El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-10-26

cannot overthrow it. Infidelity has
never been popular. AgHosticism has
never made many disciples. Skepticism
IS often only an inQUirinS faith You
cannot destroy faith After men have
done their utmost TO cast doubt and
diScredit upon the cherished objects of
ialth still faith abides We give vol
untary Of Involuntary expression to it
IN every act of our lives. every program
TO which we set ourselves. Faith leads
us to pray, arOuses US to service and
inspires US to make heroic sacrifices.
IL explains the lives of all truly great
men, Take faith out of the life of
ADraham and you have left only a
ShIeWd herdsman of the Euphrates.
Take faith out of the life of Paul and
you have left bigOted Pharisee. Take
talth out of the life of Jesus and YOU
nave robDed 1t of one of its chiefest
charms Faith is the key which unlocks
lives.
Nay Be NOUriShed.
But this inherent quality of the soul
may be nOuriShed and cultivated. In
deed it is its nature to lay hold Of
everything that helps us to attain. II
lays hold Of personal experiences and
makes them expressions of Gods grace
and power. 1t lays hold of the expert
enceS of others and weaves them into a
ladder upon which we may mount up
to God. Hence the Scriptures, which
provide an unfailing treasure house of
blessing and an ineXhaustible source Of
spiritual nOurishment. Faith lays hold
of Christ and claims him as the ex
preston of the very fullness of God
When We are tempted to turn aside
from him faith calls US to halt, say
ing: Lord, to whom shall we go, thou
mast the words of eternal life" Faith
abides, rooted and grounded in our very
natures. TheOlOgies may come and
theologies may go, faith abides. 1t mat
tiers not what man may say. the voice
OF the soul viii be heard crying out
for God, for the living Cod and
Christ will continue to give il answer,
no matter what men may say about
him.
Then again, hope abides. Hope is the
child of faith As faith relates the soul
to God so hope relates it to the future.
It too is an inherent element of the
soul 1t is as vital as breath We
could not live without hope We are
continually anticipating a better TO-
morrow. Pessimism is as unpopular as
infidelity- 1t never can be popular
Pope" says;
Hope springs eternal in the human
breast
Man never is. but always to be best"
Tennyson speaks of:
The mighty hopes that make US
Hope also may be nourished It is its
nature TO be continually finding a new
basis for itself in experience and in
revelation Here too Christ speaks the
most reassurins word, saying; Because
1 live you shall live also"
Love is the Essence of Christianity.
Love lasts on. Love is the very es-
sence of Christianity. It is It's soul
within its soul" AS faith relates US to
God. and hope relates US 10 the future,
so love relates US to the whole Universe
OF life It is the fountain whence
springs Gods crystal stream of solicit
tous interest in humanity. God so
loved the world that he gave his only
begOtten Son" It is the response winch
the soul makes to the Fathers love.
We love Him because He first loved
us Tt is the secret which discloses
the power of Christ over our lives. He
loved US and gave himself Up for US. It
is the tie that binds us together when
all other ties fail. 1t is the foundation
of the home; il is the unifying force n
the church It IS the mightiest factor
in the universe; the greatest thing IN
the world"
Love is better than prophetic gifts"