The bird let loose in Eastern skies
When hastening fondly home. Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies
Where idle warblers roam. But high she shoots, through air and light,
Above all low delay, Where nothing earthly bounds her flight
Nor shadow dims her way.
^ H. G. "Wood, George Fox, 102.
HEBREWS X. 19-22 405
So grant me, God, from every care
And stain of passion free, Aloft, through Virtue's purer air,
To hold my course to Thee! No sin to cloud, no lure to stay
My soul, as home she springs, Thv sunshine on her joyful way,
Thy freedom in her wings I^ 1 Thomas Moore.
Faith.
407
Literature.
Blackie (J. S.), Lay Sermons, 113. Calthrop (G.), The Lost Sheep Found, 197. Colly er (R.), Nature and Life, 102. Dawson (G.), Sermons on Daily Life and Duty, 264. Dods (M.), Footsteps in the Path of Life, 88. Doney (C. G.), The Throne-Room of the Soul, 141. Greg (J.), The Life of Faith, 188. Grenfell (W. T.), IFhat Life means to Me, 35. Griffith-Jones (E.), Faith and Verification, 1. Hare (A. W.), Sermons, i. 119. Hopkins (E. H.), Talks with Beginners, 1. How (W. W.), Plain Words, i. 101.
Illingworth (J. R.), Sermons Preached in a College Chapel, 116. Jefferson (C. E.), Tilings Fundamental, 1. Lilley (A. L.), in Practical Questions, 17. Macdonell (D. J.), Life and Work, 423. McGarvey (J. W.), Sermons, 82. Maxson (H. D.), Sermons of Religion and Life, 150. Mylne (R. S.), The Ground of Faith, 77. I Newman (J. H.), Oxford University Sermons, 176. Peake (A. S.), The Heroes and Martyrs of Faith, 1. Robinson (C. S.), Studies in the New Testament, 143. Shepherd (A.), Bible Studies in Living Subjects, 159. Temple (F.), Rugby Sermons, i. 64.
„ (W.), Repton School Sermons, 98. Vaughan (J.), Sermons (Brighton Pulpit), xix. (1880), No. 1153 ; xxii.
(1882), No. 1229. Westcott (B. F.), The Historic Faith, 1, 171. Woodward (H.), Sermons, 1.
British Comjregationalist, Sept. 22, 1910 (W. D. Mackenzie). ■^Christian Commonwealth, xxxiii. (1913) 305 (R. J. Camjjbell). Christian World Pulpit, viii. 286 (E. W. Sh alders), 296 (C. J. Vaughan) ; - xvi. 28 (H. W. Beecher); xviii. 248 (A. Mursell) ; xxi. 385 (G.
MacDonald) ; xxxii. 139 (R. Balgarnie) ; liii. 56 (F. Temple) ; Ivi.
123 (E. J. Hardy) ; Ix. 296 (A. M. Fairbairn) ; Ixii. 56 (J. Stalker) ;
Ixxv. 313 (W. R. Inge) ; Ixxviii. 229 (W. H. Carr) ; Ixxxii. 337
(R. Roberts), 346 (A. Hamilton). Church of England Pulpit, Iviii. 31 (G. R. Channer) ; Ixi. 619 (A. C.
Headlam). Homiletic Review, xxxv. 316 (F. Temple).
4^
Faith.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.— Heb. xi. i.
1. This is the only place in the Bible where we have what can be called a definition of faith. The text enjoys, indeed, the unique distinction of being the only approach to definition that we find in the Bible.
In the Eevised Version there are two changes made in the translation, which perhaps make the meaning more clear than it is here : " Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the proving of things not seen." The word translated " substance," which the Eevisers have translated " assurance," would be more exactly translated by a word which is rather modern and would perhaps not be considered sufficiently dignified in such a place as this, namely, the word " realization." Faith is the realization of things hoped for ; it is a conviction that those things hoped for do exist and may be obtained, may be realized, by those who have the necessary faith. The word here translated "evidence," and translated by the Eevisers " proving," means a conviction that will stand of itself, a conviction such as proves the thing of which it is itself the evidence.
2. The text, then, seeks to explain what faith is, in order that we may know it when we see it, discover its otherwise unsuspected presence and trace its hidden working. This faith is represented as having a double object — " things hoped for " and " things not seen." " Things hoped for " are personal and concern personal being, whether in time or in eternity, whether incorporated in the individual or distributed through collective society — man, the Church, the State, the people. What we hope for is what we expect to achieve and to win, to possess and to enjoy. It is essentially a personal good so realized that it may
4IO FAITH
belong to a particular individual or to all mankind. " Things not seen " are objective and universal. They move in the region of space, they lie without and above, they dwell behind the apparent ; they are what we term the causes that produce the myriad effects which we describe as nature and man, especially the Supreme Being and the supreme cause we name the invisible God. Corresponding to the double object is a twofold function. " Faith is the substance of things hoped for " ; that is, it underlies them, gives them reality, brings them to realization or fulfilment. And it is " the evidence," or proof, " of things not seen " ; that is, it authenticates them to the reason, it makes them visible to the intellect, it endues them with a body which thought can handle, and feel, and perceive. If, then, we were to paraphrase this definition, it would be in language somewhat like this : Faith is the energy by which we turn into reality the things we hope for ; it is the eye by which the soul sees unseen things.