Zion, Thou Holy One

The First Principle of the Gospel. BY J. B. TOMLINSON. What is faith? Faith is belief, with a hope set before us. Example: Jesus said to his apostles, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature ; he that believeth and is bap- tized shall be saved" (Mark 16: 15, 16). We see, then, that if we believe and obey the gospel, we have a hope set before us that we shall be saved. Again, (Hebrews 11: 6) "But without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he isarewarder of them that diligently seek him." Here again hope is set before belief, which makes belief faith. But belief without hope set before it is not faith— no, not even a dead faith. For even a dead faith has hope set before belief. But it is dead, because it has not works. "For faith, if it have not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2: 17). If a man believes the gospel and does not obey it for fear of being hated by the world, or for some other like reason, his faith is dead, because it has not works. To obey the gospel makes our faith a living faith. Faith in the gospel is a miraculous faith, such as casting out devils, speaking in new tongues, healing the sick (Mark 16: 17, 18; Doctrine and Covenants, Lecture 7: 3; Matthew 17: 20). Joseph the Prophet said we must have some knowledge in order to have perfect faith. We must know from strong evidence that Jesus' promises are to be relied upon. If so, we can have strong hope that if we comply with them we will he blessed as he has promised we should be. For his promises are what we build our house of hope on, and they are the rock of our salvation;