Faith Illustrated by Rev. James Neill

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 28, 1883

Faith Illustrated.

By Rev. James Neill

"How is it that ye have no faith?" Mark 4 : 10.

One of the simplest and best illustrations of "faith" which I remember to have seen is a story told by M. Theodore Monod. A Sabbath-school teacher, when teaching his class on one occasion, left his seat and went around among his scholars with his watch in his hand. Holding it out to the first child he said:

"I give you that watch."

The boy stared at it and stood still. He then went to the next and repeated:

"I give you that watch."

The boy blushed, but that was all. One by one the teacher repeated the words and action to each. Some stared, some blushed, some smiled incredulously but none took the watch. But when he come nearly to the bottom of the class a small boy put out his hand and took the watch which the teacher handed to him. As the latter returned to his seat the little fellow said gently:

"Then, if you please, sir, the watch is mine?"

"Yes, it is yours."

The elder boys were fairly roused by this time. "Do you mean to say, sir, that he may keep the watch?"

"Certainly. I gave it to any boy who would have it."

"Oh, if I had known that," exclaimed one of them, "I would have taken it."

"Did I not tell you I gave it to you?"

"Oh, yes; but I did not believe you were in earnest."

"So much the worse for you; he believed me, and he has the watch."

Saving faith is as simple as this. It just takes God at his word and trusts him. Though it sounds too good to be true, yet Christ is the gift of God, freely and fully offered (John 3 : 19), "his unspeakable gift."—Rev. James Neill.