Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-03-10
TIMELNESS OF
LESSON UNCANNY
Clearest Light in World War
Shed by the Bible; Studies
in Faith
The International Sunday school Les
son For March IL Is "Heroes and
Martyrs of Faith."-Hebrews 11:1;
1922.
(By William T. Ellis)

The timeliness OF the present Sun
day School Lesson is almost uncanny.
1t could not be more appropriate IL 1t
had been planned yesterday. The
clearest light on the world war is
shed by this old book which is eter-
nally contemporaneous. None of the
many utterances on the present Ar
menian massacres can match this
passage from the Book of Hebrews.
In an hour when the church most |
needs a tonic for faith we have this |
sublime study, REINFORCED by the daily |
news from the churches in Asia.
Every nation In Europe is at the |
present moment giving the world a
lesson in faith, and in the reality and .
supremacy OF the invisible things. t
| They live in faith, the faith of their |
people in the spiritual qualities of /
their country. This faith and vision, /
/ which commonly passes by the name /
of patriotism, is a vaster and more vi
tai thing than most OF the world real |
/ iEes. 1t has made over the life of the
older nations of Europe. They are /
being saved by faith. Millions of men I
/ have dared death in the trenches be- I
/ cause of this larger vision. Economists /
may sneer at sentiment as futile and /
/ emotional-I read such an article an /
/ hour aSo-but it still rules the world. I
In the largest meaning of the phrase 4
We are always being saved by faith.
That truth is written in all history, 4
and never more clearly so than to-
I day; but 1t is pre-eminently the mes /
sage of the experience of the Christian /
church. This is the victory that over
cometh the world, even your faith"
I When the inspired writer Of the let /
ter to the Hebrews wanted a perfect I
example of faith, he turned to the eX- /
( perience OF the church. Do you want /
more faith? Then read the Bible |
more; for the principle has been /
clearly stated: Faith cometh by .
/ l.earing, and hearing by the word of I
Cod There is no cure for faltering /
! faith like the old story of how the |
faith of the fathers has enabled fraii 1
girls, little children and aged men to I
bear witness to their Christ and His I,
sufficiency.
The Greatest Victories
Mr.. Materialist says to the young
/ lover. You are only chasing a dream"
Yet that dream" that intangible. in !.
/ eNplicable spiritual quality called love, /.
/ has glorified existence and wrought i
more wonders than science. To the .
/ statesmen Mr.. Materialist says, BE 1
practical: idealism is all we'll enough 4
to talk about at election time, but 1t is /
practical self-interest that rules the .
world To the patriot he says. Gov /
ernments are controlled only by eco +.
nomic causes. All this talk about
the flag is sheer .huncombe." And to
the sociologist he says, "Altruism is
absurd. Human nature is human ma
ture and will be to the end
You poor blind fool" answers the |
man of faith, "can YOU not look
around you and behind you. and see
that IT is faith, and only faith, that
has given us alI~that is great IN hu- |
man life" Or. as a better answer, /
let us quote the wonderful analysis
and vindication of faith, with its ap-
/ peal to history, which constitutes the
present lesson:
Now faith is the substance
OF things hoped for, the evidence
/ of things not seen. And what
shall l more say? for the time
would fail me to tell of Gideon,
! and Of Barak, and OF Sampson,
and of Jephthah; of David also,
and Samuel, and of the proph-
cts: Who through faith sub
dued kingdoms, wrought right
! eousness, obtained promises,
! stopped the mouths of lions
! quenched the violence of fire
; escaped the edge of the sword,
out of weakness were made
strong, waXed valiant in fight,
turned to flight the armies of
the aliens. Women received their
dead raised to life again: and
| others were tortured, not accept
| ing deliverance; that they might
obtain a better resurrection; and
others had trial of cruel mockings
! and scourgings, yea, moreover
of bonds and imprisonment; they
were stoned, they were sawn
asunder, were tempted, were slain
4,
| about in sheepsliins and goat
| skins; being destitute, afflicted,
| tormented; of whom the world
| was not worthy; they wandered
| in deserts, and in mountains, and
in dens and caves of the earth
And these all, having obtained
| good report through faith, re-
ceived not the promise: God
/ having provided some better
! things for US, that they without
us should not be made perfect
Wherefore, seeing we also are
! compassed about with so great
! a cloud of witnesses, let us Law
| aside every weight, and the sin
| which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the
race that is set before us, look
ing unto Jesus the author and
| finisher of our faith; who for
the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross, dispising the
shame, and is set down at the
right hand of the throne of
| God"
/ EfcfOr, oA1 Uaot4u--