HERE is a lesson on the meaning of Faith. Hold up the hand, showing
the five fingers spread out and say, "Here is the hand of faith."
There are as many letters in the word "faith" as I have fingers on my
hand. Spell the word out commencing with the little finger and call it
"F." Little Faith sometimes it often proves, but our faith increases
as we travel on in the path of faith. The next finger stands for "A"
of faith. You notice it is larger than "F" so our faith increases as
we spell it out in experience and works. The next finger stands for
"I" a little larger still. The next finger is for "T" a little shorter
as sometimes our faith wanes; at last the thumb standing for "H,"
strong and confirmed in the way, so the fingers spell out the word
"faith." A _living_ faith--as the hand is a living organ of my body.
An _active_ faith, as each finger has its own individual action and a
_grasping_ faith, for the fingers were made to seize hold of things
and take them. So our faith must seize and hold on to God. The faith
that seizes the Cross--my fingers--another name for faith--seize it
and hold it. This is Salvation. Jesus says "take" of the water of
life. The hand of faith takes it, seizes it, and that makes it ours.
This is the faith that bringeth the victory. At last make your appeal
to them to take Salvation now. Ask them to hold up their hand, open
their fingers, and if their faith will take Jesus, to close their
fingers as if clasping something, and that something is Jesus. This is
taking Jesus by Faith.
=CHAPTER X
BEFORE OR AFTER=
_Object: A Blackboard or a Drawing on a Muslin Chart_