840 that God’s truth is ever fixed and final and also that he who does the will of God will certainly know of the doctrine. A last word needs to be spoken. We must be careful not to divorce knowl edge and action. It is terribly possible for us to know much and yet to put little into practice. One may swear by the Bible, the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible, and yet not know, or else forsake, its plainest precepts. Faith only over comes the world by turning theory into practice, by first knowing and then do ing. The heretics of life are not only those who depart from revealed truth, but also those who search it, un derstand it, praise it— and then neglect or disobey it. At every turn of life, in every crisis of life, for every purpose of life, we need to come to the Word as to God’s final utterance and faith’s full resting place. But having done this, we need, above all else, to set our hearts to keep that which is written therein. There was once on earth a Man Who was God’s great Dogmatist, and He said: “ Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures” ; and, be it remembered, this One added: “ If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them.” THE BIBIiE AND FAITH The question is asked whether it is proper for Christians to pray for faith. It is contended that since faith always and ever comes through the Word of God that we ought not waste time pray ing for faith but address ourselves to
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S the study of the Bible. Very true— faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God; and we ought to address ourselves with a heart to Bible- study. But how does that make prayer superfluous or even wrong? If the' prayer for faith is out of place because faith comes by the Word, then it is out of place to pray for anything else, for every good thing comes in some specific way. Shall we conclude that because a certain desired thing comes only as the legitimate effect of certain well-known and defined causes that therefore it is not to be prayed for? Cannot God work in causes as well as in effects? Is it not His way to work inscrutably in the hidden sources of things, more than He does openly in outward effects and demonstration? If I realize the weak ness of my faith and ask God, as a child asks a father, to grant me a better and stronger faith— do I necessarily mean by that that He shall drop it down from heaven in some miraculous, mysterious way? If in answer to my petition He leads me on to a new line of Bible study, or quickens my mind to a better con ception of His word or by some circum stance or incident impresses some pre cious truth newly and deeply upon my heart— has He not answered my prayer? And though I know that faith cqmes by the reception of God’s word, and I study my Book therefore with a heart— am I then so independent of God that I do not even have to ask Him for the prospering and blessing of my endeavor? How shortsighted we are in our reasonings. “ Lord, increase our faith!”
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