Around the Wicket Gate: or, a friendly talk with seekers concerning faith in the Lord Jesus Christ — John Shaqi
Around the Wicket Gate: or, a friendly talk with seekers concerning faith in the Lord Jesus ChristSpurgeon, C. H. (Charles Haddon)
Religion
Around the Wicket Gate: or, a friendly talk with seekers concerning faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
Spurgeon, C. H. (Charles Haddon)
Christian life; Faith; Salvation
Cast yourself simply on Jesus; let nothing but faith be in your soul
towards Jesus; believe him, and trust in him, and you shall never be
made ashamed of your confidence. "He that believeth on him shall not be
confounded" (1 Peter ii. 6).
[Illustration]
FAITH VERY SIMPLE.
To many, faith seems a hard thing. The truth is, _it is only hard
because it is easy_. Naaman thought it hard that he should have to wash
in Jordan; but if it had been some great thing, he would have done it
right cheerfully. People think that salvation must be the result of
some act or feeling, very mysterious, and very difficult; but God's
thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are his ways our ways. In order
that the feeblest and the most ignorant may be saved, he has made the
way of salvation as easy as the A, B, C. There is nothing about it to
puzzle anyone; only, as everybody expects to be puzzled by it, many are
quite bewildered when they find it to be so exceedingly simple.
The fact is, we do not believe that God means what he is saying; we act
as if it could not be true.
[Illustration]
I have heard of a Sunday-school teacher who performed an experiment
which I do not think I shall ever try with children, for it might turn
out to be a very expensive one. Indeed, I feel sure that the result in
my case would be very different from what I now describe. This teacher
had been trying to illustrate what faith was, and, as he could not get
it into the minds of his boys, he took his watch, and he said, "Now, I
will give you this watch, John. Will you have it?" John fell thinking
what the teacher could mean, and did not seize the treasure, but made
no answer. The teacher said to the next boy, "Henry, here is the watch.
Will you have it?" The boy, with a very proper modesty, replied, "No,
thank you, sir." The teacher tried several of the boys with the same
result; till at last a youngster, who was not so wise or so thoughtful
as the others, but rather more believing, said in the most natural way,
"Thank you, sir," and put the watch into his pocket. Then the other
boys woke up to a startling fact: their companion had received a watch
which they had refused. One of the boys quickly asked of the teacher,
"Is he to keep it?" "Of course he is," said the teacher, "I offered it
to him, and he accepted it. I would not give a thing and take a thing:
that would be very foolish. I put the watch before you, and said that
I gave it to you, but none of you would have it." "Oh!" said the boy,
"if I had known you meant it, I would have had it." Of course he would.
He thought it was a piece of acting, and nothing more. All the other
boys were in a dreadful state of mind to think that they had lost the
watch. Each one cried, "Teacher, I did not know you meant it, _but I
thought_--" No one took the gift; but every one _thought_. Each one
had his theory, except the simple-minded boy who believed what he
was told, and got the watch. Now I wish that I could always be such
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