iZ m0 fC>IZ lliiliiiljilililiilli Ne. 120. THE CHRISTIAIf'S CONSOLHTION, THE OPERATIONS OF FAITH. • "Get thee out of thy conntrv, and from thyicimJ:ed, .ftnd from thy father's house into a land that I will show thee." Thus spoke the Almiorhty to Abraham, ©id lie obey ? He did. The sacred chronicle says, •* lie went out, not knouuiif/ ichit/ier Ae-ioe;i«'." Yes, he forsook liis home, his country, the friends of his youth, nil Uie pleasant c^sociaLiou? of hia early life, u-nd »v«nt fotrth, a pilgrim wanderer, he 'knew not whither. Henc*- fort5h, he. must dvrell with strangers; he must move through hostile countrio-s; Ik» must be a m^u, marked by all raeRajsingularjlnd difTrring from the whole wo^ld^ Nor could be 'explain himseK so as to be comprehend- •ed, because his motives were spiritual, and to au idolatrous world inexplicable. Abrahnm's emigration was, therefore, one of the most sublime instances of human reliance on the Divine veracity, recorded in the his'ory of marr! God prom- ised him, ill his descendants, the possesvion of Canaan. Without visible proofs, or outward probabilities, rely- ing solely on the promise of God, he took the required steps to inherit th? promise. He went fearlessly into hostile* nations ; ho croj-sed wi'dernesscs without ter- ror ; he became a hoinf>less wanderer, yet without any apprehension of want or danger. ''I api obc\ing Je- liovih! He will provicc I My children shall flvrcU - ' 4 3 iti Canaan I I stiHlI have a city out ol a'ght;" was ilia language of his confiding spirit, 'i'jiis was (me, saving faith — a practical confidence in Gud. And this is the coitHdence wbich ovi-'ry true be iever should have in his hi3:ivtiniy Father. Tt ts a beHever's privilege to have niiUciiicd nnd abiding conMdence in God. lie may feel always thai, bo'h in things f-piritual and temporal, God will do the very best that can be done. {\v. may dismiss all dis- tresding fears concerning the pi-eseni or future. With Da'-id he may sriyo^ this life and its necessary blessings: "The Lord is my shepherd, \ shall not want; -" smd, in oljedienfe to Christ, he ra*y expel trouble fi'om his br«'ait. «What Christian can Jear when Chriafc so sweetly whisper.^. : ''-Let not your heiirt l>e troubled.'^ *' Fear not, Lftle flock " " S ek first the Kingdom of God aud his righteousness, and all these things shall be- added unto ytW-j/' These texts are. ample fouudationsfor the strongest confidence. They authpiize .^aa to expect sufiicient spirituiil aid to overcome the vYorll, the 9e.sh, and the T)evil ; and ti^ey give a pledge that in this life a true Christian shall n-ver suffer ?'(Sr/7.'(?i!i/. lie shall' have food and raiment, ])rope^ty and blessing, syfiicient to eiVibie hiin to do God's will m the be-i inanuer and to gain oierual life. Our sensitive and selfish yaturfes shrink from afflic- tions. We.. look upon them as ghastly spectrra or haun;ing £;ho3t5. Hence, vi?hen they enier our habita- tions and lay our Vjodiea on sick beds; or burn olir property, bring cuni'usiou.npon our bu^ii'ess arrange- ments, and plunge us into a chaos of financial diffi- culties, and we let our faith siiik lovver.ahd lower.— L^nbe ief rises, and we doubt wnethen God is really do- iiig for na all he has promised to do. • A certain father once took his son to sea. lie v/j3 a n .vul olficir of some celsbrity, and hitf purpose was lo :\ make liis son eminent in the uaval servioe. To'ac- complish this end, he saw it was necnss iry to unve his son become a ihorouf^h seain.m. He wisiicd him to understand every part "of a SHi'oc's duty. When the Ind' went on board his father's ship, .he naturally expected som-e indulgence. The trnnsition fropi an ele^^ant homje. a kind inotiher, accompliyhed sisters, to the vbw^h and sloi-my life of the sailor, whs very great. He hoped, therefore, for he knew his fath- er to be kind, to e.sttapy the severer duties of his sta- tion. But ho was self deceived. Once at the post of duty, Ids father made i>o di.stiiictioi\ In the dark and drea- ry night, he whs ordered a-Iofr wish his c tripanions. — Once, when dreadfully sea-sick, he ventured to his lath- er with a request to be excused. '* Do y^ur c'u ▼. sir I " was the stern r«ply ; niici as to boy mounted the gid- dy tnast th»t ni^^ht, lie, for the fust time, doubtt-d his father's love. _ Like his young shipmafe^ be sometimes committed little misdemeanors — he violated\some of the minuter rules of naval di-cip!ine. " Mv father is Captain,'' was his inward thought ; '^I shall have ic^dnlj/ence."— Again he was dec-ii-ed. The rebuke upon him fell «terner and more severe than on -any of^her lad. Once more he dor.bted his father's love. This lad was of buoyant spirits' and of daring mind. Ho prid?d himself in fe its of sKili and courage. ' 0"e day he climbed the topmast height of the taper mast, and, to the terror even of the sailor?;, stood upright on the main truck- A.t th:it instant. Ids fath-r came up from the cabin. '' See^ your son, sir! " exclaimed hi^ Lieutenant, pale wi^h fVar, One gUmce of his eye, a. snd- <^ea rua- to lump into the sea. , I ha'Ve aioired i-il' a'll' the«e things to secure your bene&t." The reader canreadlly imagine Cha't Sirch an expla* nation woiild entiFi ly reiSfOve the doubts, which the apparently harsh disci joliae of the father had excited in the son. He wotild even condemn himself for hav- ing doubted at all; and wonder at the mental stupidi- ty which preveiited him from entering inio his father's wise designs. Precisely similar nre the dealings of God with believe ers. His children cannot be discovered by any outward provinces; nor distinguished from sinners hy visible signs of heavenly fa,YQi', Nay, they are on the other hand, often aorely afflicted. A pnous Joseph is malign- ed, persecuted and oppressed ; a faithful David is hunt- ed liiie a beast of prey by his wicked enemies ; a reso- lute Daniel is castinfo a den ot" lions for his faithful- ness; a submissive Job is stripped of his precious things and made a spectacle of desolation ; a faithful Jeremiah is cast into a pit; a devoted Stephen is jj^iven up to • tha violence of gospel haters; a zealous Paul is com- pelled to carry a thorn in the flesh, and an iiffectionato John to be an exile on lonely Patnios. . • The key to nil this suflkting in the disciples of the Saviour is furnished by that apostle w ho wrote that : — •' All these things work together for good to thera that love God; " and "These light afflictions, which aro but for a moment, work out for us a far mure exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Here we have the solution of these untoward Provi- dences which sometimes successively overtake a pious Clidstian. (iod is aiming to make his salvation sure. To him the present convenience of the believer is noth- ing compared to his eternal blrssednes'^. The happi- nots of the disciple in this h'/e i-» not the e7id of God's gracious providences : the end with liim in his eleva- tion to glory.' This, then, is one work of faith. To be unmoved, coriBdent and calm in the darkest hour. However se" Merely tried ; however storm-tossed, however much threatened with de truetion, to indulge no '^oubt in God. Like a boy at rea who reiained his childish bnuy- ancy in the midst of a terrible storm, which strained the ship to the limit of her endurance and made the most practised sailor tremble in expeclAtion of instant death. Seeing him so cool, a sailor said to bim, " Are you >- fraid ? " *• No,'' was his prompt reply. " But the gale ia very terrible," responded the sailor. . « *'l know it. B U mj Jaiher ''s al the helm I " Admirable contidenoe ! would that the children of God would always inaintain such faith in their father, and learn to say in evfe.y conflict and d;in secure my safety. I cannot suffer real evil." " What we know not now we shall knowi hereafter,^\u an inspired statement. It is tiue. As the nival offi- cer explained his conduct to his eon. so will Jehovah condescend to shew his molives in sending heavy triak tDn his chosen one. The weeping molher shall know- why God took that sweet babe from her breast ; the widow shall be satisGod that God was kind in taking away her life's chfef delight — the friend and par:ner of her youth: the orphau siiall underst:\nvl the cause of histbeing: left, to the cold charities of a heartless world ; and the merchant bhali- have the mysteries of his many tanforeseen reverses revealed. Wait,. then, in faith, dear reader, for the issue of your aftliclions. Believe witli all your heirt that all will terminate well ; that when you ha'<'e overeoiTie and are joined 'o the hosts of heav- eu, and think of your bitteres; affliction, '^ This note above the rest shall .'••^vell, My Jesus has done all things wei.'' There will be also a constant necessity in yonr ex- perienc':^ for what I would c;i!l a special Jaixh To ex- plain my meaning, let me imagine a young m:m de- pendant upon his father- Thev live together in perfect harmony. The failier freely and lovingiy furnishes an ample supply for his son's necessities, and the son. in return is affectionate, t-onfiii' g I'nd obedient. He has an unshaken coniidence in his, father's lave anl ability. Therefore his mind is untroubled on -the question of hI-3 eartldy subsi-^tence. But one day, the young man perceives a very fine opening iln- himself in busincs.s. To Oiiter it. he neeaV a pariicul r sum of money, ile can only obtain it of bis father. " Will my farther furni-h me with this money?" would t)p u Hr.-,t and ntcessair^ question in his mind. — To solicit this aid irom his father, evopy reader can at once perceive, requires a special act of meiital confi- dence^n the youth. He might doubt his father's dis- [los'il'xon \o do' fliat .particular favor, without being at hU sh '.ken in his estabii-hed conTic:ion of that fither's love. To soli'it it, he must have n special and peculiar belief that he will do that particular favor. 80 wilh your faiih. While you maintain an abiding belief that God for Christ's saice accepts you now; and that Christ as the admiiiio^trator of tbe universe is ru> ling all terrestri'il things for your final profit; you will jvlso require a special faith, for victo'-y over peculiar temptations of the W0!ld,.tiie flesh and the*devil. Hence, when P-uil ^xliorted be'ieveis to lay nside ' every weifiht and the sm which 50 easily beset them, <&c.. he bade thpin attempt these things, '• Looking un- I to Jesus: " i. e-, by exercising an especial faith in hira. I lIiH own exercises for the removal of ihat trouble- some ^Uhorii in the ficsh^- will illustrate this point. — He had a saving faith when the thorn came. Feeling it to trouMe ^im, he sought God t .rice, in believing prayer, to remove it. God heard that roquet, and an- •ipwered it too, but not as Paul expected. He a.iid. in jefect. " I cannot take it away : it is for yourprofit; bat iinjigrace is sulScient for thee." Now, when Paul felt 4hi3 v^o.' n piercing him, he would require a special -faith, in addition to that which joined him to Christ ; ■fir rather ?tjba,i faith which saved him would require an «speciai direction- It ma.st believe that ihis identical jnfflictioi! was p-i-mitted in -ove. and that the grace of dhrist would enab^ him to bear it. JifFort ih^Df I xejfv^'it, is needful, You ra"st have seasons for silent meditation. You mnst read what i« revealed concering elemity, sxnd let your mind dwell on the statements of the Bible until they are folt to be realities. Let the Bible lead your mind to Heaven.— Place yourself among iis splendors and g'ories. Yield yourself up to the emotions which they excite. Study them* until your f^oul flutters its vvinnrs as if ready for its instant flight, and, while yet in the body, ingplrea the spirit of its future home. Do this, and when you j*o forth to bnsy life, carry these images with you. — Sp'^ak of them to your religions friends, and you will learn to say habitually — "There is my house and portion fair; My treasure and my heart are there, And my abiding home; For n»e, my elder brethren stay, And ange-s beckon me away. And Jesus bids me come." Hollinger Corp. pH8.5