CHAPTER VII.

Conclusion.

My young reader, have you read this book thus far, attentively? Can you remember what has been said about the faith of Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and Daniel and his three Friends? And do you remember, too, how Mr. Cecil taught his little daughter what faith is, and how she threw her beads into the fire, and trusted in him that it would be best for her to do so? And do you also remember what I told you about your going to find the money under the stone, if your father should tell you that there was such a treasure, and where you might find it? If you have read with attention, and remember what you have read, you will always understand the nature of faith. If any one should ask you-What is faith? you can answer, that it is believing

the truth-it is a belief of what God says— and it is that kind of belief which makes a person act as if he believed.

Now you need never forget this. It is so simple that you may always remember it. Many have supposed that it is very difficult. to understand what faith is. And it must be owned that many things have been said and written about it, which have tended to make it dark, and hard to be understood. But there is no need of this. Faith is very simple. Even a child may understand it; and what is better, a child may have it. You need not wait till you are fifteen or twenty years old before you believe. If you are able to read and understand this book, you may exercise faith now. Many children of six, eight, or ten years old, have had that faith which saved their souls, and gave them a title to heaven.

How old are you, my young reader? Are you six, eight, ten, twelve, or fifteen years old? You are old enough then, to believe in Christ to the saving of your soul. You know what the Bible says about the Saviour.

You know what the Saviour said about the wretched state of sinners. You know that Jesus came to seek and to save them which were lost; that he pointed out the way that leads to heaven; that he invited all men to become his friends, to deny themselves, and take up the cross and follow him. You know that Jesus spake of the day of judgment, of heaven and hell, and that he promised to save all who would be his disciples, and obey his commandments. You know that he said he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned. And you know also, that Jesus gave his life a ransom for many; that he died a cruel death on the cross, to save sinners. Now this is enough for you to know in order to exercise faith, and be saved. If you believe these things truly-if you will believe them so that you will act as if you believed them, that will be saving faith. And can you not thus believe? Will you not?

You may remember that it was said in the former part of this book, that the great object

of the Christian's faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only Saviour of them that believe; and it is their faith in him which is the condition of their pardon and their eternal happiness. The real Christian, it is true, believes many other things besides those which are said about the Saviour. He believes all that God has said in the Bible. He receives the whole of that blessed book as the word of God. But it is his belief in Christ which saves him. "This is the only name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved." There is no other way of salvation. The good men, whom I have mentioned in this book, and who lived before the Son of God dwelt on earth, believed in a Saviour to come. Abel, and Enoch, and Abraham, and others believed in One who was to come after they lived, even in that Great Prophet, Jesus Christ, whom the Lord promised to raise up for his people. Jesus said " Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad."-Now all pious men believe in the Saviour who has come. And it is this belief which secures

their salvation; as the scripture says-Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

The same state of mind, however, which believes the word of God in respect to one thing, will believe the word of God in respect to any other thing. The man who believes what God said in the Old Testament, will also believe what he has said in the New Testament. If you believe the testimony of God respecting David, you will also believe his testimony respecting his Son Jesus Christ. So that if you have faith in one thing that God has spoken, you will have faith in all things that God has spoken. This shows you that faith is always the same in all ages of the world. The faith of Abel was like the faith of any good man at the present day. And though Abel lived long before the Saviour came into the world, yet if he lived now, he would, with the same state of mind he then had, be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I wish you, my young reader, to be a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. I

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