Arizona republican., 1909-06-21

will save them from absolutely hope l less despair. In the meantime, 1t will
 hold and bind them together and
 cause them to await the brighter light
 of future developments.
 Tt becomes us to consider with care I this faith Christ ought to have His apostles exercise. What was it's real | essence? We need it just as much as | they.
 What then was the character of the faith Christ so urgently urged upon His disciples? John. the Apostle, here uses Greek phrase for faith, believe, that is characteristic of him. You will find it thirty eight times in his Gospel and first Epistle and only ten times in all the rest of the New Testament pisteiein. It means trust in, alliance with, cleaving unto the person of Christ. Thus it expresses the strong est possible belief. Accordingly. the text. 'Ye believe in God, believe also in Me, has the idea of motion to and repose in God and in Christ. pisteiein. It contains the idea of the move ment of mind and heart into God, into Christ. Our English proposition in is too weak. It needs the stronger into to express movement. Not simply be- lieve in, but believe into. It means to come into oneness, alliance with, in thought. feeling. purpose; indeed in the whole life of the soul. Thus there will be the most complete utilization with and the most implicit dependence upon. There will be the movement of the soul towards and into the life of Christ-into the most intimate com munion and fellowship with God and with Christ
 Perhaps I should say the majority of commentatoFs-tra the text, not as given in the received. 'Ye be- lieve in God, believe also in me- but rather Believe in God and in me be- lieve,' as given in the revised version. Christ is not announcing their wonted faith in God as reason why they should trust in Him, but, rather as a cure for their great trouble of soul. He cXhorts them to revised or renewed trust in the Father and Himself. The fact that He immediately proceeds tO inspire them with the fullest confi- dcnCe and trust in both Himself and the Father is also in evidence. They were in a state of utter unfaith and confusion of will and of judgment. They needed to be brought back to a poise and control that an implicit trust would give Hence Christ eXhOrts Be licve in God and in me believe Per haps that familiar text. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ may be used to en- force the high quality of faith of which we are speaking One is the emphatic word, or, rather, believe on. There are millions of people who believe in Je- sus Christ just as they believe in Ba- con as a great philosopher. Shakes peare as a marvellous poet and drama tist, Washington as noble patriot and Lincoln as a great statesman. But they fail to trust their souls 10 Him. They do not look to Him and wholly rest on Him for salvation. They do not build their hopes of heaven and eternal life on him.
 AS a miner stands looking at the rope that is let down the shaft into the deep mine, he may very coolly re- mark that the rope is all right; it looks perfectly strong. I believe in that rope But when he lays hold upon it and swings away down, down into the dark, mighty chasm, away from the sight and sound of man, then he is believing on-the rope. He is trusting himself to the rope; he has let go everything else and is bearing his en- tire weight upon that well made rope. There is no mere opinion about that. It is an act of plain, practical faith. And so when a soul turns from every fond earthly reliance and hangs Itself solely upon the atoning blood of Jesus, then it believes on Christ. That soul truly entrusts itself to Jesus for par don for salvation, for life and for death and for everlasting life.
 Away in the Scotch highlands in a lonely cottage dwelt an old Nanny. Though full of poverty and pain, she was rich in faith. A young parish min ister delighted to visit her. not so much because of anything he could teach the old saint as for what she could teach him. one day he thought to test her faith. He startled her with this question:
 Suppose, Nanny, that after all your praying and all your trusting, God were to cast you off at last--what then?'
 The old lady slowly raised herself upon her elbow and. fixing her gaze upon him, in a firm tone exclaimed:
 "'Eh! Mon, and is that a the length ye got to yet? Why, mon! God wad be the greater loser. Poor Nanny wad lose her soul, to pc sure, and that would be a sain (sore) loss indeed, but God wad lose His char acter He knows full well I've just hung up my soul and all my hopes upon Him and His precious promises. And should he fail the whole universe would gang to ruin Then sinking her voice, she added, And God Wad be