The Gospel Messenger—September 1909

The Measure Of Faith
By Elder Silas Durand
 
What a wonderful mysterious thing is faith, a particular principle, a secret but glorious grace, the knowledge of which is hid from the wise and prudent , as are all other things which  belong to the kingdom of God. Matt. 11:25. The definition of it, which the Apostle gives, is broad, deep and high: “Now faith is the substance pf things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb 11:1.  When I contemplate these words in which the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle to express the great and glorious meaning of this little word, Faith, a solemn awe seems to possess my soul, and I have to say with the Psalmist, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I can not attain unto it.” Ps. 139:6.

But every child of God possesses faith, for it is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), and “if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of His.” Rom. 8:9. But in some who have given evidence of divine life this grace of faith may be so little in exercise, so dormant, that it may appear as though there were none. Those who have faith will be inquiring about it, as to whether they truly pos­sess that grace; and the more the mystery of faith is in their pure conscience, and the more it exercises them, the more anxious will they be on the subject, and the more will their questionings and searchings of heart be on the all-important subject.

Those who have no faith will have no questioning or concern on the subject, believing themselves to have every necessary good quality, like the Pharisee, and being confident that the Lord holds them in high esteem. And of living souls those who have little faith seem to be less anxious on the subject; and the less there is of an exer­cise of faith the more self-confident and the more self-­assertive they will be, and the more assured that they will remain firm and immovable, though all others for­sake Jesus. In this false confidence those who have come under its delusive power are sure to remain until some dreadful fall breaks up their self-assurance, and brings them back to the sweet control of that faith which, though lost sight of in the devil’s seine, has never failed, and causes them again to rest their all in Him, “Who is the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are far off upon the sea.” (Ps. 65)

My thoughts today are dwelling upon the measure of faith given by our dear Saviour while He was here in the flesh, audit is in my mind to write some of these thoughts for the contemplation of those who read the GOSPEL MESSENGER. I began to write occasionally for this peri­odical about thirty years ago, and felt much at home with its readers, and especially with my dear brother, Elder J. R. Respess, whom I loved from the first, and with whom I was in sweet fellowship till he passed on to glory. Under your care, Brother Hassell, the maga­zine remains to this present to be a comfort to many. I hope the blessing of God may continue to rest upon you, and that He will direct you in all your labors ‘that they may be to the glory of His great and holy name. I have a desire for the welfare of yourself and of those who read your periodical. For the Signs of the Times I have been writing forty-five years. What changes since then in the world, and in all of our churches. But there is no change in Jesus, or in His doctrine, or in His love. Dear fathers in Israel and brethren well beloved have gone, and with them sometimes it seems that much of the comfort of our meetings has gone. But Jesus has not gone, and it was He and not they who made our meetings good and pleasant. So we take comfort.

“A certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him was sick and ready to die. He sent the elders of the Jews beseeching Him that he would come and heal him. But when Jesus was not far from the house he dent friends to Him, saying unto Him, ‘Lord, trouble not Thyself: for I am not worthy that thou should’st enter under my roof; wherefore, neither thought I myself wor­thy to come unto Thee: but say in a word, and ‘my ser­vant shall be healed.’” And this man was set under au­thority, and was a commander of soldiers, and had done great favors to the Jews. Yet he held himself in the lowest esteem, not even worthy to come to Jesus. At the same time he had the highest regard for Jesus, and the highest estimate of his power, and had no doubt of His ability to perform so wonderful a cure. Jesus said concerning him, “I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” Here is the measure of faith: the lowest estimate of ourselves: the highest estimate of Jesus. (Luke 7:1.)

Look at another instance: Jesus went into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. A woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts. Always His paths met those of the afflicted and sorrowing, and it is so yet. And always “His paths drop fatness,” and bring healing to the sick and suffering. The woman cried unto Him, saying, “‘Have mercy, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.” Jesus answered her not a word. The disciples besought Him, saying, “Send her away; for she crieth after us.” How little they cared for her suffering. And His reply to them would seem as though he had no pity. “I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord help me.” Is that wor­ship? I once thought worship so great and holy and pure and heavenly an act that one so vile and ignorant as I could never do it. But it is simply the cry of a poor sinner to the Lord for help. “Lord, help me.” This is worship. It acknowledges His power. Then He an­swered and said, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs.” Her reply is by faith. Without faith she could not have said that which ac­knowledged she was only as a dog, yet desiring the crumbs of the gospel. “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Thus was the sweet mystery of faith revealed, and thus the way of salvation made manifest. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, “O woman, great is thy faith.” Here again is the measure of faith. The lowest estimate of ourselves; the highest estimate of Jesus and His power and love. By that faith she knew salvation for her daughter was in Jesus; and she could no more stop her calling upon Him than a hungry babe can stop crying before it gets supplied. She was moved by the power of the faith which Jesus had given her, but she did not know it was faith until He told her. Faith is at work in the heart of every poor, crying. sinner, but he does not know that this is faith which brings him to the gates of the grave, and the bars of the pit, until the Interpreter tells him, and says, “Deliver him from going down to the pit; I have found a Ransom.” (Job 33: 19-24.)

The leper spoke by faith when he fell down before Jesus, and said, “Lord, if Thou wilt Thou can’st make me clean.” The wisdom of the world says, “If the Lord can He will”; but the poor leper knows better than that. He is in the most pitiful, degraded condition, with an in­curable and loathsome disease, and he knows and feels it. Yet he has the most exalted belief in the power of Jesus, and has no doubt of His power to heal as vile a leper as he. Here again is the gospel measure of faith, the lowest view of ourselves; the highest view of Jesus.

A certain woman felt an intense desire to touch the hem of Jesus’s garment as he walked in the midst of a thronging multitude, for she said, “If I may but touch His clothes I shall be whole.” She had suffered for twelve years, and all her physicians had only made her worse. She did not know this was faith moving her irresistibly forward into the midst of that crowd until Jesus told her. She thought she only touched the hem of his garment, but really she touched Himself, and was just then the only one of all that thronging, pressing multitude who did touch Him with the touch of faith. And when she was forced to come out and acknowledge His work, He said: “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” (Mark 5:25.)

The woman who, in her terrible sorrow for her sins, washed Jesus’s feet with her tears, did not know she was doing an act of faith until Jesus, who had spoken in tones of stern rebuke to Simon the Pharisee, now spoke to her in tones of tender compassion and mercy and love, saying, “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50.) It was faith, not merely her sor­row, which brought her, lowly and penitent, to Jesus’s feet. She felt herself to be helplessly vile, but she bad a mysterious assurance that Jesus could save her. She loved Him without knowing why. He did not say to her, nor to the centurion, nor to the Syro-Phcenician woman, nor to the blind men, nor to any of those He healed, “I have saved thee,” nor “You have saved your­self,” but, “Thy faith hath saved thee.” This faith sees only Jesus, and therefore without faith it is impossible to please God.

What wonderful works faith is now, and always per­forming. How many poor, trembling souls there are now deeply mourning because they fear they have no faith, and no evidence that they are children of God, who in that very sorrow and self-abhorrence, and in that ex­alted view which they have of Jesus’s power and holiness, give the best of evidence that they come up to the gospel measure of faith. In the Lord’s own good time He will say to them, “Thy faith hath saved thee. Go in peace.”

SILAS H. DURAND
SOUTHAMPTON, PA., July 17, 1909