III. A conscious act of trust by the soul
III. A conscious act of trust by the soul
The soul is conscious of its own voluntary acts. We know when a person or plan commands our confidence. We know when we believe. There may be much struggle in order for the soul to settle down and accept the evidence which solicits its faith; but when it passes from the attitude of distrust, or even questioning, to that of trust, it knows it. When the soul sets itself about to trust for salvation, the Adversary comes with his insinuations against, and contradictions of, the Word of the Lord; moreover, lie seeks to divert the souls attention from the glorious promises, the ample provisions, and mighty power of the gospel, to its own weakness, waywardness, and unworthiness, so that the soul must close its ears to the voice of Satan, and look steadily to Jesus, the author and finisher of its faith.
But when the contest is ended, and the soul has made up its mind to trust the sure word of the Lord, it becomes just as conscious that it believes as that it sees, or hears, or lives. Faith is an act to be performed. It is a thing to be done, and like any other act in which the mind is concerned, when it receives the light, so the heart knows when it receives Jesus—when it believes on the Son.
One evening, nine seeking hearts arose from an altar of prayer, burdened and unhappy because they had not accepted salvation on the Word of the Lord. They looked forlorn and sad. The congregation joined in singing that sweet salvation hymn,
Tis the promise of God full salvation to give
Unto him who on Jesus, his Son, will believe,
accompanied by the faith inspiring chorus:
Hallelujah! tis done: I believe on the Son;
I am saved by the blood of the crucified One.
As its lines were successively repeated, first one, then another, of these seekers came into the witness of faith, and began in heart, and some of them with voice, to say, rejoicingly:
Hallelujah! tis done.
What is done? Why, I believe on the Son. What then? Why, I am saved by the blood of the crucified One.
Before all the stanzas had been sung through, eight out of the nine had experienced the witness of faith. One, a railroad engineer, had not come into the rest of faith. The pastor said to him: Brother, when you make up your mind to believe on the Son, you will begin to sing-
Hallelujah! tis done:
I am saved by the blood of the crucified One.
But his mind was so intent on having a blessing and the witness, that he could not, for the time being, be led to an immediate act of trust. His vocation took him away from the services several days. About the third day after, the pastor met him on the street coming from his locomotive. As soon as he saw the pastor, he exclaimed:
Hallelujah! tis done:
I am saved by the blood of the crucified One.
His soul was happy in a conscious trust in Jesus, his precious Savior. He said: Yesterday, while I was taking my train over my regular trip, at the rate of twenty miles an hour, it all came over me, Why not believe on the Son? and I did, and though traveling at such a rapid speed, salvation overtook me there and then, and ever since I have been singing in my heart:
Hallelujah! tis done:
I believe on the Son I am saved
Glory to the Lamb!
This glorious witness of faith to his soul was soon supplemented by the witness of the Holy Spirit itself. His reception of salvation was soon followed by his realization of salvation.
How glorious is the witness of faith! It is in us. This consciousness of faith is a light unto our path, and when every other light of experience is extinguished, this illuminates the soul, and still it sings
Trusting thee, I can not stray,
I can never lose my way.
Glory to God! He that believeth on the Son hath the witness in himself.