. But we are told that faith is the gift of God because He has given us the testimony which produces it. To this we do not greatly object; but still there can be no propriety in praying for it, nor can their prayers avail any thing if they do pray. They have the testimony: why not believe it? Is God to give them more testimony? If they believe all the testimony, they have faith enough and need not pray for more. Faith is produced by testimony, and as far as testimony goes, faith may go, but where the testimony stops, faith must and will stop. The testimony concerning Jesus tells us that He was born of Mary in Bethlehem —was baptized by John in Jordan, and commenced His ministry in the hill country of Galilee—was crucified on Calvary, and was buried in Joseph’s new tomb. Now, suppose the testimony had stopped at this point, how much faith would any person have had to-day in His resurrection, ascension, and glorification? Just none at all. As far as testimony goes, faith may go, but no further; all beyond is mere speculative opinion. Our faith may be strengthened or weakened by increasing or weakening the tes­timony. We have faith in the testimony of men, and we have faith in the testimony of God, but our faith in the testimony of God is as much stronger than our faith in the testimony of men as we regard God superior to man and His testimony more reli­able than that of man. This difference—no more, no less. “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.” 1 John 5:9. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9. But we are told that the belief of testimony is merely historic faith. And what kind of faith is not historic faith? If by his­toric faith is meant a belief in the historic account of Jesus, heaven, hell, salvation, and condemnation given in the word of Truth, then we hesitate not to admit that we have that kind of faith, and know of no other. But you tell us you want divine faith. If by divine faith you mean that which is predicated upon divine testimony, then we have divine faith, and want no other. But you want evangelical faith. And what sort of faith is that? Is it to believe all that the evangelists have spoken and written? If so, we have evangelical faith. But you want saving faith. What is meant by saving faith? If it is, with all the powers of the soul, to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and our Sa­viour, then we have saving faith. But you want the faith of credence. And what do you mean by this? Is it to give full credit to all the divine testimony? Then we have the faith of credence. But you want the faith of reliance. And what kind of faith is this? Is it to rely, with full confidence, on the testimony of inspiration? Then we have the faith of reliance. But you want a trusting faith. Do you mean by this a faith which ena­bles you to trust in Jesus Christ and the efficacy of His blood for salvation? Then this is the kind of faith we have, and want no other. Then of what use are all these qualifying terms as ap­plied to faith? They serve only to becloud the subject, and never can do any good. We have heard persons taught that they must believe that God had pardoned them, and whenever they would believe this they would realize that it was so. It is not strange that persons feel like they are pardoned when they believe that God has pardoned them; but if we must believe that we are pardoned in order to be pardoned, then we confess, frankly, that we neither have nor want that kind of faith. Are we to believe that there are as many different kinds of faith as there are qualifying terms here used? Paul said, “There is one Lord and one faith.”Ephesians 4:5. When you believe all that God has said, through inspired men, to the world, and believe it be­cause God has said it, you have all the faith which mortals can have or God requires of them. Pollok has well said: “Faith was bewildered much by men who meant To make it clear, so simple in itself; A thought so rudimental and so plain, That none by comment could it plainer make. All faith was one. In object, not in kind, The difference lay. The faith that saved a soul, And that which in the common truth believed, In essence were the same. Hear, then, what faith, True Christian faith, which brought salvation was— Belief in all that God revealed to men; Observe, in all that God revealed to men, In all He promised, threatened, commanded, said, Without exception, and without a doubt.”

WHAT IS THE OFFICE OF FAITH?

Having seen what faith is and how it comes, we are now pre­pared to inquire what it does. And we may as well say at once that it induces the performance of every act of acceptable obedi­ence to God—every one. We are lost in attempting to find any thing done in hearty obedience to God that is not, either directly or indirectly, the result of faith. Is your heart subdued to the will of God, and your affections and passions all mellowed by love, that God-like principle that enables you to love your ene­mies, and do good to and pray for them that persecute and evilly treat you? This is the work of faith. Are you heartily sorry for all your past sins and determined to forsake them and walk hum­bly and uprightly henceforth? These are the results of the sub­jugation of your heart to the will of God by faith. Have you confessed with the mouth the Lord Jesus before men, that He may confess you before His Father and the holy angels? Then you have but confessed with the mouth what the heart believed. Have you been buried with Christ in baptism and arisen to walk in newness of life? If so, Jesus, in the commission which autho­rized the performance of this act, associated it with faith, saying, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;” and Philip made the eunuch’s faith an indispensable prerequisite to his bap­tism, saying, “If thou believes” with all thy heart thou mayest.” And, as without faith it is impossible to please God, had he bap­tized him without faith, it would not have been pleasing to God; and hence were you to be baptized without faith, it would not be a service well pleasing to Him. Do you, as Christians, love mercy, deal justly, walk humbly and uprightly before God? If so, it is all the result of faith; for the Christian lives by faith, walks by faith, and dies in faith. But we are not yet ready to develop the life of the Christian; hence we must go back and as­sist the alien through that CHANGE IN THE AFFECTIONS OF THE HEART which we have seen to be the first result of faith. Paul says: “Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doc­trine which was delivered you; being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Romans 6:17-18. By this we learn that the obedience which freed the Romans from sin was from the heart; and we may safely affirm that all accept­able obedience must come from a heart sincerely desirous to honor God’s authority. All else is downright mockery. But no alien can obey from the heart without a changed heart; hence it may be well to inquire what a change of heart is, and how it is brought about. In order to acquire any thing like a satisfactory knowledge of the subject, it is important to know what the spiri­tual heart is, and then we may better understand how and when it is changed. As the physical heart is the center of the physical circulation, from whence passes the vital current, giving life and nutriment to all parts of the body, so the mind of man is the great center of all spiritual impressions and emotions, and is therefore called the heart—if you please, the spiritual heart. If in this we are not mistaken, then all reference of spiritual emo­tions and changes to the physical heart is out of place. Let us see how this is. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5. It can not require an argument to show that thoughts originate in the mind, which is here denominated the heart. Solomon says: “The heart knoweth his own bitterness.” Proverbs 14:10. “The heart of the righteous studieth to answer.” Proverbs 15:28. As stud-y is the work of the mind, and as the mind is the store-house of all knowledge, we can not be at a loss to know that it was the mind which Solomon called the heart. “Jesus perceiving the thought of their heart.” Luke 9:47. As thoughts proceed from the mind, it is evidently what Jesus here calls the heart. “The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge.” Isaiah 32:4. Here it is quite clear that the prophet used the term heart with refer­ence to the mind. With a single quotation from an apostle, we must close our proof on this subject: “With the heart man believ­eth unto righteousness.” Romans 10:10. Until it can be shown that the physical heart can believe and appreciate testimony, it is un­necessary to make an argument to show; that Paul here used the word heart as equivalent to the mind. Thus we see that God, Jesus, Solomon, Isaiah, and Paul used the term heart with refer­ence to the mind or intellect, with all its faculties, with which we think, understand, feel, and receive impressions. We may cultivate and develop the faculties of the mind so as to enlarge our powers of thought and capabilities of acquiring and retain­ing knowledge, by making impressions on it through the senses; but this is not what is meant by the phrase “change of heart,” as used by theologians with reference to conversion. And it may be well to remark that we use the phrase “change of heart” by way of accommodation to the parlance of our times, and not be­cause we find such language in the Bible. It is not there. It is true that, in Daniel 4:16, it is said of Nebuchadnezzar: “Let his heart be changed from man’s and let a beast’s heart be given him;” but this had no reference to conversion to Christianity. Indeed, while we confine ourselves strictly to the literal significa­tion of the terms we are by no means sure that such a thing as a change of heart is at all possible. We may change the affections and purposes of the heart or mind, but how we may change the heart or mind itself, is not very clear to us. The affections and purposes of the heart are no more the heart than the fruit of a tree is the tree. In the Scriptures, however, the term heart is sometimes used in this sense—i.e., to indicate the affections and purposes of the mind; and as these may be changed, it is with reference to them that we use the phrase “change of heart.” When we speak of a change of heart, then, we mean a change of the affections and purposes of the heart. Nothing more— nothing less. Many persons are prating about a “change of heart,” who are wholly destitute of any just conceptions of what it is, or how it is produced. One of them will tell you that “It is the work of grace in the heart,” while another will tell you that “It is the new birth,” “Getting religion,” “Remission of sins,” “Salvation from sin,” “Justification,” etc.; and they will tell you that “It was brought about by the baptism of the Holy Ghost;” or at least they will insist that “It was by the operation of the Holy Ghost.” Hence the importance of knowing what a change of heart is, that we may know when we have it, if not how it was brought about. We have often seen persons, as truly penitent as they were capable of being, who were still praying for a change of heart, while their hearts were wilted into perfect submission to the will of God as far as they knew it. Did they not love God, and fear Him with all the powers of the mind? Yes. Then if their hearts were changed they must cease to love and fear God, and might love the devil and his service. Did they not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Saviour of sinners? Yes; if not, they would not have gone to the mourner’s bench, for it was to obtain salvation through Him that they went there. Change their hearts from this, and it is bound to land them in in­fidelity or unbelief, for this is the opposite of belief in Jesus. Is he not heartily sorry for sins? Then change his heart, and he is not sorry. Is he not willing and determined to forsake them? Then change his heart, and he is determined to practice them. Does he not love the company and society of the people of God? Then change his heart, and he loves the company and associa­tion of the vicious and wicked. But you ask why was he not pardoned if his heart was submissive to the will of God? Simply because he had not complied with the conditions upon which God had offered him pardon. And the failure, upon his part, was not because of any perversity of heart in him, but because his instructors had failed to teach him what those conditions are. For want of proper instructions, he must go home with his head bowed down as a bulrush, and continue to pray for a change of heart through long weeks, months, years, or perhaps through life, because he can not work himself up to a sufficient degree of excitement to believe his heart changed in some supernatural way. This is the literal meaning of it. And what is the result? If he is of Calvinistic persuasions, he may conclude that he is not one of the elect, and in an effort to drown his emotions he may go back into the practice of wickedness, and perhaps become tenfold worse than before; or he may plunge into the dark pool of infidelity, and conclude that there is no truth in any thing. We very recently had a conversation with a very intelli­gent infidel manufactured just in this way. When a man’s affections are won from sin to holiness, a love of Satan to God, and all the purposes of his heart are submissive to the will of God as far as he knows it, he has all the change of heart that God requires of him prior to obedience. And we pro­pose, now, to examine a few passages of Scripture to see how this change is produced, to which we invite the very careful atten­tion of those who would understand the subject: “And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judg­ment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” 2 Samuel 15:6. How did Absalom steal the hearts of the people? Go back a few verses, and you will find that he placed himself by the gate, and when any one who had a controversy came to pre­sent his grievance to the king, he would say to him: “Thy mat­ters are good and right, but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Oh, that I were made judge in the land, that every man that hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice. And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him.” Thus it was that he stole their hearts; that is, he won their affections. Hence, the term heart is here used to indicate the affections of the mind: , and not the heart itself; and thus we see what is meant by a change of heart. The affections of the people were won from the king and to Absalom; and it was done by making them believe that the king was indifferent to their interests, and that Absalom was their friend, and thus their faith changed their hearts. What a vast cloud is removed from the subject by taking this view of it! From this stand-point we can see a beauty and fit­ness in the language of Peter to his brethren, when he said: “Men, and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the Gospel, and believe. Holy God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, pur­ifying their hearts by faith.” Acts 15:7-9. Thus we see that, though God gave the Gentiles the Holy Ghost, it was not to pu­rify their hearts, for He did this work by faith. And as He put no difference between the Gentiles and Jews in this respect, it follows that He purified the hearts of the Jews by faith. Then let us go to Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, when and where the hearts of three thousand were purified in one day, and see if we can find how it was done. And first we premise by saying that it was not done by the Holy Ghost, for Jesus said they [the world] could not receive it, and it was poured out upon the dis­ciples before the multitude came together. When the apostles were filled with it, and under its influence began to speak forth in different languages, the wonderful works of God, the people assembled, with hearts full of bitterness, to hear what was being said. They believed Jesus an impostor, and that they did right in putting Him to death; and that the apostles were a drunken rabble. Thus we see that their wicked feelings were the result of improper faith, and to change their feelings it was necessary to correct their faith, which produced the feelings. And as faith is dependent upon testimony, it was necessary, in order to correct their faith, to present such testimony as would convince them that Jesus was not an impostor, as they had believed, but was what He professed to be—the Son of God. Hence Peter began to instruct them by telling them that the apostles were not drunk, as they supposed, and that God had raised up that same Jesus whom they had wickedly slain, and made Him both Lord and Christ; and that He had shed forth what they then saw and heard. And as with many other words he taught and exhorted them, it may be that he called their attention to the fact that Jesus was once happy in heaven, in company with God and an­gels, while they were without hope and without God in the world, destined to misery and woe; that to avert their punish­ment and secure their salvation, He left the realms of bliss and came to the world a stranger and pilgrim, without a place where­on to lay His head. That while He had come on a mission of love for them, and mercy to them, they had ungratefully perse­cuted and slain Him; that to increase and protract His sufferings, they had compelled Him to bear His own cross up the rugged steeps of Calvary, until from fatigue and exhaustion, He sunk be­- neath its weight; that to intensify the infamy with which they intended to load down His memory, they compelled Him to die between two thieves; that to mock His pretensions as King, they had put on Him a purple robe, and encircled His head with a crown of thorns, then buffeted Him, spat upon Him, and hailed Him in derision as King of the Jews; that they had suspended Him upon nails driven through His tender hands to the cross, and, when in the midst of His agony He asked them for drink, they gave Him vinegar mingled with gall. And while suffering all this for them, He loved them still—yes, He even loved the man that drove the nails through His hands, and prayed, “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” “See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far to small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.” When they heard these things they were pierced in their hearts. And is it surprising that they were? Ah! would it not have been surprising beyond measure had they not been deeply affected by the scenes that had been made to pass afresh before them on that occasion? They then knew how to appreciate the testimony that God had borne to the divine character of His Son, through the convulsions that took place in the laws of nature when He expired upon the cross. They had felt the earth trem­ble beneath their unhallowed feet, until the rocks about them had been shaken to atoms, and the veil of their sacred temple, that had stood for ages, had been rent in twain from top to bot­tom. The king of day, for the first time since God had placed him in the firmament, refused to give his light, and the world was enveloped in darkness, while all nature was clad in the habil­iments of mourning because the Son of God was dead. Why all this? “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” “He left His radiant throne on high, Left the bright realms of bliss, And came to earth to bleed and die— Was ever love like this? Oh! for this love let rocks and hills Their lasting silence break, And all harmonious human tongues Their Saviour’s praises speak.” Reader, have you no place in your heart’s deepest affections for a Saviour like this? But we are wandering from the point before us. The testimony was believed with all the heart, and by it their enmity was subdued. They saw their lost and ruined condition, and hence felt their need of a Saviour. Their law had been: “He that sheddeth man’s blood by man shall his blood be shed.” Seeing no means of escape, in deep anguish of soul they cry out: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” We can scarcely forbear quoting the answer, but it must bide its time. How simple the process! They had improper views of the Saviour when they killed Him; but the statements made by Peter, and the miraculous confirmation of them by the Holy Spirit, convinced them that they had been mistaken, and thus corrected their faith, and dif­ferent faith produced different feelings and actions. Surely, this is clear enough. We have said that the testimony was believed with all the heart. When the eunuch demanded baptism of Philip, he an­swered: “If thou believes” with all thy heart thou mayest.” Acts 8:37. There is a depth of meaning in this expression that we fear is not comprehended by all. The word all implies that there may be such a thing as a part of the whole; and when Philip said, “If thou believes” with all thy heart,” he certainly left us to infer that there is such a thing as believing without engaging all the powers of the heart. Hence there may be a sort of passive assent of the mind to the propositions of the Bible that falls very far short of that faith which works by love and purifies the heart. When a scribe once asked the Saviour for the first command­ment, Jesus said: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” Mark 12:30. The same thought is here intensi­- fied by repeating it in different forms of speech, so as to forcibly impress us with the fact that God intends to engage the whole powers of the heart; and the faith which falls below this is worth nothing to any one. Hence says David: “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart.” Psalms 9 : l. Our faith must be suffi­ciently strong to subjugate the lusts, appetites, and passions—in a word, the whole man to the will of the Lord, and fill the heart with love. It must enable us to appreciate our dependence upon God, and feel the need of a Saviour, and put our trust in Him. It must enable us to rise above all the influences of earth, and disregard what friends, relatives, or the world may say of us, and feel, in the great deep of our hearts, to say, “Speak, Lord, thy servant will hear; command, and he will obey.” “Through floods and flames, if Jesus lead, I’ll follow where He goes; Hinder me not, shall be my cry, Though earth and hell oppose.” If heaven is worth any thing it is worth every thing; and he who stops to reason with himself about what it will cost him, or the sacrifices he will have to make to obey God, or the conve­niences and inconveniences attending the requirements which God has made of him, is not in a fit frame of mind to obey God acceptably in anything, and need not attempt it until he can bring himself more fully into subjection to His will. But we are told that God has to purify or change the heart before faith, so as to enable us to believe, and the language of the prophet is invoked to prove this position: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26. And again: “I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and I will give them a heart of flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19-20. If these quotations prove that God, by His Spirit, purifies and renews the heart, and until He does this we can not believe and obey Him, and He never does it, will He send us to hell for an impurity of heart which He alone could remove? With this in­terpretation of these quotations before us, let us try another: “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn yourselves and live ye.” Ezekiel 18:31-32. Now what is to be done with these quotations? They are all from the same proph­et, inspired by the same God. Does God contradict Himself? It certainly will be conceded that the phrase “stony heart” was used to indicate that hardness of heart which the Jews had pro­duced in themselves by indulgence in crime, the consequences of which they had keenly felt in the numerous disasters which had befallen them. It will be conceded, also, that the phrase “heart of flesh” was intended to indicate that subdued state of mind in which God proposed to again receive them into His favor. As man is a creature subject to be influenced by motive, God, through the prophet, in the same chapter, recounts their afflic­tions and wickedness as follows: “When the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way, and by their doings.... Wherefore, I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: and I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: accord­ing to their way and according to their doings I judged them.” Ezekiel 36:17-19. Then, after presenting their sufferings and their wickedness, He proposes to take them from among the heathens, cleanse them from their idolatry, restore to them their country, and be to them a God. Were not these high incentives to reformation? And can we not see great similarity in the pro­cess by which their hearts were proposed to be changed, and the process by which the hearts of the Pentecostians were changed? In both cases the wickedness of the parties and its dire conse­quences were exhibited, and a plan of reconciliation proposed, embracing the grandest motives of which the mind can conceive, to induce acceptance. The arrangement of the terms in both cases was the work of God; the acceptance in one case was to be, and in the other case was, the work of man; and thus, in one sense, God changes the heart, while in the other, and more com­mon signification of the terms, man does it himself. There are other passages we might notice, but they will be examined in another department of our work. What faith does not do, or the doctrine of justification by faith alone, will receive attention when we come to consider objections to the design of baptism.