The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-07-19

Take OdTe VI itSoiiS ~ NSCuS mo Oe-
tenders.
Text: "Then said Jesus to those
laws who believed on Him, If We con
,inue in My word yc are My disciples
,ndeed; and We shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free"
lain viii, 81, 81.
The heart-thought of the text is discl-
nleship. and around this center cluster
lts basis, It's test, its fruit, and its
glory.
l. THE BASIS OF DISCIPLESIIIP.
II is faith in Christ. ".Iesus said to
those Jews who believed on him" 1t
s not faith in n creed, though every
word in It may be true 1t is not faith
in church, though it be the church
founded by Christ Himself 1t is not
faith in an ordinance, though cstab-
llshed by the Lord. 1t is not faith
even in book, though every word of
II he inspired. 1t is faith in Il Person
the Lord Jesus Christ Believing not
about Him, but in Him; resting your
hope of salvation completely on Him.
H. THE TEST OF DISCIPLESHIP.
It is two-fold, made up of time and
truth 'If We continue, yc are My
disciples indeed" Time is the test
that tries the soil and the seed. The
seed that fell upon stony places sprang
up suddenly, but in n little while with
cred. 1t could not stand the test Of
time. Some of these Jews, under Il
temporary impulse, expressed their
faith in Christ. Tomorrow, among un-
sympathetic and prosecuting Phari-
sees, they may deny Him. Continu-
ance is the test. Only the man who
continues has really begun.
And it is continuance in the word of
Christ: "If We continue in My word
ye are My disciples indeed" What is
meant by "My wordY Only the ut
terances of Jesus or the whole Word
to Which He subscribed? In His prayer
for the disciples He said: "Sanctify
them through Thy truth; Thy word is
truth" 'ThuS saith the Lord rings
through the prophets, and Christ put
His name to the writings of Moses,
the Psalms. and the prophets. SO that
what we call the Bible may be- in a
very true sense, called the Word of
Christ The tendency of the times is
not to continue in that Word but
rather to criticse it: not to seek to cul-.
tlvate faith in it, but rather to upset
faith.
And the lack Of Biblical knowledge
which some of the critics show is
amusing, if not alarming. | read of
one the other day who said he could
not accept that story about the ark:
he was dealer in lumber. and the.
ark was 450 feet long. 10 feet wide
and ID feet high, and if il had been
filled with food and animals it must
have weighed thousands Of tons.
Now" he said. you cannot make me
believe that men could carry such
thing as that through the Wilderness"
His mixture of the arks is fair sam
pie Of the mixture of facts for which
some critics of the Bible are noted
read magazine articles on it, books
about it, but have never carefully and
perSlStently studied it. May we seek
TO continue In the Word rather than
to criticlse 1t!
believe that the Bible can stand
every test of honest criticism. / like
to see the old book tried by all fair
methods. 1t can take care of itself:
1t needs no defenders. 1t has stood the
onslaught of ages, and in times past
It's enemies We're stronger than they
are now. But the test of discipleship'
is not finding fault with the Word, but
continuing in it.
Ill. THE FRUIT OF DISCIPLE
SHIP.
"Ie shall know the truth" Pilates
question, What Is truth?' is here an
Swered, If ye would know truth, be
leve in Him who Is the truth, and con-
tlnue in His Word. John Newton, as
he grew old, lost his memory, but he
used to say: 1.-TWO things l can never
lorget-l am II great sinner, and Jesus
Christ is great Saviour" Such knowl.
edge of the truth makes a man broad
and narrow. The fact that he loves
spiritual truth makes him sympathize
all the more with moral scientific and.
historic trL The realm of truth is
one ruled God of Truth. The,
Bible ANA ia-.rc belong to the same,
empire. But truth can never sympa--
thize with falsehood any more than
Ight can with darkness, disease with
health honesty with roguery, virtuG
with vice. There is n breadth of lat
Ter times in which many see greaH
beauty, II sympathy with everything,
ana holding to nothing tenaciously.
saw broad river the other day, 25@
yards wide, running through the noun
lAlnS over stones, down the cataract.
'auylng In quiet pools; and after a
while it narrowed down to about 40
rect in width, and there it was 100 feet
aecp, running with the swiftness of
an arrow At this place men think
oI building factories; there is the place
ol power. And the man who would be
broader than what he believes to bC
,rne loses power in proportion to his
breadth lie who is willing to be as
broad as all truth, and not Il whit
broader will have the power that goe
with truth blessed by the God OF
Truth.
", THE GLORY or DISCIPLH,.
SHIP.
"rhe truth sholI make Won FREQ - fIt