148 Faith and Love Jwpe all things. CHAP. 



miraculous powers of the Apostles of Christ were 

 only a more potent kind of magic than their own : 

 they tried to use the name of Jesus against the 

 demons, but found it powerless on their lips. 



From all this teaching of Our Lord, we learn that 

 the faith which He approves is not a faith which 

 "demands chapter and verse for everything," and 

 carefully examines the records of Eevelation with a 

 microscope of interpretation, in fear of unawares 

 exaggerating the riches of the promises of God. The 

 faith which He approves is in the spirit, not in 

 the letter : it is a faith which can anticipate the un- 

 folding of God's purposes, and knows how to. read 

 between the lines of revelation. 1 Love hopeth all 

 things. 2 



1 I quote the following from " Faitli and Sight," a sermon 

 by the Rev. Hamilton Stewart Verschoyle, in the Church of 

 England Pulpit, 26th Sept. 1891. 



"Sometimes when thoughts of the omnipotence of God's 

 Righteousness and Love, and their assurance of their ultimate 

 victory in leading all from sin to righteousness, are brought 

 forward, people say, ' I would believe this if you could show 

 me texts to prove it, or if you could point it out to me in the 

 authoritative teaching of the Church.' I believe many texts 

 can be produced in reply to such a demand, to say nothing of 

 the drift of Scripture teaching as to the character of God ; but 

 is not the demand itself, as requiring such evidence as a con- 

 dition precedent to faith, a seeking to walk by sight and not 

 by faith ? Can we not believe in the omnipotence I speak, 

 of course, of a moral omnipotence of Our Father's righteous- 

 ness and love, unless we see it down in black and white 

 unless we have the evidence of sight for it ? Must not the 

 highest ideal be nearer truth than a lower one ? " 



2 1 Cor. xiii. 7. 



