IN THE PROSECUTION OF this race, a great host of witnesses or testifiers surrounds us. “We are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses”. Those who have preceded us in the life of faith, surround us as witnesses to the power of faith. As testifiers, they are examples to the might of that principle by which we are called to run our course successfully, and fight our warfare nobly, and do our life’s work faithfully. The writer would teach us to think often of this great cloud of witnesses, to meditate upon the noble lives and glori­ous deeds of the true men who have gone before us; that by the remembrance of their trials and triumphs we may arouse ourselves to greater diligence in running the race that is set before us. In them we see what trials can be borne, what victories won, what work accomplished, what characters built up by faith. If by faith they overcame every difficulty, why should we be discouraged by the difficulties of our course? If by faith they conquered their many and mighty enemies, why should we dread to encounter our foe? If by faith, despite outward op­position and inner weakness, they came off victors in the fight and winners of the race, why should we despond and shrink from the contest? “Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses”.