The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-03-10
LESSON YMkRCAs12
.aERoEsI AND MAR.rYRe "a FAITn.

VIH y utt HlAnoll S-I1.
EkoEsg AND MARTINS OF FAITH.
soN5TExT-Hsb. nj; 11:a.
] G0EsDENF TEIXT-Let uS run With pa
tiehgs thd race that 10 Isetl before us
et9 Sss2 issiitSs sea aathos ana O''
There are two kinds Of herotam fol
which medals are awarded In this
country. Congress- confers 9 medal
of honor for distinguished services
and Extraordinary heroism In war.
srhs Carnegie hero fund In peace"
bestows medals and pecuntary reoog'
milton for heroic deeds performed In
preserVing and reBcuing human life,
and the first medal thus issued was
given to- q boy for rescuing another
boy from drowning.
I.8EaIth Defined, v. 4. This is per.
haps the most quoted and succtncs
definition We have OF faith. What fol-
lows Is but the illustration and ap.
aplication Of the fact. Faith is an "as
Barance" Or. w. The ground Of this
assurance and conviction is the word
OF God. tsee Rom. 1o:17). The only
sure ground for a dynamic and intel
SIgent faith is Gods word: put to the
iacid test Of experience it never fails.
90. Faith Declared, w. q, 8. Faith
had been declared and manifested by
many illustrations before the death Of
stephen:
(a) Abel, at the risk of his brothers
anger, obeyed the unseen God and
earned his approval: his heroic, mar
3tyred spirit still speaks to men ". A..
(b) Enoch, the diligent seeker after
God, In a world Of lawlessness lived q
life we1l.ploaslng to him through a
faith that made his presence real (vN
SEQ.
Coz Noah WI, a lonely man OF faith
S(Gen. 6: 80, chose the unseen God and
preached Righteousness, rather than
avoid the ridicule Of his nefghborR
Noah reckoning the invisible. as tan
gibIe, continued to build his ark and
became q blessing to the race.
td) Abraham and Sarah GID. Not
knowing whittier they went, by faith
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 Il ". 10). Their faith re-
deemed them from the mere emigrant
character. They Cooked for city,
witch had foundations, whose builder
Ind maker is God" * \; ~,
NJ (e) Moses t(23.2s) showed ;hisE faith
By right choice. He weighed values
Ind had respect unto thelrecompenSe
,bf 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-
sdemption of the world, as being Of
greater riches than the treasures OF
Egypt"
These, and others not mentioned,
IRE Summarized by their having ac1
com lished ten different things. t32.
:x0). They performed great deeds of
5hefoism t82:84); they endured great
suffering and persecution (36,36). All
,pf this suffering was to issue in Q
greater reward with the glory that
was to come (Rom. S:18, II Cor. .4:17,
iis). All these men OF faith obtained
,hsgood report" N
\ 900. Faith Demanded, 12: 4,2. The
Holy Spirit has given us this long list
oflheroes as an exhortation to stir up
those living TO the performance Of
their duty. The roll call of triumphant
heroes is not yet completed. All these
mentioned are witnesses, not onlook-
era. These are they who have testi.
jnad to God and to the truth Of his
word. In the light OF this testimony
md on the Same ground of their tes.
'ttmony, We are to do several things:
Ito clay 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.
"The sin that doth so easily ,beset
lns."s Literally. that wrap themselves
about us as an illftting garment, and
which trip or impede the runners
progress. These sins mot SIM are
those little devil habits and practices
IWhich must, for that reason, be laid
,R6ide.
run with patience the race set
before u.s." There must be steadfast-
ness and endurance. II church mem.
lbergSwere as faithful In following up
~ the average business house iH, we
would have less Of lapsed, church mem'
TARA and fewer bows and girls who