The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1916-03-09
LESSON FOR MARCH IL
reRoEs AND MARTYRS or FAITH.

There are two kinds Of heroism for
which medals are awarded In this
country. Congress confers q medal
OF honor" for distinguished services
and extraordinary heroism in war
The Carnegie hero fund in peace"
bestows medals and pecunary recog.
milton for heroic deeds performed In
preserving and regcuiDg human life,
and the first medal thus issued was
given to a boy for rescuing another
boy from drowning
|. Faith Defined, v. I. This Is per.
haps the most quoted anu succlnct
definition we have of faith. What fol
lows is but the illustration and ap-
pllcation of the fact. Faith is an ''as
surance" tR. W. The ground Of this
assurance and conviction is the word
Of God. iSee Rom. l0:lT. The only
sure ground for dynamic and intel.
ligent faith is Gods word put TO the
acid test of experience II never fails.
Faith is not fatalism To believe God
is to rely upon him unhesitatingly with
an unfaltering assurance as to the full
fllment Of his promises. q John $50;
John 5:24; Act. 27;22; Rom. 4:l9-21.
u. Faith Declared. w. q, s. Faith
had been declared and manifested by
many illustrations before the death OF
Stephen:
ia) Abel. at the risk OF his brothers
anger, obeyed the unseen God and
earned his approval; his heroic. mar
tyred spirit still speaks to men " ~
tb) Enoch. the diligent seeker after
God. In world OF lawlessness lived q
life well-pleasing 20 him through q
faith that made his presence real tvv.
8. g..
tc) Noah tv.0. a lonely man Of faith
tGen. 6:5). chose the unseen God and
preached righteousness rather than
avoid the ridicule OF his neighbors
Noah reckoning the invisible as tan.
gible. continued to build his ark and
became q blessing to the race
Id Abraham and Sarah lS-l2). Not
these lonely pilgrims unerringly fol.
lowed an invisible God to an unseen
country: but a faith greater still led
them to dwell In the land" and not
possess It ". l0). Their faith re-
deemed them from the mere emlgrant
character. They looked for city,
which had foundations, whose builder
and maker is God"
lei Moses t23.2S) showed his faith
by right choice. He weighed values
and had respect unto the recompense
OF reward" His faith endured. as
seeing him who Is invisible" Moses
saw by faith the "reproach OF Christ.
that which Christ suffered for the re-
demption of the world. as being OF
greater riches than the treasures OF
Egypt"
These. and others not mentioned
are summarized by their having &C.
complshed ten different things 1872.
40l. They performed great deeds OF
herolsm t32.Sp; they endured great
suffering and persecution t35.36), All
OF this suffering was to issue in a
greater reward with the glory that
was TO come from. S:lS, II Cor. 4:lI
lS). All these men OF faith obtained
a good report" These saints had wit
ness borne to them through their faith
Truly witnessing. their names and
deeds are recorded for our good, yet
even they did not receive the promise.
e.. all that had been promised by
| God had not been fulfilled In them
Such promises were only fulfilled
when Christ the Messiah came. Some
thing better than they had received
came when he came, and without his
coming they we're not made perfect
They did not receive. but the promise
of God had not failed. They will ye'
receive his fulfllment when the roll
of the heroes of faith is perfected, and
we. together with them, shall be
made perfect" tvv. S9, 4o).
~. Faith Demanded, IL: I. 2. The
Holy Spirit has given us this long list
| OF heroes as an exhortaton to stir IN
those living to the performance OF
their duty. The roll call of triumphant
heroes is not yet completed. All these
p,entioned are witnesses. not onlook
ers. These are they who have testi
| fed to God and to the truth of his
word In the light Of this testimony
and on the same ground OF their tes
timony, we are 20 do several things;
|. To LAY aside every weight" No
runner carries any weight beyond that
which is needful. Some things are
burdens that are not necessarily sins.
Every such thing binders our running
and should be laid aside.
2. THE sin that doth so easily beset
us" Literally. that wrap themselves
about us as an ill-ftting garment. and
which trip or impede the runners
progress. These sins mot SIM are
those little devil habits and practices
which must. for that reason. be laid
aside.
3. Run with patience the race set
before u.s." There must be steadfast'
ness and endurance. II church mem
bers were as faithful in following up
as the average business house is, we
would have less of lapsed church mem
bers and fewer boys and girls who
drift away from the Sunday school,
4. Looking unto Jesus" This Is the
keynote to this entire epistle and to
this category of heroes. He is our
'nle.leader" and the perfector OF our
faith. Once we get our eyes OF him
we Will stumble and fall In the race