Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-17

inteligently, with concentrated ana In
tense life; In the other, with mere con-
densed british force. But both are near
to being neutrality-suspicious. must give
way. A great historian says: Fools and
towards have sometimes won battles,
debating societies, never. Fearful COM
menting Is lcaden servitor to dull delay.
Delay leads impotent and snail-paced
beggary." A mans judgment may be
wrong, and yet his faith perfect. Saul Of
Tarsus was as essentially hero of faith
as Paul the Apostle. The same man, at
one time. appeared as a hero Of the law,
irresistible and relentless, at another, as
a hero OF the Gospel. daring. enduring.
suffering all things for those whom he
had Just now prosecuted. Absolute faith
in his cause made him in both cases
hero OF the highest order.
Faith Is the measure OF manhood and
the measure OF life. Neither not nor
cold, believing in nothing and caring for
nothing, is the condition of nonexistence.
And yet, from this life OF the oyster
TO the life of the eagle. from tho vegeta-
ton of the nonentity, that may be cut
out of n cheese pairing, to the highest
hero who lives by faith. there are grades
OF being. Faith In realities and truths,
faith In good and faith in bad, faith in
things as they are. faith In the course Of
things, faith in causes and effects, faith
in the certainty of law, faith in virtue,
faith in excellence, and faith In the
vileness of vice; all this makes up faith
In our own existence. And faith in our
own existence and its conditions neces-
states faith in God. Faith is not only
the substance of things hoped for and
the evidence of things unseen, but faith
is life itself. The just live by faith, re-
alizing the providence OF God, living,
moving, having their being consciously,
pleasingly. in Him, as in the light of
the sun. Indeed, the sun is the perpetual
teacher and illustrator Of the great truth
of our holy religion-the sight and life
of God 1t and its virtues are from
higher source.
The powers of the air and the instru
ments of the evil one undermine and
honeycomb our faith. They dissipate
our manhood. They confound our judg.
ments. They vitiate our tastes and make
all discrimination between good and bad
almost impossible.
The methods that effect these results are
obvious. Burlesques and vilifications OF
man lessen our faith in man. Individual
and social life are dishonored and de-
famed. Mankind is scandalized by the
publication of all phases OF crime and
vice. Humanity is presented as ridiculous
able is destroyed in the minds and hearts
of the readers and hearers or such things.
At the coming of the Saviour the masses
Of mankind were not many removes from
the brute the highest were without faith
in anything. There were neither true
gods nor true men. All the world was a
fraud and a lying vanity, precisely as 1t
is row to the essential wording and So
ciety man; careless and fearless or
either Heaven or Understanding and
deeming IL all an idle tale" Faith in the
reality of manhood and the dignity OF
life is the worlds greatest want. And
that faith has TO hope nor rest but the
Divine Being. the Rock OF our Salvation.
Whose life showed to mankind charac-
ter which was, and is. everlasting right
eousness. All true men are heroes or
faith. The bases OF our civilization are
the Ten Commandments and the Life ana
Teachings OF Christ; at orce the chiet
cornerstone and the light Of life. The
agnostic and sceptic is humanity's light
weight. the chaff which the wind bloweth
away from the face of the earth. He
stands for nothing, and means nothing.
His evidence does not go on the record.