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THETBAPTIST BANN 1 ' 1 ' BY JAS. N. ELLS & CO.. VOL. IV. She gaptist jgaaurr, DEVOTED TO RELIGION AND LITERATURE, Is published every Saturday, at Atlanta, Georgia, at the subscription price of three dollars per year. JAMES N. ELLS A CO., Proprietors. [For The Baptist Banner.} A SERIES OF SERMONS, BY ELDER J. M. WOOD, Preached in the Newnan Baptist Church, and published in a condensed form, by special request No. 2.—FAITH. “ FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." [Hehrkws xi: 1. The text as read in our version obscures the meaning, in my judgment, of the origi nal text. To Christians, the substance of things hoped for, deliverance from sin, the perfect enjoyment of Christ, of the compa ny of saints, of God and all the bliss of heaven—Faith is not these, and therefore is not the substance of them, but rather the medium through which we have a foretaste of them. D’uring a twenty years’ ministry, I have only a few times referred to the Lat in and Greek languages, for the reason that to me it appears bombastic to use language not understood by a considerable portion of promiscuous congregations. In this case 1 shall be excused, in order to get at the mean ing of the text. In the Greek, the word translated substance, is and means the act of placing under, basis, a bottom, a supporter, substruction, a beginning, a first principle. If we select the word basis, then then we have the reading: Faith is the ba sis, the substruction, of things hoped for.— That is, hope stands on faith as a founda tion. The word translated evidence, is C> ' £ 7’Z O *> an d means, a proof, the means of convicting, conviction, demonstration. Se lecting the word conviction as making good sense, we have the entire reading : Now, faith is the basis of things hoped fur, the conviction of thing not seen, or the convic tio.i in mind concerning things not really seen or known except as we see them by faith. While this text is no better than others for a simple discourse upon Faith, it is ap propriate to show its connection with other graces.' For your edification the following thoughts are proposed : I. Faith is intimately connected *ith re generation, and it is the offspring of it. It is impossible for a sinner toexeYcise saving faith in an unregenerate state. If he can do so, he can enter heaven with an unre newed heart, for God can not send to tor ment him who has ’saving faith. It is ab surd to say that a man has saving faith, while he is a child of hell. The new heart can and will believe to the saving of the soul—the old can not and will not. The renewed heart understands the truth that faith is the gift of God. 11. Its object is Christ. The heir of grace as surely turns to Christ as the child to its mother. Nothing satisfies the new-born soul but the Saviour. When the Son of God proclaimed to Nicodemus the great, the mysterious truth that he must be born again, He also placed before him the object of: faith in the teaching: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man *be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not per ish, but have everlasting life.” 111. It is the source of justification. Faith is not justification, but the source of it.— Christ is the believer's justification essen tially, meritoriously, positively. He being the object of faith, and received by faith, the sinner is acquitted of his guilt and de clared innocent in Him. But of this and the subject of hope, I will speak more fully in the next discourse. IV. It controls Christian actions. This is illustrated in the history of the patri archs, as given in this chapter. 1. In the choice they made. They chose to suffer afflictions with God’s people, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. 2. In the obedience which they rendered. “ By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” By faith, Abraham, when he was a sajßx.x«uouß ahx> jo.axxx.x' called to go out,into a place which he should ' after receive as an inheritance, obeyed ; and went out, “ not knowing whither he went.” 3. It controlled them in making sacrifices. By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac. And so had they sacrificed all home endearments to dwell in a strange land. 4. In suffering privations, persecutions I and martyrdoms. They forsook Egypt, suffered the violenc of lions, the burning of fire, cruel mocking and scourgings, bonds and imprisonments They were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted slain with the sword ; they wandered abov in sheep skins and goat skins, being desti tute, atllicted, tormented, of whom the work was not worthy ; they wandered in desert;- and in mountains, in dens and caves of th earth. Faith only sustained them. An so it has been with Christians in every ag< So it will ever be, because it takes hold c the strength of Israel, the Lord our right eousness. V. It is the parent of hope —the basis, su struction, bottom, as teaches the text. V hope to enjoy things not seen, because v believe them to exist, and because we b lieve God’s promise to bestow them. M believe there is a heaven, though unseen t us; and hope to enjoy it, because we beliei God when He promises it to those who lov Him. There can be no hope where then is no faith. But as it is proposed to tall more fully of hope in a future discourse, these thoughts are submitted for what they a-e worth—praying God’s blessing upon them, only adding that these blessings are necessarily connected with regeneration. Sweet Though:s. We often meet with selections ofsublimt and beautiful thoughts from the works o men of genius. Bm there are thought suggested by the Bible, infinitely more pre cious than the choicest creations of genius How sweet the thought that Jesus sym pathizes with all our joys and sorrows!— The great demand of human nature is ths demand for sympathy. Men must have it or they can not be happy, however exten sive their possessions or high their rank. — But how little sympathy is to be found among men ! How precious the thought that our Saviour sympathizes with every sorrow ! Christian, do you sometimes fee! that you are alone, and that there are nons who care for you? You are mistaken.— You forget that Jesus is ever at your side that He approves every falling tear, am feels for a love and sympathy that no finit mind can measure. How sweet the thought that God reign The nations are perplexed and trouble the foundations of the earth’ are out course; the wisdom of the wise seems be of no avail, and the strong man is as child; still we can look upon the troubl scene without fear, for God reigns. An all the confusion and uproar His conn shall stand, and He shall do all His pie; ure. Not only is He the Governor of t nations, but He governs and directs in matters pertaining to our individual int est. Nota hair of our head falls to thegrov without His notice, and the resources Omnipotence are pledged to cause all thii to work together for our good. How sweet the thought that death is ing home! He who has been an exile i strange land, who has dwelt among pec of a strange tongue, rejoices at the sigh*, the vessel which is to bear him to his nat shores, where he shall enter again the rental mansion, and receive the welcome loved ones there. - Death, rightly view is the messenger w'ho is to take us to < home in heaven, where our brethren w have gone before us are waiting to welcoi us—where Jesus is, who has gone to p> pare a mansion for us. How sweet t thought that, in a few years more, perha in a few days, I shall be safe in heaven ! Surely, with thoughts like these for cc stant themes of meditation, the Christi may well obey the command of the ap tie, “ Rejoice evermore, and again I s; rejoice.” « How many bad causes and projects wou have been avoided had we prayed first.- How many doubtful cases of duty wou have been made plain, how many cross; taken up which we now shun, did we pra first. Let the reader apply it to every ei terprise, and always remember, to pra first. ATLANTA, ’ HIS BANNER OVER US IS 1