The age-herald., 1899-11-13
Words of Wisdom Preached ty
 Dr. John G. Murray.
NEGOTIATIONS OF ST. PAUL
Eloquent Sermon at the Church of the Advent-"I Influence Upon the Liv- ing of the Dead"-Text
 Taken from Hebrews

mon at the Church of the Advent yesterday
 morning was "The influence upon-the lv-
 ing of the dead, and the virtue of the living,
 necessary to the making perfect of the
 saints" lis text was: "Wherefore, seeing
 we also are compassed about with so great
 a cloud of witnesses, 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.
 Looking unto Jesus the author and fin-
 isher of our faith; who for the joy that was
 set before endured the cross, despising the
 shame. and is set down at the right hand
 of the throne of God" Hebrews, 121-2.
 Dr. Murray said in part: "Who consti-
 to in the preceding chapter-that is Abel,
 Moses, Abraham, Isaac, David and the others, but also all those who have gone
 before us who died in faith, from the gray
 haired sire to the tiny, todding babe. They
 are witnesses in double sense, because of
 what we know of them and also because of what they know of us. Now that's the condition of the world today. We are
 der the influence of those that have gone
 before, and stirred by the inspiration of the
 sight of those who are gone today, and we
 are told in the two preceding verses that
 they, having obtained good reports, did re-
 ceive the promise of God having provided
 something better for us, that they who
 have gone without us should not be made
 perfect The meaning being that upon our
 reaching the goal as they have reached it,
 depends the perfection of happiness. Exhorted by Paul
 Now under the conditions mentioned we
 are exhorted by the Apostle Paul to lay aside the weights of unrighteous think
 ing, of unrighteous reading, or sensual de-
 sires and of everyth thing that ties us to the
 earth and dwarfs our efforts to obtain heaven. To lay aside sin that doth so easily beset, that is, the favorably circum- stanced sin, the sin that, with an almost unerring sense of instinct, takes advantage | of time place, circumstance of temptation. | For instance, the temptation of Satan to | the Savior to turn stone into bread, when he was hungry, to declare his temporal | kingship, when an expression Of such power would ingratiate himself with the multitude, to acknowledge the dominion of Satan, when to have resorted to Satans 1 practices would have made willing sub- | jects of those who, in the face of perfect xirtI1e were inVeterate enemies.
 -'They having laid aside every weight of | sin that doth so easily beset then the ex-
 hortation is to run with patience the race l that is before us. Note the race Is set, II
 is not a matter of chance. It is race that l is determined to the extent that it must
 be run. God has determined this Man l can only determine how 1t shall be run, | whether perseverngly and with patience | or with dilatory effort and lack of patience. l The Goal of Victors
 l "The fisure used here by Saint Paul is based upon the old Olympian games At | uhe goal to which the race was ever sped, l on an elevated platform, sat the emperor | surrounded by the nobles of his court. In | his hand was the wreath of honor, to be be- | slowed on the victor at the goal Jesus, | the author and finisher of our faith, is the l emperor at the goal, the goal itself being | the right hand side of the throne of God | The court of nobles surrounding Him are | the great cloud of witnesses who have gone l before; the wreath of honor is the crown of | Mfe to be bestowed by this Jesus, the son | of God and the Saviour of men, upon all
 vtho win the goal, having run Ithe race that | is set with patience. That all who have | gone before being interested in us and l watching us, cheering, praying and plead | ing for us with the intensity of the love | they have for us, cannot but be an inspi- | ration to us In the running of the race that | is set before us. Being honest in the love | we cherish for them we cannot but do | honor to their memory by determining to l accomplish their most perfect happiness in the putting forth of every effort and the 1 straining of every endeayor to reach the 1 goal of victors. worthy the wreath of hon. | or the crown of immortal hfe."
 | FIRST METHODIST CHURCH