The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-06-08
What the Church
Doing.
Y roll. CALL OF HEROES
The International SundaY-SchOol Les
son for June IS Is. "Heroes Of
Faith Hebrews 11:1-4O.
By William T. Ellis.

Somebody has characterized this rs
the age Of tajtll. specifically. it
seems an age Of doubt. Yet a deeper
look into our own times reveals every
where the spirit Of confidence in what
cannot be Sen. The twentieth cen
tury's plans cutrun all in exact ON
pttatiOns ina man can make. We are
tunneling our cities and rivers. plan
mig continental networks OF railways,
building confidently upon t~rans-oceanic
conditions that aae Yet to be hrvel-
oped, and plotting highways IN the
air. Modern commerce. which is SO
often remarked. for it's "hard-hoaded-
ness reall. possesses the eye Of
faith.
For faith may not by any mean be
limited to the realm of the spirit.
Wherever mems confidence ~outrcaches
their actual knowledge they ere in
exercise of faith. Browning g!imcsed
the human CAPACITY for the :3atcise
of this high quality when he cried,
"A mans reach must exceed his
grasp, else what's a heaven for" IN
the olden day which forms the theme
Of these Surtiay-SchoOl lessons il VAS
faith in & Message which sent APOSTLE
Faul and his associates pioneering
into h~eathendoiN with their missionary
gospel. 1t HS a simple faith N the
present power and ultimate conquest
of the risen Christ that fortified tom
for all their ordealS and enterprises.
That same faith created the early
Christian CI.rch. Faith la Jesus
made him - living bright reality" to
the rapidly increasing company Of
first century people whose eyes had
never looked uron him. Thu. apostle
said: "Whor, having not 4ee1 we
love Seeing Is b"lieving,' Says the
modern pro<@r3, Nfich is nc more
tr1lc than most proverbs. Our own
times, which acc. ut the witness of q
deeper sense than that OF material
sight. and which attest the existence
Of faculties t:C"r than any OF the tive
senses SO subj-et 10 Illusion, is r.2lter
to declare. believing is not se-ing."
This letter - the Hebrews, win rs
thrilling roll c2i! OF the heroes of
faith, was written 10 one OF tn: carly
n~;ssionary churches, possibly at Jcru-
sale m, pOSSfb:I at Alexandria or a.
Rome. It's ccrl,os-. vas to quicken
the faith Of t,r disciples who had
come out from Judaism. and 10 Fh wv
them that Christ aas the fulfilling eli
the law. Beca .se the King James Yer
SIGN bears under the title of This book
the name OF tse Apostle Paul most
people beiiere that the great Apostle
was its author. T:,is Is far from being
Il certainty. The weight OF critical
research goes t-4" otIeT way. It
letter was -Hore probably written by
Barrabas, Fu1tS associate. although
Luther, in a~ere-fpant with oth,r stu
dents, considarss Apollos to haze been
the writer O. -. Whatever the .:tu-
thsrship, theG- is no doub. about tha-
books right - a place in the New
Testament Ga"oI.
los Faith Comes.
Moody once said In my nearlaS:
AEAr- q lApn .E-.. ! sr9 I-a1i fnT SSifh
but it did net come. Then I began to
read my Bibsa III pursuit Of faith. and
l quickly found it," Naturally. Tor
the true wore declares Faith CONES
by hearing. and hearing by the word
Of God" III person who Is con-
corned about his lack Of faith may
more profitabiy dwell in these graf
chapters of the Book of the Icoc@F"S
than spend r:Si1t5 agonizing in pta*er,
for here. at the out OF many W.T.
nrssess. is the reality Of faith estab-
Iished, and Its nature set forth.
Many persons are ~speculating about
spisltualities. trying. like the spider,
to spin Il life line out Of their t-i:eT
selves, when il is really by searching
the Scriptures tina sp~iritualities De-
come realities. For liStleSSnesS II be-
lief. for q d!rlfled zeal, for spiri-lesS
praying. the one remedy is to am to
the Fook wh.ch inparts q knn~f"lse
OF the divine will. The falth-ftlied
disciple is the Eible-reading diS"apl+.
The strong. spiritual and succ-'sru!
church is thr church OF Bible-reading
n1'Rbcrs.
s What is Faith?
the somewhat archaic IMPRESSIONS
oi old formLiations are an obstacle 70
clear thinking ana to unclouded be-
I''. The King James Version, dear
IS are many Of its peerless PASSAGES,
nag Yet been % hindrance to q oerf"ct
understanding OF the Scriptures. lS1lo-
rant persons rallied at re~yisionS. ~ the
E'bie. unWittiagty taking the position
that it is thu English translation that
Is inspired. Nowadays the most pfac-
ucal as Well as the most scholarly