Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1909-06-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson XII. Second Quarter,
For June 13, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text Of the Lesson, Heb. xI, 1.s, 17-2o
Memory Verses "a, 2s.-aoIden Text,
Heb. XII, 1--comnentary Prepared by
Rev. D. M. Stearns,


Heb. XII, 1-commentary Prepared b,
Rev. D. M. Stearns.
Copyright 1909. by American Press Association.
The word faith" being used twenty.
four times in this chapter, we may call
1t the great faith" chapter, as Rev. ~
Is the great throne" chapter, the word
being used fourteen times, and
Kings, xiii. the "man Of God" chapter.
the phrase being used fifteen times.
We sometimes thus obtain from q
word or phrase the key to the portion
We are reading or studying. The word
believe" used over ninety times In
Johns gospel. helps us to understand
John Xxx, 81. In recent lesson we had
an Old Testament saying used three
times In the New, and now we have
another. "The Just shall live by faith"
is first found in Hab. II, 4, and Is
quoted In Rom. 1. IT; Gal III, IL; Heb.
K, 38. and probably, as some think,
each time with o different emphasis
When we remember how our Lord
was refreshed by the great faith Of
two gentiles and how he repeatedly
repxoved His disciples for their lack
Of faith. we can see at least one way
in which we can please Him or gsieve
Him. One has well said:
Faith is not what we SEQ or Sesi, but Is
simple trust
In what the God OF love hAah said Of
Jesus as the tdst.
BY faith we look at things not
seen and are thus lifted above the
things we see. The true believer
walks by faith and not By sight. Be-
lieving Gen. and Ps. xxxHi. g. I, we
know how the worlds were made.
Some want to understand In order to
heheve, but verse 8 says that We must
believe In order to understand. The
world says Seeing Is believing" but
Jesus said that II we believe we shall
zee John ri. 40). We must hold fast
that the way to understand Is to be-
lieye and that without faith It Is i'm
possible to please God Oversees 3, O.. In
the first half Of our chapter we have
faith illustrated in seven men from the
book Of Genesis, Eve Of whom were
mentioned by name by the Lord Jesus,
ae thus tndorsing their record. DR..
saphir says that IN the f1rst three we
have the sacrifice Of faith. the walk
If faith and the obedience Of faith.
The first is Of necessity sacrifice, for
Unless we have the forgiveness Of sins
,y the shedding Of blood there can be
10 fellowship and no works Of faith
n labor Of love. Abel could not offer |
i sacrifice Of faith unless he had some |
word of God to guide him. for faith
.ometh by hearing the word Of God
Rom. K, ~.
That word was spoken by word or
Iced, or perhaps both, when the trans
Iction of Gen. LII. Fl. occurred. and
Adam must have instructed his chill
Iren that there could be no access to
Tod but by sacrifice. Cain brought
he best he had, but there was no she'd
ing of blood. He was disobedient and
therefore, net accepted. There Is only
ne way to God. and all other ways
re the way Of Cain-that is. Of the
evil (Judg. II; l John Ill, 12). Being
edeemed by the precious blood OF
,hrist, It is our privilege to walk with
,od as Enoch did. or as 1t Is written
( Levi, "He walked with me in peace
nd equity and did turn many away
rom iniquity" We cannot walk with
Tod as He would like us to unless we
re agreed with Him about everything.
ut II we are simple, whole hearted
elievers He will dwell In US and walk
, us, and we may have the conscious
ess Of pleasing Him. The question
nth us should never be, Is there any
arm in this? but rather, VIII this
lease Him who has taken up His
bode In me? As Enoch and Elijah
'ere taken to glory without dying, so
iii all believers who shall be alive on
be earth when Jesus comes. 1t may
e our privilege, for the end Of this
&c is surely upon us. II, like Noah,
70 believe things not seen as yet, our
eeds will he a reproof to the world
ling in the wicked one, and we will
9th preach and live Righteousness QI
ct. II, 81 as Noah did.
If we believe as Abraham did We
I'LL look for the same city for which
@ looked, and. rejoicing in that citizen
hip. we will live as strangers and
Ilgrims here. We will not consider
1rselves or our circumstances, but be
lily persuaded that what God has
romised He Is able to perform (Rom.
,, 2D. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph all
we'd in the assurance Of things to
,me (verse 20). Moses had such re-
,ect unto the recompense Of the re-
ard that the prospect Of power and
osition in Egypt was nothing to him
he reproach of Christ was more at
active than the pleasures of sin for
JASON.
We would not have put Samson In
lere, nor Jephthah. o heart of
an. take courage! Is there faith In
lee? Even though thou dost blum
er and seem to fail, thy faith Is &C.
united for Righteousness. And then.
] thcu~h deeds were most impor.
mt vases them-"subdued."
W. abtained." stopped the
O. 'ons." "quenched," "es-
~, d valiant" The story
No, ...' Saints. apostles. proph
s. martyrs. seers. v1sionaries-ths
en Of today at whom we laugh-are
le men Of faith. The vision creates a
,ssfoa. the passion becomes a mis-
on, and the life Is lived till eventide.
l like that saying In verse "a, "Out
weakness were made strong" in
with II Cor. XII, 0. Then
.tntx 90 IN &1~1.z .-~f<t. yr0 tttx,< %, |