The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 428

FAITH

388 prefer to

Music can not be seen any more than one can

see this."

become conscious

by means of the senses. And means of hearing and enthe peculiar and only means whereby cer-

of things invisible

as the sense of hearing

is

joying music, so faith

is

the only proper

tainty can be obtained regarding our contact with the world unseen

and

invisible.

This being thoroughly understood,

can not be

it

that this faith in reference to things visible

edge

is

difficult to see

far inferior to

knowl-

for the visible things are intended to be ascertained, care-

;

and accurately, by means of the senses. Imperfect observaknowledge uncertain. Hence, in regard to the visible things, no other knowledge than that obtained by the senses ought to be considered reliable. But in a number of unimportant cases accurate knowledge is fully

tion renders our

needless; of

two

e.g., in

the difference concerning the respective heights

we use

In such cases

steeples.

believe that this steeple

is

word

the

"

believe," as, "I

higher than the other."

And

again,

image upon the memory, which in the course of years becomes dim. Meeting a gentleman I have seen before, and fully recognizing him, I say, " This is Mr. B."; but bevisible things impress their

ing uncertain,

say,

I

" I believe

that this

is

Mr. B."

In this case

we

be dealing with visible things, for a gentleman stands before us; yet the image which recalls him belongs to the inward

seem

to

Hence the

contents of the memory.

We

reach, therefore, this conclusion:

regarding things visible as well as invis-

First, that all certainty

ible

difference of speech.

depends

in the deepest sense

upon faith.

Second, that in ordinary speech certainty regarding things visible is obtained

by means

ible, especially

things that pertain to personality, by believing.

For

and regarding things

of the senses,

this reason Brakel's effort to interpret the

according to the not as a means the same in

Hebrew and Greek

to obtain certainty,

all

idioms, as

was a

languages, and there

failure.

is

is

fundamental features,

is

the

the direct result of faith, but "

To

believe

" refers, in

the

human mind,

same among all nations. is

not faith

first

to belie7<e,

meaning to trust, and Such meanings are

no difference, because they

are the direct result of the organism of the its

verb

invis-

which, in

Confidence

itself.

place, to the certainty or uncer-

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