Seite:Marsh Hallig 1856.djvu/180

180THE HALLIG.

false paths of spiritual self-idolatry. That you would,
even now, be an architect before you are yourself truly
built up, or at least, are living only in the first spring
of your desire for a saving edification, proves to me suf-
ficiently that you are still under the bondage of your
own intellect, and are not yet brought into the freedom
of the children of God, whose faith is no Doric or
Corinthian structure, but a bold column, shooting up-
ward, whose base has its foundation in the depths of
the heart, and whose capital is crowned by the rainbow
of promise."
  "A firmer foundation, certainly, could be no injury
to faith," interposed Mander; "would even make it ac-
ceptable to reason, so that she might unite with the
heart which has need of her."
  "Now 'faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen,' says the Apostle," was
Hold's answer. "In this expression, 'things not seen,'
is included all which reason does not embrace in her ab-
stract ideas and conclusions ; for what she so chains to-
gether, link upon link, that she sees, and that ceases to
be an object of faith ; it then becomes a thing known,
and remains a patch-work, as is all our knowledge. But
faith is a complete, perfect whole ; a day without a
cloud, a jewel over which we rejoice without fear of
thieves or robbers. It is no spoil, but a gift. We do
not make it ; but it makes us. It is not ours ; but we
belong to it. We do not obtain it by drawing it down
to us, but are lifted up by it into its own sphere. There-
fore you build in vain at your edifice ; it remains but a
bare frame-work, through whose open timbers every