Let us turn again to God's Word
and turning this morning to the words that we find in the 123rd
Psalm. Psalm 123, the Son of the Grace. Psalm of just some four verses
and we consider the Psalm for our text, Psalm 123. Unto thee lift up mine eyes,
O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants
look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden look
unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord
our God, until that He have mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us,
O Lord, have mercy upon us. For we are exceedingly filled
with contempt, our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those
that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud. Psalm deals here then with the
confidence of faith, that's the subject matter that I want to
addressed with the Lord's help this morning, the Confidence
of Faith. It's one of the songs of degrees
or songs of ascents. They begin at the 127th, 120th
Psalm and then run right through to Psalm 134. And they are those
Psalms associated with the worship of God in the tabernacle or subsequently
in the temple when the children of Israel would go up to Jerusalem
for the great feast. Remember Deuteronomy 16? And
verse 16 speaks of those feasts that all the senior men or the
males in Israel must attend to each year, the feasts of Passover
and of weeks and of tabernacles. And we know that two of those
feasts, the Passover and the Feast of Weeks, were very much
associated with the time of the first fruits of the harvest,
as we see there in Leviticus 23, at verse 15 following. And so it would have been at
this sort of time in the year, the time of autumn, the end of
the great growing season, when the harvest were gathered in,
that they would sing these various Psalms as they made their way
to celebrate those feasts, particularly of Passover and of Weeks or Pentecost,
as it is sometimes called. And here in the 123rd Psalm,
it speaks very plainly of the confidence that the people have
in their God, the confidence of their faith. Now, when we
speak of the confidence of faith, it is of course important to
distinguish that from any presumption. We know that there must be faith
if there is to be anything in us that is pleasing to God, whatsoever
is not of faith is sin. Faith is the denial of God. It's
the transgression of the first commandment. Without faith it
is impossible to please Him. He that cometh to God must believe
that He is and that He is a rewarder of all that diligently seek Him. And we should certainly desire
that full assurance of faith We read of it there in that portion
in the 10th chapter of Paul's epistle to the Hebrews. Let us draw near with a true
heart, says the Apostle, in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, our bodies washed
with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession
of our faith without wavering. for He is faithful, that promise. He goes on at verse 35, cast
not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of
reward. Well, this is the faith that
we should desire from God, that real faith, that full assurance
of faith. And yet, even there, in that
particular chapter, He speaks of the great danger of presumption. He says at verse 26, If we sin
willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the
truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain
fearful looking forward of judgment and a fiery indignation which
shall devour the adversary. He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sort of
punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath
trodden on the foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood
of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing,
and hath done despise unto the Spirit of wrath." He speaks also,
of course, here in Hebrews 6, early part of that chapter, again,
of the great danger of any false faith, any presumptive faith. We do need to make a distinction
then between these two things, the full assurance of faith,
the confidence of faith, and that there is nothing more than
a foolish presumption. And that's the division that
I want us to take up this morning to speak first of all of the
the confidence of faith and then in the second place to to contrast
that with presumption two headings in as we come to consider the
content of this 123rd Psalm and first of all to say something more with regards
to faith and the confidence of faith. Now, as we're aware, there
are of course different types of faith. As we come to the Word
of God, we see that quite clearly. There is what we might describe
as a natural faith, a general faith, a simple acknowledgement
of God, a belief in God, I suppose even today in this
secular society in which we're living, the majority of the nation
would still say that they were theists, they wouldn't all be
atheists. They wouldn't all, the majority
of the population I dare say, would not deny that there is
a God. Remember what the psalmist says,
the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. Most people
have that general belief in God. I remember reading some years
ago the account of the life of that great Scottish minister,
John Duncan, Rabbi Duncan as he was known, because of his
great Hebrew learning and his great love for God's ancient
covenant people, the Jews, his concern for their salvation.
They referred to him as Rabbi Duncan. As a young man he was
beset with awful atheistic thoughts and he speaks of, I think he
was in his twenties when he was delivered from these things and
he danced with joy. He didn't at that time have true
faith, saving faith but he at least was delivered from atheism. He believed in God. He believed
that there is a God. There is then that faith that
we might say is a general belief in God. And there is another
faith that the devils have, as we are reminded by James, how
they believe and tremble. And we see them trembling at
the ministry of the Lord Jesus as He commences that ministry
there in Mark chapter 1 in the synagogue in Capernaum as He
casts the demons out of that man who was possessed. And what
do the demons say? What have we to do with the Jesus
of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us?
I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. All the devils
acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ, they acknowledge God. But that's
not saving faith, there's no salvation for the devils. And
then also we see that there is another faith associated with
miracles, There in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 where Paul is addressing
that greatly gifted church in the New Testament and he speaks
of some who seem to have had a special gift of faith. It's not saving faith because
not all those in that church had that particular gift. He
speaks of various gifts. To one is given by the Spirit
the word of wisdom. to another the word of knowledge
by the same spirit, to another faith by the same spirit, to
another the gift of healing by the same spirit, and so forth. Here are those in that church
who have this particular gift. Now all in the church, all who
are truly the Lord's people have faith, have saving faith, but
this is some special sort of faith that is associated with
the performance of miracles at that time in that New Testament
church. There is a faith of miracles. As we have also said, there is
a faith that seems to be not true faith, not enduring, it's
just a temporary faith. We refer to those words that
we read in Hebrews chapter 10, but also as I said previously,
Paul says something very similar in chapter 6 of the epistle to
the Hebrews. Verse 4, It is impossible for
those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly
gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted
the good word of God and the powers of the world to come,
if they shall fall away. to renew them again unto repentance,
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put
Him to an open shame." For this is not saving faith. It is that
faith that endures to the end that saves. But it was but a
faith that was passing. When the Lord speaks of the various
types of ground that the seed is cast into, there is that that
is stony ground. And the seed shoots off immediately.
But then how quickly it withers and falls away. Or there are
those who have a faith, they seem to run well, but there is
that that hinders them, they are not truly the Lord's people. There are these different types
of faith in Israel. A general, natural faith, a belief
in God, a faith of the devils, the faith associated with miracles,
the temporary faith. But what is the faith of which
we're seeking to speak this morning? It is that faith that is true
faith. And true faith has these marks.
It is a faith that looks to God. And it is a faith that comes
to the Lord Jesus Christ. See what we have here in the
opening words of the psalm, Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, for
thou that dwellest in the heavens. All there is a lifting up the
eyes as a looking unto God. Again at the end of verse 2 he
says, Our eyes wait upon the Lord. until that He have mercy
upon us. There is that constant looking
to God, that longing, that yearning after God. But not only a looking,
there is also that coming. The Lord Jesus says, He that
cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth in me shall
never thirst. And clearly there, the coming
and the believing are one and the same thing. Where there is
this real fight, All this faith is that it has to do with the
blessed object, the great object of faith, which is God himself,
God as he has revealed himself in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
how does this true faith look to God and come to God? Well,
it has to do with a God who is acknowledged to be a sovereign. Where does God dwell? Here at
the end of verse 1, unto thee lift up mine eyes, O thou that
dwellest in the heaven. God is in the heaven, God is
in that high place and that holy place. Why in his remarkable
prayer at the consecration of the temple, remember what King
Solomon says there in 1 Kings chapter 8, as he acknowledges
the greatness of God, Behold, the heaven and the heaven of
heavens cannot contain these things. Where there is true faith
there is not just a vague belief in a God, there is that recognition
that God is God. Or there is some understanding
of the greatness and the glory that belongs unto God. What is
it for God to be in heaven? It is to recognize that God is
that One who is an absolute monarch, a sovereign. Our God is in the
heavens. He hath done whatsoever He pleased,
we read in the 115th Psalm. Thou that dwellest in the heavens It is God then who is the sovereign
and faith, recognizes that sovereignty and confesses that God is answerable
to no one. Remember the language of Isaiah
40, it is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth and the
inhabitants hereof are as grasshoppers that stretcheth out the heavens
as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in. Oh God is over all things. All the inhabitants of the earth
are accounted as nothing to Him. He doeth according to His will
among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth.
And none can stay his hand or say to him, what doest thou? All friends, here we see something
of what true faith entails. It has an object. And it's a
great thing with regards to faith. It's a looking to God. And it's
a looking to God as that one who is truly God. And for God
to be God, He must be sovereign. If there is anything that can
take place outside of His remit, anything that can happen that
is not part of His eternal counsel and decree, it means that God
is no more. Unto thee lift up mine eyes,
O thou that dwellest in the heavens. But where there is this true
faith, and God is the object of the faith, it's not just a
matter of a God who is sovereign, but there is also that recognition
that this God is a gracious God. Nor do we not have mentioned
here so much of His mercy. Our eyes wait upon the Lord our
God until that He have mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us,
O Lord. Have mercy upon us. for we are
exceedingly filled with contempt. Why this God is merciful, is
gracious, He is looked to as that God who is the Saviour. Who is that God who saves, who
deals kindly even with those who have provoked Him by their
sins. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes,
O thou that dwellest in the heavens. remember the language of God
as he speaks through his servant Isaiah the prophet look unto
me and be his side he says all the ends of the earth for I am
God and there is none else it's a word yes it's being addressed
to the ends of the earth even there In Isaiah 45 we see that
God has a purpose to sinners of the Gentiles. In the Old Testament
we know that God's dealings, God's gracious ways were so confined
really to the nation of Israel. You only might know of all the
nations of the earth and yet there are those indications time
and again that God will yet call sinners of the Gentiles. And
there certainly in Isaiah 45 there's some reference to those
who are far away from God. Look unto me, he says, and be
ye saved all the ends of the earth for I am God. The gracious word that comes
out to Gentile sinners with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But come ye not also understand those words in a in a spiritual
sense when God speaks to those who are at the ends of the earth. Why they are at the wit's end?
They are those who feel themselves to be so estranged from God,
so far off from God. They feel that there is no hope
for them. And yet God bids such far away sinners, those who have
grievously sinned against Him, He bids them to look unto Him.
look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth all
this true faith then it has to do with a God who is a Saviour
and we see that salvation of course when God ultimately reveals
Himself in and through the person of His only begotten Son that
one who is the only Saviour of sinners He is the one that we
are to be looking unto, looking unto Jesus or looking away onto
Jesus, taking our eye off every other object and looking only
onto Jesus. That's the force of those words
there in Hebrews 12.2. That verb, to look, it's not
just a cursory look, a glance. No, it's taking the object of
everything else Oh, there's an intensity here, there's a looking
only to Him, who is the author and the finisher of faiths. This is saving faith and it has
an object. And what is the object? It's
God. It's a God who is sovereign. It's a God who is the saviour
of sinners. But it is interesting when we
come to the Word of God to observe that really, in a sense, this
is how faith is spoken of. It's not so much that we have
definitions and descriptions of what faith is, but the Bible
is forever setting before us the One who is the object, the
blessed object. Or there is a definition, as
you know. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. the evidence
of things not seen. We read there at the beginning
of Hebrews 11, the great chapter on faith. That's the only definition. As I said, really the Bible more
particularly sets God before us. God as the ultimate reveals
himself in the person of Christ. Search the Scriptures. In them
you think that you have eternal life, says the Lord Jesus to
the Jews, but these are they that testify of me." But let
us seek for a while, as it were, to understand something of the
nature of this saving faith, this faith that is different
to every other type of faith. We are told something here of
what it means to look. We're told something of the manner
of this looking. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes,
O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants
look unto the hand of their masters. and as the eyes of a maiden under
the hand of a mistress so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God
until that he have mercy upon us. The eye you see is looking looking
to God just as servants or slaves look to their masters always
wanting to be doing the bidding of their masters or the maiden
looking to the hand of the mistress, always wanting to please. This
is the example that he sets before us in the second verse of the
psalm. Again we can think of the language
that we find in another of the psalms. Look at the words that
we find previously in the 121st psalm. I will lift up mine eyes unto
the hills, from whence cometh my help, my help cometh from
the Lord, which may heaven and earth. All there is to be that
looking to God, to take in the eye of every other thing, and
to be those who would wait only upon Him. But do you know where
there is that lifting up of the eyes and hand? And that's what we
have here. in the second verse is reference
to the hand of the mistress or the hand of the master but there's
not only to be the looking to do the thing that is pleasing
in that sense there must also be that lifting up of the heart this is what true faith is it's
a hard matter ultimately It's lifting up of the eyes, lifting
up of the hands, but these physical expressions really indicative
of something that is taking place in the depth of the person's
soul. Together with these things there is that lifting up of the
heart unto God. Oh how God through the prophet
Isaiah rebukes those who only have a formal religion. They
draw near with the mouth. They honour God
with their tongue. They might lift up their hands
in the attitude of prayer, but their heart is far from Him. How the heart must be in all
of these things. And remember when Paul in the
New Testament, as was his wont, speaks of the relative duties
in life where he speaks of the duties of husbands and wives
and fathers and children and masters and servants how Paul
spells it out that it's not enough simply to have concern for that
that is the external but there must be that that is indicative
of sincerity Look at the language that he employs for example when
he writes in Ephesians. There in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 5 he says servants be obedient
to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear
and trembling in singleness of your hearts as unto Christ not
with eye service as men pleases but as the servants of Christ
doing the will of God from the heart with goodwill doing service
as to the Lord and not to men. Oh he speaks you see of this
singleness of your heart something more than mere eye
service but doing the will of God from the heart not enough
to lift up the eyes or to lift up the hand that the heart must
be in these things and there must be that blessed singleness
of heart that simplicity that is real, that is true so our
eyes wait upon the Lord our God until that he have mercy upon
us have mercy upon us O Lord have mercy upon us who are with
those who come you see and seek God in that passion. You shall
seek me, He says, and find me when you shall search after me
with all your hearts. Oh, where there is this faith
that is real and true. What is the nature of this faith?
It is that faith that proceeds from the heart of a man. He's
wholehearted in his desires after God. He's looking to God. and
his longings for God. It is mercy. It's interesting
that when the Lord speaks of those two that go to the temple
at the hour of prayer and he contrasts, remember, the Pharisee
and the despised publican. But what does he say concerning
that man who goes to his house justified rather than the other? It's not the Pharisee who's only
full of himself and the externals of his religion who thinks himself
better than every other. or it's the publican. But what
do we read concerning the publican? "...he would not lift up so much
as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,
God be merciful to me, a sinner." Here is faithfulness. What a
contrast! Here in the psalm, of course,
we have this reference to the faith, that faith that is real
and genuine, that is looking to God, unto thee lift up mine
eyes. As the eyes of servants look
unto the hand of their master, the eyes of a maid look unto
the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our
God. But we're not to think just in
those physical terms a literal looking up to heaven because
this poor publican, this justified sinner He cannot even lift up
his eyes to heaven. He feels himself so unworthy
before God. His religion is not in externals,
his religion is something in his heart. Oh, he might not lift
up his eyes, but surely his heart is lifted up. And this is that
faith that is saving, that faith that is justifying faith. Oh,
we read it there at the end of that reading in Hebrews chapter
10, the just live by faith. That is a justified sinner. He
looks away from himself. He looks to the Lord and the
Lord only for his righteousness. Isn't that what the Apostle Paul
was brought to? That man who speaks so plainly,
so faithfully, of justification by faith when he writes to those believers
at Philippi and speaks of his own experience his one desire
to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ is not having his own
righteousness which is of the law but that which is through
the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith Oh,
this is the faith you see. Now, there are degrees of faith. That's the interesting thing.
We said there are different types of faith, and we have to distinguish
those various types of faith. We want more than a general,
natural faith. We want to be more than just
theists who believe in God. We want more than the faith of
demons. We don't want that miraculous
faith that's spoken of to the Corinthians. We don't want temporary
faith. We want this real faith. But when we come to consider
this faith that is real, we have to see that there are degrees.
Boy, it ranges from that that is small. The Lord says, if you
have faith as a grain of mustard seed, You can say to this tree,
remove. Small faith, the grain of mustard
seeds. And the Lord goes on to say that
the mustard seed is the least of all seeds. It's a very small
seed and you have just a grain. And yet, what mighty things are
accomplished where there is that grain of real faith, saving faith. It ranges from that that is small, even to that that is the full
assurance of faith. We read those words in Hebrews
10.27, Let us draw near with a true heart, he says, in full
assurance of faith. We're not to be satisfied with
small faith. We don't despise it. But we want
the Lord to increase our faith. Wasn't that the request that
the disciples made to the Lord? Lord increase our faith. And that man who comes to the
Lord and says I believe, out there my non-belief. He wants
his faith to be increased. He wants an assurance. Or he
wants even the full assurance of faith. there is a full assurance
of faith. But now we have to observe the
contrast between that full assurance of faith and mere presumption. What do we read here at the end
of the psalm? Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have
mercy upon us. That's the language of the justified
sinner, that publican in the temple, who cannot lift up his
eyes to heaven but smites upon his breast. What's his language?
God, be merciful to me, a sinner. God, be merciful to me, the sinner. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have
mercy upon us, for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. Our soul
is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at
ease, with the contempt of the proud. Here is the contrast,
you see. We read of the contempt of the proud. And we read also
of the scorn of those that are at ease. These are the things
that are associated with mere presumption. The contempt of
the proud. All that Pharisee, who also went
to the temple at the hour of prayer, what a proud man. I thank thee that I am not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, idolaters and so forth.
I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And he
looked so disdainfully at this publican, this despised servant
of the occupying Roman forces, his tax-gatherer always a proud
man and really the proud do not need God, this man prayed thus
with himself it says maybe he prayed inwardly he prayed inwardly,
he prayed with himself but there's that sense in which his prayer
never goes any further than himself He never reaches the ears of
the Lord God of Sabaoth. He's simply congratulating himself.
He's a proud man. And the proud do not need God. For it is pride, accursed pride,
that spirit by God abhorred to do what we will. It haunts us
still and keeps us from the Lord. That's what pride does. It keeps
us from God. It's there, as you know, in the
fall of our first parents. What does the serpent say to
Eve? Ye shall be as gods. Oh, ye shall be as gods, knowing
good and evil. And she takes of that fruit,
that forbidden fruit, And as she partakes, instead of becoming
like unto God, she becomes as the devil himself. That's pride. Was it not pride that led to
the fall of Lucifer, one of the morning stars? He
was, or he is an angel, but he's a fallen angel. There are fallen
angels, demons. And here's that one who is the
arch-demon. Pride, that accursed pride. And yet God, you see, always
despises the proud. Though the Lord be high, we are
told yet hath he respect unto the lowly, but the proud he knoweth
afar off. and here we have those who are
spoken of as the proud our soul is exceedingly filled with the
scorning of those that are at ease and with the contempt of
the proud and we need friends to know that
lowliness of spirit that humility of mind be clothed with humility
For God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Humble yourselves therefore unto the mighty hand of God, that
ye may be exalted in due time, casting all your care upon Him.
For He careth for you, says the Apostle Peter." All that humility,
that's the mark of faith that is true, genuine, real, saving,
justifying. so different to that pride that
is a mark of presumption those who presume with God we imagine
that they can some way or other put God into their debt that
there's something that they can do that will make them pleasing
to God, acceptable to Him nowhere there is this true faith and
it is so contrasted with the presumptive faith of those who
imagine that all is well with their souls because of the things
that they do themselves. The contempt of the proud, the
scorn of those who are at ease. That's what we read here in the
middle of the fourth verse. Our soul is exceedingly filled
with the scorning of those at ease. What does it mean? Well, with this character, you
see, there's nothing of exercise in his soul. He doesn't know
anything of soul exercises. He doesn't know anything of wrestlings. And not just wrestlings with
God, but wrestlings with himself. Wrestlings with his doubts, and
with his fears. He knows nothing of any of these
things. His life is a life of these. Like the psalmist says in Psalm
55, they have no changes, these characters. They just sail along
pleasantly. Because they have no changes,
he says, therefore they fear not God. Or they haven't got
that fear of God in their heart. And what is that fear of the
Lord? It's the beginning of wisdom. That's where saving wisdom begins. where a man is made wise unto
salvation he'll have that fear of God in his heart the Lord Jesus says declaring
himself to be the door I am the door by me if any man enter in
he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture he is the door That great I am
statement that he makes among so many others there in John's
Gospel. I am the great I am. The Lord,
Jehovah. I am the door. We go in by that
door, that straight gate that leads into the narrow way. We
have to go in by the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the only way of
entrance into the way of salvation. We're not to climb up some other
way. There's one way of entrance and
it's the narrow gate, the straight gate. But what does the Lord
say? He shall be saved. But there's
a going in and coming out, going in and coming out. There are
changes. There are changes in this man's
life. He's not at ease. Not an easy life. It's a life
of trials and troubles and difficulties. There are these wrestlings, and
as I said, it's often a wrestling with himself, the wrestling's
with his old nature. That sin that still cleaves to
the old nature, that he cannot be rid of. And he feels that
he's carrying it about like a great burden. Poor, poor Christ out,
all wretched man that I am. who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?" and it pulls him down. But these, you see, that are
spoken of here, who scorn the godly, they are at ease. They are at ease. See how Jeremiah
speaks of these characters. There in Jeremiah 48, Verse 11, Moab, he says, hath
been at ease from his youth, he hath settled on his leaves,
and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath
he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained
in him, and his sense is not changed. Oh, what a fearful condition
to be in, like unto Moab. Woe to them that are at ease
in Zion. The distinction that is to be
made between that full assurance of faith and the proud and those
at ease with themselves. Here we see the godly man, the
man of faith. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have
mercy upon us. for we are exceedingly filled
with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly filled
with the scorning of those at ease and with the contempt of
the proud. Oh, what is this man to do? He
feels himself so often the object of man's ridicule and he feels
it not only from those who have no fight but those even who imagine
they have great fight. from sinner and from saint he
meet you in many a blow what is he to do unto thee lift out
mine eyes he says or thou that dwellest in the heavens behold
as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters
and as the eyes of a maiden look unto the hand of her mistress
so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until that he have mercy
upon us all his hope, all his trust is only in God. This is his faith. The faith
that lays hold of the Lamb. That's what it is. That faith
that perseveres and endures even to
the end. Saving faith. The faith that
lays hold of the Lamb. How the hymn writer speaks of
it. so many hymns that we could have referred to on this blessed
theme of real faith, saving faith. The faith that lays hold on the
Lamb and brings such salvation as this is more than mere notion
or name, the work of God's Spirit it is, a principle, active and
young, that lives under pressure and loads, that makes out of
weakness more strong and draws the soul upwards to God. Oh God grant that we might have
that faith in that He's drawn upwards, that's looking looking unto Him who is the only
Saviour. Look unto me and be saved, He
says. All the ends of the earth I am
God's and there is none else. Oh the Lord then be pleased to
bless this particular psalm to us today that will bless his
word to us. We're going to sing as our closing
hymn the hymn 236 and the tune is
Rhodes number 53. Faith's a convincing proof, a
substance sound and sure that keeps the soul secured enough
but makes it not secure. Notions the harlot's test by
which the truth's reviled, the child of fancy finely dressed,
but not the living child." The Hymn 236.