Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-06-15
FAITH.
By Rev. Henry T. Conc.

hAo 30 thS fiSlOAg lhdb ONClSOAhNth
the world, even our faith."-I. John
v, 4.
You cannot believe little things and
do great ones; you cannot believe In
ones. A mans faith sets the boundar-
les of his work. He will do what he
believes and accomplish what he be-
lieves can be accomplished. Mountains
are not subdued by men who stand dis
couraged at molehill. A man must
conquer the fatigues of the way in his
own heart or he will never set out on
the road.
Back of all free action lies some
creed, some conviction. All great bat
ties have been fought and either lost
or won in the heart. The simple or
stubborn confidence that leads To all
conquering effort, this is faith; the Wis
ion that vitalizes. The eye of faith
sees the prize at the end long before
1t is reached; the eye Of fear looks
so closely at the difficulties and dan
gers Of the course that the prize is not
seen at all.
There Is a good deal'of fatalism seek
ing to pass as faith. People say we
must have faith in God; let things
take their course and they will come
out all right. The church long COM
mended the slothful who let things
drift, and called their laziness resigna-
ton. But faith feels the certitude of
q harvest because it has first diligently
plowed and sown and because of the
goodness that has ever brought the
seedtlme and the harvest
Superstitious credulity Is not faith.
1t is more than the foresight that feeds
on visions of a future heaven; 1t is
the clear eye that looks keenly at the
things of today. No truth Is the better
for being taken on trust; 1t cannot be
possessed until 1t is known, not on
the authority of another but on your
own experience. No man ever became
martyr for truth he received at
second hand.
Only a first hand faith is a force
in the world. 1t Is born Of Life; 1t de-
termines life. Your faith forms you.
If you do not believe men, how can
you be a man? If you do not believe
in things better, nobler, purer, how can
tom your faith Is in things mean, sor-
did, sensual, base, then thither turns
your life, and no eXtraneous efforts, no
badges, buttons or creeds can change
its course.
You can measure q mans weight In
this world by the strength and clear
ness of his convictions. Poor you may
be, friendless, alone, weak, unlearned,
but all this can be overcome If bright
in the heart there burns the unquench-
able flame of some great passion, some
high faith. Given this fire within them,
all the tools shall be found, but with
out it the finest endowment of brain
and body is valueless.
Given but some great principle, some
purpose IIlaI becomes holy passion,
something that leads you, like one of
long ago who "steadfastly set his face
to go up to jerusalem" then all power
is yours. The man who has faith to
remove mountains always finds the
picks and steam shovels somewhere.
He takes the tools he has, though they
tmay seem but toys beside his task, and
10! some morning when the dreamers
awake the mountain IS no longer there.
Faith has her perfect work.
No worthier word was ever said of
the divine man than that which spoke
of him as the leader and completer of
faith. So great work was possible
only with sublime confidence in the glo-
rious possibilities of mankind, only
with unshakable assurance that all
that was good and true in the universe
was working with him for the good
of all With him faith was an eye that
saw mans hidden good, hand that
grasped the infinite might moving for
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