The Hearing of Faith

The Hearing of Faith

(No. 1705)

DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 11, 1883,

BY C, H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"This only would I learn of you, did you receive the Spirit by the
works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith?" Galatians 3:2.

A GREAT delusion is upon the heart of man as to his salvation. His ways
are perverse. He does not love the Law of God, no, his mind is opposed
to it and yet he sets up to be its advocate. When he understands the
spirituality and severity of the Law, he reckons it to be a sore burden
and yet, when the Gospel is preached and set forth as the gift of
Sovereign Grace and he is bid, simply, to accept it by an act of faith
in Christ Jesus, the man professes great concern about the Law, lest it
should be made void by the freeness of Grace! He takes the broken
pieces of the two tables of the Law and hurls them at the Cross! It is
not that man loves the Law of God, but that he does not love the God of
the Law! Hence he will resort to any pretense to oppose that way of
salvation which God has appointed.

Doubtless, if it had been possible for the Lord to have set forth
another way of salvation, man would have opposed that, also, for he is
determined to walk contrary to God. Be that as it may, there is a
constant animosity in the minds of unregenerate men against the way of
salvation by faith in Christ–and to oppose it, they set up the
pretense of salvation by the works of the Law. Brothers and Sisters, in
all our hearts there is this natural enmity to God and to the
sovereignty of His Grace. Therefore it is that Believers have often to
complain of the difficulties of faith. Faith in itself is, or ought to
be, the easiest thing in the world, for a creature to believe in its
Creator, for a child to believe in his father, ought to be the simplest
and most natural thing in the world! But by reason of the corruption
that remains, even, in the regenerate, there is always a struggling
against this simple way of faith.

There are times with the best man, when, in recollection of his many
sins, Conscience says, "How can you believe that you are justified and
accepted while so much of evil is found in you?" Unless we cleave to
the promise of God and to His free mercy in Christ Jesus it will, then,
go hard with us. The soul of the most sincere and upright man may be
driven to despair by a sight of his own imperfections unless he clings
to that righteousness by which sinners are justified through faith in
Christ Jesus. Beloved, if this warfare is discovered, even, in the
minds of those who are born-again, we must not wonder that it rages in
the unregenerate!

One would have thought that the moment we preached salvation by faith
every sinner would have leaped up and accepted it. It is so simple, so
easy, that surely every man would wish in this way to be forgiven and
justified! Instead of which, all the reasoning, all the thoughtfulness,
yes, all the cunning of unregenerate human nature is stirred up to
fight against the method of deliverance by faith in Christ Jesus. "It
is too good to be true," says one. Another cries, "If this is preached,
it will lead men to think little of moral excellence." A third finds,
in the Doctrines of Grace, inducements to inaction and so on, without
end. These quibblings take hundreds of shapes, but, after all, they
come to this–proud sinners must dictate to their offended Lord and be
forgiven on their own terms.

It would appear that God does not know the best way of saving men and
men are so wise that they amend His methods! Is not this a refinement
of blasphemy? It is a hideous farce to see a rebellious sinner suddenly
become jealous about good works and greatly concerned for public
morality! Does it not make laughter in Hell to see licentious men
censuring the pure Gospel of the Lord Jesus and quibbling at free
forgiveness because it might make men less mindful of purity? It makes
one sick to see the hypocrisy of legalists! The reason of this
contention lies in the fact that man is not only poor, but proud. He is
not only guilty, but conceited, so that he will not humble himself to
be saved upon terms of Divine charity. He will not consent to believe
God–he prefers to believe in the proud falsehoods of his own
heart–which delude him into the flattering hope that he may merit
eternal life!

Against this wicked spirit our text enters the fight. Let us see how it
conducts the combat. The argument of the text is a very plain and
powerful one. Paul puts it thus–"The Holy Spirit has been received by
you Galatians. How did you receive the Holy Spirit–by the works of the
Law or by the hearing of faith?" They were bound to admit, each one for
himself, that they received the Holy Spirit by faith and by no other
means! Now, the Holy Spirit is the choicest of all the gifts of God
which are received into the soul–it is by the Spirit the work of the
Lord Jesus is known and received! The Holy Spirit is, Himself, the seal
of Divine favor and the token that we are at peace with God. I might
almost say that the reception of the Holy Spirit is salvation–for when
He enters into us, we are saved from death in sin, from the love of
sin, from the power of sin and from the terror of sin!

When He reigns in the heart, all the Divine Graces of a perfect
character attend upon Him as courtiers upon a king. He becomes the
source of life, light, love and liberty to our souls–and He even
sanctifies our bodies. Know you not that your bodies are the temples of
God when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in them? To whom, then, the
Holy Spirit is given, salvation is given in the highest sense! But how
is that Holy Spirit received? The question is soon answered. He is not
received by the works of the Law, but by the hearing of faith. I am
going to handle this fact, first, as an argument of experience for all
the people of God and, secondly, as an argument, at least, of
observation for those who are seeking after Christ. May the Holy Spirit
graciously aid us in our discourse.

I. First, then, here is AN ARGUMENT OF EXPERIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE OF
GOD. Before I dwell upon the personal experience of Believers who are
here present, I would remind you of the experience of the Church of God
as it is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. The book of the Acts of
the Apostles is a confirmation of the correct answer to my text. The
disciples were met together after our Lord's ascension and the Holy
Spirit descended upon them–but in what way? Simply by their obeying
the command of the Lord Jesus, "who commanded them that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which,
says He, you have heard of Me."

The gift was received by the hearing of faith, which led them to united
prayer and waiting. They performed no ceremonies and entered upon no
labors–the watchword was, "Tarry you till you are endowed with power
from on high." The power came that they might work and not because they
had worked! The gift of the Spirit came according to promise and not
according to works! Very speedily the Spirit of God fell upon the
people and 3,000 of them were converted and baptized. How came the
Spirit of God upon Parthians, Medes, Elamites, the dwellers in
Mesopotamia and so forth? Was it by the works of the Law?

No, Beloved! Peter thus preached (Acts 2:38)–"Repent and be baptized,
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." When the thousands
believed in Christ Jesus and confessed their faith by Baptism, the Holy
Spirit was given them. So was it also in Samaria–"When they believed
Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name
of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." And then we
read that the Apostle Peter went to them and these Believers received
the Holy Spirit–certainly not by the works of the Law, but by the
hearing of faith were they thus blessed! Turn to the story of
Cornelius. That good man had abounded in almsgiving and prayer–and yet
the Holy Spirit fell not upon him.

But, when the "hearing of faith" came, and they were assembled in the
house with one accord to listen to Peter, then the Holy Spirit fell
upon all them that heard the Word of God. "And they of the circumcision
which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because
that on the Gentiles, also, was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit!
For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered
Peter, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized,
which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?"

Was it not the same when Paul went out and preached among the Gentiles?
It was, indeed, so–startlingly so–that the news came to the Hebrew
Christians who were at Jerusalem and no small dissension and
disputation was the consequence! Here had been no circumcision, no
proselyting to Judaism, no observation of any part of the Mosaic ritual
and yet they heard that the Holy Spirit had fallen upon the
Gentiles–and they had not even known the Law, much less fulfilled it!
It needed all of Peter's influence to stem the flood. Hear how he puts
it–"God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should
hear the Word of the Gospel and believe. And God, which knows the
hearts, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as He did
unto us." The Holy Spirit was received by believing Gentiles in every
place where Paul had preached and, therefore, he could refer to these
Galatians and use their experience to correct their errors. The fact
that the Holy Spirit is given to the hearing of faith and not as a
reward of works, runs like a silver thread

through the whole of the Acts of the Apostles! Why, then, should men
look to the works of the Law for that which was never given except to
faith? What an infatuation to look to the mirage when a real well is
open at their feet!

Now I come to your own experience. You, beloved Friends, if you are,
indeed, in Christ Jesus, have received the Holy Spirit! But how? Let us
go over the list of His operations upon your minds. You received
enlightenment by His means, by which you were led to understand the way
of salvation and to behold the Glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ. Did you attain to that enlightenment by the works of the Law?
Was it so in any one case? It has been my privilege to know many of you
and to remember your confessions of faith–you told me that when you
were seeking salvation by your own works you were blind and saw not the
Light of God. The more you strove and the more you struggled, the more
intense the midnight grew about you until you well-near despaired!

Light came by a look at the Crucified! It came only by the hearing of
faith! After that, you received peace, which peace, I trust, you enjoy
this morning–"The peace of God which passes all understanding." But
did you receive that peace while you were trusting in ceremonies, in
baptism, or in the Lord's Supper, or in your own works? I know you did
not, for true peace of conscience comes not in at that door! Did you
obtain peace while you tried to repent so much, to weep so much, to
feel so much, or to do so much? No, Brothers and Sisters, not an atom
of peace ever came to your spirit until you looked away from yourself
to the Lord Jesus, of whom you heard that He was able to save even the
chief of sin-ners–and in whom you, therefore, by the Grace of God,
believed! When faith came, peace grew out of it as a fruit of the Holy
Spirit.

Since then, you have received the Holy Spirit to help you in your
sanctification, but you have obtained no sanctifica-tion apart from
believing. If you have reached after sanctification by your own
efforts, made in unbelief, you have never succeeded. Unbelief works
towards sin and never towards sanctification! Our good works are fruits
of sanctification, not causes of it, and if we put the fruit where the
root should be, we greatly err. If you have gone out to fight against a
temptation in your own strength, have you ever returned a conqueror? It
has been written of all other Believers, "They overcame through the
blood of the Lamb," and this is true of you, also. Sanctification does
not come to us from self-reliance, but as a work of the Spirit received
by faith in Christ. Believing in Him, He is "made of God unto us
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption."

You have had besides, dear Friends, another gift of the Holy Spirit,
namely, that of communion with God. But did you ever commune with the
holy God on the footing of your own goodness? Never! Abraham never
spoke with Jehovah on legal terms, for when he interceded with the
Lord, he said, "I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord–I that am
but dust and ashes." Yet he spoke with God in wondrous nearness and
that is the point of it–to be dust and ashes in your own sight–and
yet to commune with God as a friend! This is the daring of faith! This
the Lord delights in! David said, "So foolish was I, and ignorant: I
was as a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You: You
have held me by my right hand." A beast in his own esteem, and yet
upheld by God, Himself, and allowed to live in favored fellowship with
Him!

Dear Friends, there is no communion with God except by faith, without
which we cannot ever please God. The favorites of Heaven are, in every
case, men who believe in God! Faith has the golden key of the ivory
palaces. Faith opens the secret chambers of communion to those who love
her. The works of the Law bring no nearness to God, in token whereof,
none might come near to Sinai and if so much as a beast touched the
mountain, it must be stoned or thrust through with a dart. And you,
dear Friends, have received the Holy Spirit, often, as your Helper in
prayer–"The Spirit also helps our infirmity." And I am sure it never
was by the works of the Law. When infirmity has stopped your prayers
and you could not cry as you would, then you have had no room to boast
of good works–and yet then the Spirit has made "intercession for you
with groans that could not be uttered." Your infirmity made you feel
that it was by Grace, and by Grace, alone, that you were helped in your
time of need.

Now, as to the Holy Spirit's office of sealing the soul and working
full assurance in the heart–as to the Holy Spirit's being the earnest
of the future Glory, the pledge of joys to come–in all these, Grace
reigns, and not merit! He that dwells in the least degree upon any
phantom merit of his own has no earnest of the inheritance whatever! In
fact, for him there is no inheritance, since an inheritance does not
come by works. Neither has he that trusts in his works any pledge of
joys to come, for he does not know that he has done enough to secure
them. Neither can he have any comfortable rest in God, for his work is
not finished and, therefore, he cannot rest. You know it, you that have
toiled to save

yourselves! Every Christian here must confess, "It is even so–we have
received everything by faith and nothing by merit."

Well, then, the inference is this–do not pump a dry well! If there is
a fountain that is always flowing and overflowing, keep to it. Do not
commit the double evil of forsaking the fountain of Living Water and
hewing out for yourselves broken cisterns. Wait at that door which you
have received everything as yet and do not go where you have received
nothing except conviction and condemnation! Look not to Moses to bring
you into Canaan–that can only be done by Joshua Jesus. Now, mark this
inference–let every child of God ponder it–keep to "the hearing of
faith." When you are under a sense of backsliding; when you feel
unworthy to be called God's child; when you have erred and strayed from
His ways like a lost sheep, do not rush like a madman to the Law, for
that would be to leap into the fire! But say, "Lord, I believe in You.
As a sinner I trust the sinner's Substitute."

Whether you did truly come to Christ at the first, or not, is a point
which you need not discuss, but begin again! Take with you, words, and
come, by faith, to Jesus, and say, "Heal my backsliding. Receive me
graciously and love me freely." By faith we can be restored, but never
by doubting and despairing. We can only come to Christ by faith at
first, and we can only return to Him in the same way! If you begin to
doubt the mercy and love of God to you, you will backslide more and
more! Your hope lies in holding on to this–"Be I what I may, yet God
has not changed and there is still forgiveness with Him, that He may be
feared. Therefore I will go with the language of the 51st Psalm upon my
tongue and the penitence of David in my heart, and I will say, 'Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within

me.'"

Stick to your faith in Christ! Do not think that the greatness of your
sin exceeds His atoning merit! Do not doubt but that He will still
cleanse you and love you as before! Suppose you have not backslidden,
but yet you are in the presence of a tremendous inward conflict. I will
suppose that you are led to question whether you are the children of
God at all, and persuaded to doubt your sonship. Now, be resolved to
hold on to your faith in your heavenly Father! The devil is saying to
you, "f you are the son of God." Do not yield to his "if." This is the
way in which he attacked your Savior in the wilderness! A question
about our sonship is the very point of the devil's sword and it is
dipped in deadly poison– therefore guard yourself with that Word of
God, "To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the
sons of God, even to as many as believed on His name."

Say, "I believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, who died for the ungodly, and
in Him I am assured of being a child of God." You cannot resist
temptation by doubting! Doubting is weakness–in believing is your
might. "How can I believe," asks one. The elect of God believe–those
who are born from above believe their Father's Word. If you can
believe, you shall win great victories, but if you cast away your
confidence, the battle is already lost. Above all, or over all, carry
the shield of faith! Be sure to do this in the evil day when sin
prevails. Is this too hard for you? What? Has it come to this, that
when you feel you are a saint you can then trust to Christ? That is,
you can trust Him when you can do without Him! Poor sham of faith! The
genuine faith is a sinner's faith which trusts the Savior when signs,
evidences and marks are all hid-den–and sin and temptation hold the
upper seats.

To believe that I, a sinner, am forgiven by the free Grace of God–that
I, a poor, imperfect being, am yet accepted of God–this is faith! May
we have power to trust the Lord Jesus in earnest; to trust Him with
real sin and real unworthi-ness. Do this, dear Friends, with regard to
the whole of your life's struggle. Some begin their religious life in
the Spirit by faith, but they fancy that the rest of their spiritual
life will have to be by works. They forget that the just shall live by
faith. Those who say that though they are children of God, they may
perish, after all, have not the true Gospel ring about them. If they
are children of God, can they perish? How? Why? "Well, we must be
watchful and prayerful." Precisely so! But is there no provision made
to secure that you shall be watchful and prayerful? If not, then I tell
you, Brothers and Sisters, you will never get to Heaven!

You will fail in this watchfulness of yours and then where are you? My
hope of Heaven lies in the belief that the Lord Jesus has redeemed me
and will keep me! He will make me watchful and prayerful and work in
me, by His Spirit, all else that is essential to my safety. "I know
whom I have believed," and I am not afraid to add, "I am persuaded that
He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him until that
day." Brothers and Sisters, it is by such faith that we receive the
Spirit–not by legal works and fears. At this present moment you are
saved by faith, alone, are you not? Yes. Then I would persuade you to
extend that faith over the whole area of your life. Believe for final
preservation. Believe for com-

plete salvation. Is it not written "He that believes on Him has
everlasting life"? Can that life which is everlasting come to an end?
Can eternal life expire? "Faithful is He that has called you, who also
will do it."

"Oh," you say, "I am half afraid to believe so bravely, for it might
make me careless." This is a mistake–faith works by love, it never
tends to sloth. My dear Friend, if you look to yourself in any degree
your foot is beginning to slip. Put the future where you put the past,
namely, into the hands of Him that is able to keep you from falling!
Believe in Jesus for a life as well as for an hour, and He will keep
you with spotless garments to the end! Stand on the sure rock of the
Lord's finished work and not on the dubious ground of your own
carefulness. Works done by the efforts of our own strength are poor
things, but the work of the Grace of God upon our spirit is precious.
Let all be of Grace and nothing of self! The two will no more go
together than oil and water will mix. Do not try to trust partly in
Christ and partly in self–as well yoke an archangel with an ant, or a
cherub with a cricket! Salvation is of the Lord, alone, from first to
last!

Brothers and Sisters, let us keep in this condition when we are
comparing ourselves with other saints of God. I sometimes read
biographies which make me cover my face for shame because I fall so far
short of the attainments of certain Believers. This humbling is good
for us. What ought we to do when we feel it? To begin to doubt the Lord
and imagine that the Lord Jesus cannot or will not save us? Far from
it! Faith should rise by observing what the Lord has done for other
poor sinners like ourselves, for He is able to do the same for us.
Remember that the safety of the weak and of the strong Believer rests
upon the same foundation!

This may be seen in a figure. On board one of the fine steamboats which
flit between England and America I see a strong, hardy, vigorous man.
Will he get to America safely? Yes, if the ship does. But look, yonder
is a little child which cannot walk and has to be carried in its
mother's arms. Will it reach America safely? Yes, if the ship does.
Both the robust man and the little infant, all being well, will reach
their journey's end–if the ship does. Their safety lies in the same
place. Their condition does not affect their transit. But is there no
difference between the child and the man? Assuredly, a great deal of
difference as to many things–but there is no difference about the fact
that their passage across the ocean depends upon the steamboat, rather
than upon themselves!

So, if you meet with a great saint, say to yourself, "My honored
Brother will get to Heaven through Jesus Christ. And I, a poor babe in
Grace, shall get to Heaven in the same way." I want you children of God
to feel this. Are you on board the Covenant transport? Does the
blood-red flag fly at the masthead? Then, if the weakest Believer is
not safely carried into port, neither will the strongest child of God
reach the fair havens! If that ship of Free Grace goes down, Peter and
Paul must sink as well as ourselves, for we are at sea in the same
vessel! Our confidence is in no measure or sense in what we are, but
altogether in what Christ is on our behalf! We depend on Jesus and rest
in Jesus by a simple faith and the brightest of martyrs and Apostles
has no surer ground to rest on!

When you come to die, do not look upon death through the glass of the
Law, for if so, it will be terrible for you! But believe this–that to
die by faith is to enter into life! I hardly like to use the word,
death in such a connection, for it is not dying at all, but "departing
out of this world unto the Father." By faith, to die is such sweet work
as you, poor Despondency, and you, Much-Afraid, will be able to
accomplish as safely as Valiant-for-Truth, or Great-Heart himself! By
faith we swallow up death in victory! They that have served God for 50
years faithfully and without fault, when they come to die, have, in
every case gathered up their feet in the bed and said, "Into Your hands
I commit my spirit." But never has one of them died pleading his own
religiousness and claiming a reward as due to his works! Trusting in
Jesus is the universal spirit of the most praiseworthy Believers!

Well, if they flung every other hope away except that which was
presented to them in Christ, you, dear Friend, need not hesitate to do
the same! And as they were secure and triumphant, even so shall you be!
This is the argument, then– you have obtained nothing except by the
hearing of faith–therefore, keep to the way of faith even to your last
hour, for wisdom teaches you to do so.

II. But now I want to throw all my strength into the second part of the
sermon, which is this–I want to use this AS AN ARGUMENT DERIVED FROM
OBSERVATION FOR THE USE OF SEEKERS. I say "observation," but in part,
it might be called an argument from experience, for, at any rate, on
the negative side it is so. Listen, dear Hearer, you have not yet found
rest, you are not yet saved–and so far you have obtained no advantage
by the works of the Law. By your own honesty, generosity and
righteousness, you have not been justified, nor have you received a new
heart, or any other gift of the Spirit. Why continue at this
unprofitable business?

Some try Church attendance, Chapel attendance, Bible-reading,
sacraments, forms of prayer and the like–but nothing comes of it. Hear
how they repeat their Ave Marias and their Pater Nosters! And not only
Romanists, but so-called Protestants are puffed up with the hope that
by formal worship they will be saved! But they make no headway and are
still without salvation! Let me ask you work-trusters, have you any
rest? Are you prepared to die? Would you be willing to die at once? No!
Your position is one of unrest, fear and dread! Why not abandon this
vain method of building, for "unless the Lord builds the house they
labor in vain that build it!" Instead of following out your own way of
salvation by the works of the Law, why not try the Lord's appointed way
of the hearing of faith?

Has He not said, "Hear and your soul shall live"? Are willing to let me
explain it? The "hearing of faith"–this is the way by which the Spirit
of God comes to men. "What kind of hearing," asks one, "is that?" Well,
to begin with, it is personal hearing, listening to the Word of God for
yourself. I have heard of one who had a dream in which he thought he
stood at the gates of Heaven and his wife with him. She went in, but
the pointer shut him out, saying, "The other day you said to your wife,
'Mistress, you may go to Church and pray for us both,' and now she
shall go to Heaven for you both, and you must stay outside." Is not
that just? There must be a personal hearing! I pray you, do not absent
yourselves from the hearing of the Word of God, for, "faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

That last sentence reminds me that the hearing must be the hearing of
the Gospel. I wish people were more careful upon that point. You will
not receive the Holy Spirit by merely hearing a man talk. He may be
eloquent, he may be clever and he may be pious, but mark you, if he
does not preach the Gospel, saving faith cannot come of your hearing
it! Too many people go to that place of worship which is nearest to
their houses and never mind what is preached so long as there is an
attractive service. Oh, Sirs, do not thus play the fool with
yourselves! The faith that saves you cannot come to you by hearing
anything which comes first–it only comes by hearing the testimony of
the Spirit to the appointed Savior!

The right kind of hearing is an attentive hearing. There is a great
difference between hearing and hearing. If I were to say, "There is a
ship going to sail next Tuesday for New Zealand," the most of you would
hear it and think no more of it. But suppose there should be a person
here who is in great haste to reach New Zealand? He will catch at my
words and be round in the vestry to make further enquiries. This is the
kind of hearing which the Gospel requires! You are in one of our great
stations and you hear a person say, "That train is for Exeter." The
information is lost upon you, for you are bound for Oxford and it is as
though you heard it not. But suppose you were bound for Exeter? You
would catch at the sound and make use of the news!

Now, I am talking about the salvation of man from the power of sin; the
salvation of man from the guilt of sin; the preparation of man for a
holy life on earth and an eternal life of bliss in Heaven–if you have
the hearing of faith, you will feel that this subject is one which
concerns yourself–you will be anxious to know more about it and you
will give your mind to its consideration! This is the sort of hearing
by which faith comes. Do not lend your ears to others, but hear for
yourself! Go where the Gospel is preached and hear it with both your
ears. Drink it in as an ox drinks at the stream. Treasure up every word
as the ants store up grain. Test all as goldsmiths test gold–and then
receive the Truth of God as babes drink in milk from the breast. This
is "the hearing of faith."

"But what is this faith," asks one, "this 'hearing of faith?'" I will
try to work out the idea. You begin with hearing the Gospel and
believing that it comes from God. I suppose nearly everybody here
believes the Bible to be the Word of God. Very well, when you hear that
teaching which is consistent with Scripture, the hearing of faith is to
accept it as God's Word and, therefore, true and worthy of your
reverent attention. The Gospel is the voice of God and it comes by the
Spirit of God–a belief of this Truth of God will help you to hear it
reverently–and it will prepare your mind to receive it. Then remember,
if it is God's Word, a genuine faith in God knows of no difficulties
whatever! A man who believes the Bible to be Inspired, just as readily
believes that the whale swallowed Jonah, or that Joshua stopped the
sun, as he believes that Abraham interceded for Sodom, or that Paul was
a prisoner at Rome.

Knowing the Gospel to be God's Testimony, we believe it all! That is
the way in which to hear the Gospel. Say to yourself, "This is God's
Gospel. It is wonderfully grand and good, and it is not, therefore, a
matter of doubt. That I may be saved in one single minute by believing
in Jesus; that every sin I have ever committed, however black, may all
be washed away as the clock ticks again–these are wonderful things and
I believe them because the Lord has said so. It is not mine to quibble,
question, or argue–if there are any difficulties in these great
promises, those difficulties belong to

God–not to me. Let the Lord promise what He pleases, I am ready to
believe it because He is able to perform His own word."

Then, "the hearing of faith" signifies, further, that we venture our
eternal interests upon the truth of what we hear. I use the word,
"venture," advisedly. One of our hymns puts it–

"Venture on Him, venture wholly, Let no other trust intrude."

I have heard critics object that it is no venture, but a certainty,
when men trust in Christ. But I venture to assert that when a man is in
trouble of spirit, faith is a venture to him–it appears to him to be
the greatest venture possible! He that says, "This Gospel which I have
heard is true and I will venture my soul upon the truth of it," he is
the man who has given to the Gospel "the hearing of faith"! Let me try
to set forth faith yet again–this bridge is strong enough to carry me
over the stream, therefore I am going over the stream upon it. That is
real faith. Faith is a most practical principle in daily life. The most
of trade hangs on trust. When a man sows wheat, he has to scatter it
into the furrows and lose it. He does so because he has faith that God
will send a harvest.

When the sailor loses sight of the shore, he has to sail by
faith–believing in his compass, he feels safe though he may not see
land for weeks! Faith is the hand which receives what God presents to
us and, therefore, it is a simple child-like thing. When a child has an
apple offered to him, the child may know nothing about the orchard in
which the apple grew, and he may know nothing of the mechanism of his
hand and arm, but it is quite enough for him to take the apple. Faith
does the most effectual thing for the soul when it takes what God
gives! All the rest may be or may not be, faith is the main thing. When
God holds out to me, salvation by Christ Jesus, I need not ask anything
further about it, but just take it to myself and be at once saved, for
by faith the Spirit of God is received.

Once more, "the hearing of faith" is when a man hears and accepts the
Gospel and then holds to it under opposition. When conscience reminds
you that you are a guilty man, you must still hold to peace by the
blood of Jesus. What says the Word of God? It tells you that he that
believes in Jesus is not condemned and you must believe that, whatever
your own judgment and feelings may say. When the devil, as the accuser
of the Brethren, howls out, "You cannot be saved! Look at your
imperfections and transgressions!" then reply, "But I am saved,
whatever my imperfections and my sins may be, for it is written, 'He
that believes and is baptized shall be saved.' I have obeyed both
precepts and, therefore, I shall be saved, despite your rage."

Poor Sinner, have you not seen that this is the way the Holy Spirit has
come to others? Your Christian friends have all told you that this is
the way they obtained mercy. Will you not make an attempt in the same
way, and hear and believe as a little child? Believe God's Word! Do not
wish to be anything or to do anything–just trust in what Jesus is and
did. You shall have the Holy Spirit and you shall feel as you have
never felt before, if you will have "the hearing of faith." I need your
attention for a minute while I mention some of the points in the Gospel
out of which this "hearing of faith" generally comes. What truth is it
which men most readily believe? The first is this. A man says, "I
cannot believe," but he can hear, and he hears that God has sent forth
His Son Jesus Christ to be the Savior of men. "God has sent Him," he
says, "the offended God has appointed a Mediator. Christ does not come
as an amateur, but as an Ambassador authorized of Heaven." "Then," he
says, "I will trust Him whom God has ordained to be a Savior."

Next, while listening to the Gospel, the man hears about the Person of
the Lord and sees who He is, namely, that He is God's only-begotten
Son, equal and co-eternal with the Father and yet, He is, in the
fullest sense, Man, in our nature. I have known many a soul say, "I can
trust Jesus, since He is God and able to save me, and Man, and thus
willing to save me." By that celestial lamp many have seen their way to
faith. Oh, that faith may come to you while you are hearing me! Another
very blessed nail on which faith loves to hang all its weight is the
sufferings of Christ–for, being found in fashion as a Man, He humbled
Himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the Cross. See
Him languishing upon the cruel tree, bleeding out His life for unworthy
men, His enemies, that they might live through Him!

Many and many a time that sight has turned a doubter into a Believer.
Thousands have seen the Cross and felt that they must believe. Another
nail of which many have learned to hang all their hope has been
Christ's risen power. They have heard of Him, that He is now in Glory,
at the right hand of God, making intercession for transgressors–and
this has been the star of hope to the desponding. Is it not a joy that
God also has highly exalted Him, so that He is able to save to the
uttermost all that come unto God by Him? Myriads of tremblers have felt
faith leap up from their hearts like the

water from the rock in the wilderness, when Christ has been set before
them as exalted to be a Prince and a Savior, giving both repentance and
remission of sins. They have been trying to believe, before, but now
they believe without trying!

Trying to believe is a very stupid operation–you cannot do it! Minds
work not so. But when a man sees a thing to be true, he believes it as
a matter of course. He is convinced by the blessed fact of Christ's
Resurrection and Ascension that He is able to save, and so he trusts
Him to save him. Thus he receives the Spirit. I have known many that
have been led to believe by hearing of the work and Grace of the Holy
Spirit. They have heard the preacher say that the Holy Spirit can raise
men from their death in sin; that He can renew the heart; that He can
change the will and conquer the passions. They have said, "Is it so? Is
God, Himself, willing to work with me to make me holy? Then I will
trust Him." Thus faith comes.

Sometimes, also, when we have preached free forgiveness, full
redemption, irreversible acceptance, infinite love, boundless Grace,
unchallengeable justification–when we have declared that the Lord's
mercy endures forever and that men have but to look to Jesus and then
and there find eternal life–then faith has dropped on men's minds as
dew upon the grass! Our Hearers have felt that such tidings must be
true, for nobody could have invented them! The Gospel has the stamp of
Deity upon it and this commends it to man's heart. Free Grace and dying
love are worthy of faith and they win faith! I pray that all of you who
are seekers may give up all trying to feel, trying to work, trying to
be, and may just come and put your trust in Jesus! Then shall you be
saved and then you may work, feel and do as much as you like.

Then shall you abound in good works and the more the merrier! Then you
shall fight with sin and overcome it! Then shall you set up a high
standard and reach it! Then shall you strive after holiness and
manifest it. But do not begin where you ought to leave off! Do not put,
as the proverb has it, the cart before the horse! Do not place the top
of the house where the foundation ought to be! But as you never did
obtain anything by the works of the Law, come and try "the hearing of
faith," and you shall receive all that you need in Christ Jesus. God
grant it, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON–Galatians 3. HYMNS FROM "OUR
OWN HYMN BOOK"-406, 533, 516.