thereby place themselves in company with the great saints of all past ages. These great heroes of faith from the ancient world had many things in common: (1) they all exercised a faith which had confidence in things hoped for and had conviction regarding things unseen; (2) they all met opposition from perverse persons and from adverse things; (3) they all had ample opportunity to renounce their faith and return to their former life; (4) but they all persevered in faith, confessing themselves to be
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