Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-09-15
HEAVENLY HELPERS.
Or. TALMAeE breaches TO AN
IMMENSE LONDON AUDIENCE.

the Struggle Of st. Paul with Beasts ut
EPhesus Was but Type of the strug-
gle Every Soul Must Have with Evil.
sympAthizlns Witnesses in Heaven.
LONDON, Sept. 4-The great outpourings
TO hear DR.. Talmage preach continue
Probably the greatest demonstration dur
ing the past month was that at the town
hall, Birmingham, when he delivered three
addresses the same evening to audiences
aggregating $1,000 persons. At Sheffield,
Derby, Leicester, Exeter and Bristol also
phenomenal audiences assembled, the
most cordial welcome being everywhere
accorded him. The sermon selected for
publication this week is entitled Celestial
Sympathizers," the text being taken from
Cor. XIV, 80, 81 have fought with beasts
at Ephesus," and Hebrews xii, /, Seeing
we also are compaSsed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses"
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Cents
pass, or through the Mont Gents tunnel,
you are in few hours set down at Verona,
Italy, and in few minutes begin examin-
ing one of the grandest ruins Of the world
the amphitheater. The whole building
sweeps around you in circle. You stand
in the arena where the combat was once
fought or the race run, and on all sides the
seats rise, tier above tier, until you count
forty elevations, or galleries, as I shall see
fit to call them, in which sat the senators,
the kings and the twenty-five thousand ex-
cited spectators.
At the sides Of the arena and under the
galleries are the cages in which the lions
and tigers are kept without food, until
frenzied with hunger and thirst they are
let out upon some poor victim, who with
his sword and alone is condemned to meet
them. think that Paul himself once
stood in such place, and that it was not
only figuratively but literally that he had
fought with beasts at Ephesus."
GATHERING TO THE SHOW.
The gala day has come. From all the
world the people are pouring into Verona.
Men, women and children, orators and
senator's, great men and small, thousands
upon thousands come, until the first gal.
lery is full, and the second, the third, the
fourth, the fifth-all the way up to the
twentieth, all the way up to the thirtieth,
all the way up to the fortieth. Every place
is filled. Immensity of audience sweeping
the great circle Silencel The time fol
the contest has come. A Roman official
leads forth the victim into the arena. Let
him get his sword with firm grip into his
right hand. The twenty-five thousand sit
breathlessly watching. l hear the door at
the side of the arena creak open. Out
plunges the half starved lion, his tongue
athirst for blood, and with a roar that
brings all the galleries to their feet he
rushes against the sword of the combatant
Do you know how strong stroke mar
will strike when his life depends upon the
first thrust of his blade2 The wild beaSt
lame and bleeding sinks back toward
the side of the arena; then, rallying his
wasting strength, he comes up with fiercel
eye and more terrible roar than ever, only
to be driven back with fatal wound
while the combatant comes in with stroke
after stroke, until the monster is dead al
his feet, and the twenty-five thousand peo
pie clap their hands and utter shout thai
makes the city tremble. 4
Sometimes the audience came to see {
race; sometimes to see gladiators figh,
each other, until the people, compassionate
for the fallen, turned their thumbs dowr
as an appeal that the vanquished b.
spared; and sometimes the combat wa.
with wild beasts.
To one of the Roman amphitheatrica
audiences of one hundred thousand peopl,
Paul refers when he says, "We are com
passed about with so great a crowd o
witnesses" The direct reference in tn
last passage is made to race; but else
where, having discussed that, I take nov
Paul's favorite idea of the Christian life a
a combat.
RATTLE REFnRE Y0Ir