the views of the
Apostle Paul concerning faith were entirely in harmony with the passages
recited above. He reviews the lives of the most eminent saints, for the
express purpose of showing that the impressive events in their history,
whether physical or moral, were controlled entirely by faith. He sums up
the whole in this remarkable language:--

"And what shall I say more? For the time would fail me to tell of those
who _through faith_ subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed
valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens; women
received their dead raised to life again; and others were tortured, not
accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection." We
are, I think, taught by this passage that the apostle believed faith to
be a power capable of transcending and modifying every other agency, by
which changes became possible which to every other known power were
impossible. We see that in this catalogue of the victories of faith he
includes the subjection of almost every form of what we call natural
laws. The whole passage seems an illustration of the meaning of our
Lord, when he says, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye
shall say to this sycamine tree, Be thou removed and planted in the
midst of the sea, and it shall obey you."

It seems then apparent that the doctrine of the peculiar and wonderful
power of the prayer of faith is as clearly revealed in the Scriptures as
any other doctrine. It would seem evident, at any rate, from the
passages just quoted, that the Apostle Paul understood the teachings of
our Saviour to mean what they say. From the general tenor of the
Scriptures I think we may learn two important truths: First, that there
is a certain state of mind in a devout soul to which God has promised
all that it asks, subject, however, as to the manner of the answer, to
the dictates of his infinite wisdom and goodness; and, second, that in
granting such petitions he does not always limit his action within the
ordinary or acknowledged laws of matter or of mind. I do not perceive
how we can interpret the passages above cited, as well as many others,
without giving them a meaning at least as extensive as this.

Why is it, then, that this whole range of revealed truth has so
generally been looked upon as an unknown and une