The Full Assurance of Faith - p. 2
But to all this
the skeptic will reply that he does not blindly trust in others, but
that he has reason to believe that he will be carried safely, that his
message will be sent correctly, and that the letter will reach his wife
in good season. His faith in these things is based on the following
grounds:—
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Others
have been carried in safety, and thousands of letters and telegrams
have been correctly sent and promptly delivered. Whenever a letter
has been misplaced, it has almost invariably been the fault of the
sender.
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The men
to whom he entrusts himself and his messages make a business of
carrying people and messages; if they should fail to fulfill their
agreements, nobody would place any confidence in them, and their
business would soon be ruined.
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He has
the assurance of the government of the United States. The railroad
and telegraph companies receive their charter from the government,
which thereby becomes in a responsible for their faithfulness. If
they do not do as they agree, the government can revoke their
charter. His confidence in the letter box was due to the fact that
he saw upon it the letters "U.S.M.," and he knew that they
mean that the government has promised safely to deliver any letter
placed in the box, if it is properly addressed and stamped. He
believes that the government will fulfill its promises, because if
it does not, it must soon come to an end. It is to the interest of
the government to fulfill its promises just as much as it is to the
interest of the railroad and telegraph companies to fulfill theirs.
And all these things form a solid ground for his faith.
Well, the
Christian has a thousand-fold more ground for his faith in the promises
of God. Faith is not blind credulity. Says the apostle, "Now faith
is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence [ground, or
confidence] of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. This is an inspired
definition, and therefore we may conclude that the Lord does not expect
us to exercise faith except on evidence. Now it can readily be shown
that the Christian has a great deal more reason for exercising faith in
God than the skeptic has for his confidence in the railroad and
telegraph companies or in the government.
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Others
have trusted the promises of God, and have found them to be sure.
The eleventh chapter of Hebrews contains a long list of those who
have verified the promises of God; who "through faith subdued
kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of
the sword, our of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight,
turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead
raised to life again." And this is not confined to the days of
old. Anyone who wishes, can find abundance of testimony to the fact
that God is "a very present help in trouble." Thousands
can testify of prayers answered in so marked a manner as to leave no
more doubt that God answers prayers than the United States
Government carries the mails that are entrusted to it.
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The God
whom we trust makes a business of answering prayers, and of
protecting and caring for his subjects. "It is of the Lord's
mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail
not." Micah 7:18. "For I know the thoughts that i think
toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to
give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11. If he should break
one of his promises, men would cease to believe him. This was the
ground of David's confidence. Said he "Help us, O God of our
salvation, for the glory of thy name; and deliver us, and purge away
our sins, for thy name's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say,
Where is their God?" Psalm 79:9, 10.
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The
existence of God's government depends on the fulfillment of his
promises. The Christian has the assurance of the government of the
universe that every lawful request that he makes will be granted.
Government is especially for the protection of the weak. Suppose now
that God should fail to fulfill one of his promises to the very
weakest and most insignificant person in the world; that single
failure would destroy the entire government of God. The whole
universe would at once be thrown into confusion. If God should break
one of his promises, no one in the universe could ever have any
confidence in them, and his rule would be at an end; for trust in
the ruling power is the only sure ground of obedience. Nihilists of
Russia do not obey the czar, because they do not trust him. Any
government that, through failure to meet its obligations, looses the
respect of its subjects, is in an unstable condition. Therefore the
humble Christian depends on the word of God, knowing that God has
more at stake than he has. If such a thing were possible as that God
should break his word, the Christian would lose only his life, but
God would lose his character, the stability of his government, and
the control of the universe.
Moreover, those
who put their trust in human government, or in any institution of men,
are liable to be disappointed.
Men
are Fallible
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