Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-05-15
M mi SB|BD HONOR
The Rev. Dr.. D. A. Cunningham
Preached q Sermon Yesterday
HE TOOK OCCASION TO COMMENT
UPON THE ORDER, AND TO
PRESENT SOME FACTS IN con-
NECTION WITH 1T, AND HE
GAVE WHOLESOME ADVICE TO
THE MEMBERS WHO ATTEND
ED THE SERVICE.

The Rev. DR.. David A. Cunningham
preached a special sermon on Run
ming Race" at the First Presbyterian
church yesterday, to the members OF all
the local lodges of the Shield OF
Honor, who attended the service in a
body. The church was completely
filed. DR.. Cunningham said:
Members of the local Lodges of ''The
Shield of Honor" You were first Or
ganized in the city of Wheeling, West
Va, in 1887. There are now four
lodges, with a membership of about
eight hundred. They are beneficial IN
their character, and are designed 10
promote mutual friendship, and to fos-
ter scriptural charity. By initiation
fees and contributions regulated by the
rules of your order, you secure a ben
eficial fund for sick members, and also
for what is known as a death benenI.
Forty-seven deaths have taken place
since the organization of 1.-The Shield
of Honor in this city. On yesterday
fioewrs were placed by loving hands
upon the graves of your deceased COM
rades; and on this holy Sabbath morn
ing you have come together to join in
the worship of the living God. My
text is:
Heb. 12:1-'Let us lay 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. :
The subject is Running a Race.
The writer of this Epistle, after call
ing up the figures of the dead-after
glancing round the great historical gall
lery in the preceding chapter, stops
short, with the impression which his
survey had excited still on the mind
of his readers, to give theory OF the
Christian life; or, at least. theory OF
Christian life where the great faith
principle is being really acted on. We
know almost all that is important
about a man, if we know his attitude,
his surroundings, and his aim.
Now, it is these that We find in this
picture of the Christian runner. The
attitude is expressed in the words
which describe the runner realizing the
race set before him, stripping himself
for it, and running it with patience.
The surroundings are expressed in the
words, Seeing we are compaSsed
about with SO great cloud of wit
nesses." The Looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith who for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross
The attitude of the Christian is that
CT competitor in the games. The
writer has left the annals of Hebrew
history and gone to the scenes OF con-
temporary Greek life. He sees the
Christian convert running in the
stadium, or race course, and ne sees
him in three characteristic attitudes.
He sees him measuring the race set be-
fore him, laying aside every weight and
the sin which so easily besets him, and
then keeping at it, running with pa
tlence." You may say it is
(a) The Christian as a thinking
man, accepting his life task
OBJ The Christian as a wise man,
stripping himself for his life task.
(c) The Christian as a consistent
man, discharging his life task.
1t is a view of life he gives us; it is
"a race set before a man" 1t is a
stern, not a romantic view. There is
not much romance about a stadium, OIL
foot runners race course. There is a
good deal of sweat and dust. The foot
is not treading on spongy turf, but on
a trampled arena. There is some ro-
nance, perhaps, in a man entering his
name for this or that race, which be
chooses, but this race is set before d
man He is called to run it, and he
must settle the question with his own
conscience if he accepts the response
bility of refusing to run in it, On the
other hand, if we believe that God has
given us a race to run, it rids us of a
great deal of uncertainty and per-
plexity. There is something into which
we can throw all the strength that is
in us, with the certainty that it is not
being thrown away.
1t is undoubtedly an athletic view OF
life. 1t means work. A man must be
in earnest before he can think and talk
of his life as a race set before him. A
man trifing, or arranging to enjoy
himself, or merely taking curious in
terest in the drama of human affairs
cannot possibly look on life as a race
set before him.
On the other hand, for most of us
who have to accept hard work, at any
rate, as our portion, there is something
inspiring in the idea. We are some
times tpmDtpd To think that VIC orc