A youthful owner of swine had a wealthy uncle. His uncle cribbed
corn for the market. One day he told his nephew that he could
have all the corn that he could carry in a basket from the
cribs, where the men were shelling, across the alley to the barn
where the swine were kept. To his uncle’s surprize and delight,
the boy took him at his word, and carried corn all day. The boy
did this because he had faith in his uncle’s word. The nephew’s
faith pleased him when he saw how much corn he had. If the boy
had profest belief in his uncle’s promise without acting upon
it, there would have been intellectual assent but no real faith.
This is a type of our relation to God. Faith takes God at his
word. “His divine power hath given us all things that pertain to
life and Godliness through the knowledge of Him who hath called
us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises.” Every gift of God that we accept
and use for Him is a new proof of our faith.
(1038)