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The World of the Apostle Paul ... continued ~
praises in terms which exalted foolish pride to
the very skies, so will the rejected turn with
weeping from the Great Tribunal, to behold
from afar the joy of the redeemed, and to
hear the sweet strains of saints praising in
angelic voices Him to whom alone all praise
belongs.
How the Apostle must have laboured and
subdued his body in order that he might not
become a castaway. The word he uses means,
“not standing the
test,” applicable to
one who is unable to
endure unto the end
to gain the prize of
life everlasting. He
speaks of the prepara-
tion needed for the
race for the crown of life which needs to be
every whit as careful as that of the athlete.
And just as in the games the runner divested
himself of all clothes that might impede him,
so Paul exhorts us to lay aside every weight
and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and
run with patience the race set before us.
At the sides of the course stood the crowds of
encouraging spectators, urging on the runners,
who could look to the winning post and see the
prize hanging thereon. So Jesus endured for
the joy which was set before him: and Paul,
following in his footsteps, could say at the end
of his ministry: “I have finished my course;
henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, shall give me at that day.” We, in our
day, striving towards the same goal are
compassed about by the great cloud of
witnesses of which Paul writes in Hebrews 11,
the contemplation of whose work cheers and
encourages us likewise to endure unto the
end. What if the race be tedious, the toil seem
long? We can see the great prize at the end of
the course, and when the dust and the heat
have all vanished away, and the mind rejoices
in the realization of suffering past for ever, the
righteous Judge will come forth and acknowl-
edge the victors in the presence of all the holy
angels.
Olympian festival shows the extreme rigour
of the conditions. The capabilities of the
competitors were tested, and all who were in
any way unfit were rejected. Inquiries into
parentage and eligibility were carefully
carried out: disobedience to the orders of the
trainers was severely punished. At the close of
the training period the competitors were gath-
ered together and thus addressed: “If you
have exercised yourselves in a manner worthy
of the Olympic Festival, if you have been
guilty of no slothful or
ignoble act, go on
with a good courage.
You who have not so
practised, go whither
you will.” Then all
swore to use no unfair
means to secure
victory, and the contests began. That was
indeed the touchstone which proved the work
of the previous days. Then it was that careful-
ness and strict observance of the prescribed
course earned their reward. Amidst toil and
sweat and bodily discomfort men strove for
the mastery, to gain the coveted Greek prize
of a wreath of dried wild celery leaves,
(Changed by the Romans to a pine wreath) to
hear the loud acclamations of their fellow
men, and to receive honours from the city to
which they belonged. This was the end of all
their labour – a withering prize of dried celery
leaves, to hear the loud acclamations of their
fellow men, and to receive honours from the
city to which they belonged. This was the end
of all their labour – a withering prize and
short-lived glory. “Now they do it to obtain a
corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.”
Indeed, how much better is the crown which
our Lord offers to us – a golden crown (Rev.
4;4) of glory and eternal life. But the condi-
tions are no less exacting for us. None who
have indulged freely in the carnal pleasures of
this life can hope to gain the victory, nor those
who have acted deceitfully or unworthily. To
them it will be said, as to the unworthy
athletes, “Go whither ye will – Depart from
me ye cursed.” Just as with shame and morti-
fication the unsuccessful saw the victors run
on to victory and heard the poets sing their
O faint not brother for thy sighs
Are heard before his throne:
The race must come before the prize,
The cross before the crown. (A.N.)