The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-09-13

| Paul, In the fifteenth of First C0rinthi-
ans, In speaking of the resurrection OF
! Christ, at once adduces evidence 10
support the fact Of his resurrection.
1t Is a popular notion that faith Is
leap in the dark, but real faith In
the Lord Jesus Christ Is based upon
| good, substantial evidence. In fact, In
order for one to believe In the Lord
Jesus Christ, there must be something
to believe concerning him; otherwise
II would not be possible to believe In
him. Faith In Christ reaches him
through our faith In the facts concern
| Ing him. 1t Is for that reason, that the
Gospel is spoken Of as "the power OF
God unto salvation to everyone that
belleveth." OF course, we know that
Christ Is the Savior, yet the Gospel Is
rightly spoken of in this way, because
1t Is by believing the Gospel which
tells us that Christ saves and how he
saves, that we in thus believing COM
NIT ourselves to him as our Savior.
Faith Based on Evidence.
Now Paul knew that real faith is
based upon evidence, and that 1t is
not simply by urging people to believe
In Christ that faith is begOtten, so we
read of his persuadng the folks who
came to him concerning Jesus Christ
(Acts % :23). This should be les
son to us who, perhaps more frequent
ly than we ought, depend upon eXhor-
tation to lead people to faith in Christ
rather than upon evidence which calls
forth faith. People should be eXhOrt-
ed, but they should also be persuaded.
When it speaks of Paul persuading
them concerning Jesus, it does not
mean that he pitted his intellect and
will against theirs, and by sheer force
tried to make them believe in Jesus.
What he did, as we know, was to pre-
sent evidence for their faith to rest
upon. He did this by eXpOunding to
them "Out of the law of Moses and
out of the prophets" That is, he went
to the Old Testament Scriptures and
tNlu'll'N NphNNih
ing Christ's person and work. AS
result we read, "some believed the
things which were spoken and some
believed not" (Acts 2S :2D. Thus it
always is when the evidence concern
ing Christ Is presented, for though the
evidence be sufficient, some will not
have Christ to reign over them. 1t Is
not with them matter of being con-
vinced of the truth, it is an unwilling
ness to yield the life to Christ and in
that case they would not believe, as
Christ said Though one should rise
from the dead"
A Case in Point.
Quite recently, dealt with one who
processes to bean infidel, and whether
or not he really is one, he was most,
blatant and blasphemous in his talk.
When l pressed him that honesty de-
manded that he fairly weigh the evil
dence and put Christ to the test, he
was unwilling to do so and tried to
laugh the matter, as 1t were, out Of
court. He called "the whole business"
as he said "a myth" and yet venture
to say that he never with real desire
to know the trlth had put himself In
the way of evidence by which real
faith comes. / do not mean that he
had not read the Bible. suppose he
had, but | presume he read 1t under
the blighting criticism Of a Thomas
Paine or Robert Ingersoll. Who
would believe even his own good and
true mother If he always looked at her
through eyes of such bitter enemies as
they and their ilk are of the Scrip
lures? Or, who would ever trust him
self to his mother, If he always came
to her in the spirit Of criticism to find
her faults and never to discover her
virtues? If man desires faith, there
Is a way to get 1t. 1t Is divine way
that never fails the one who honestly
thereby seeks the Lord. 1t is to put
oneself in the way Of faith, and just as
surely as one does, providing he is
willing and ready to believe, faith will
come to him rs the gift of God. Just
as you rip the water from the spring,
If you go where the spring is, so you
can have faith from God If you will
90 where It Is to be had. Faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God" Paul knew where that place
was, and so we always find him rea-
soning with his hearers out of the
Scriptures opening and alleging that
Christ must needs have suffered, and
risen again from the dead, and that
the Jesus whom we preach Is Christ
(Acts 17:1-4).
My infidel friend whom l tried to
get honestly to put himself in the way
of faith would not do 1t, simply be-
cause he did not want to believe
When ! pressed him further, found
he had settled the matter in early
youth. He had turned Christ down in
a revival meeting, which he attended
as boy, and now In maturer years he
Is trying to comfort himself with the
false hope that Christ is myth.
There is time, we know not when:
A place. we know not where;
That seals the destiny of man,
For glory or despair.
II you desire to believe In Christ,
remember that faith cometh by hear
ing, and hearing by the Word of God.