Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-09-05
'I'AIMAGE IN EUROPE.
EXTRAORDINARY CROWDS GATHER
TO HEAR THE AMERICAN DIVINE.


Mans Combat with sin--The weIcom.
Waiting in Heaven for the Victor.
LONDON. Sept. 4.---The great outpour
kngs to hear DR.. Talmage preach con
sinue. Probably the greatest demon
ftration during the past month was that
" the town hall, Birmingham, where
he delivered three addresses the same
svening to audiences aggregating 10000
persons. At Sheffield. Derby, Leicester
Exeter and Bristol also phenomenal au-
diences assembled, the most cordial vel
rome being everywhere accorded him.
The sermon selected for publication this
week Is entitled Celestial Sympathiz-
err." the text being taken from Corin-
thians XIV, 80, II have fought with beasts
ct Ephesus." and Hebrews xii, /, "See-
ing we also are compassed about with
30 great cloud of witnesses"
Crossing the Alps by the Mount Gents
pass or through the Mount Gents tun-
mel, you are in few hours set down at
Verona. Italy, and in few minutes De.
gin examining ono of the grandest ruins
bf the world-tle amphitheater. The
whole building sweeps around you ia u
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 eleyG-
tions or galleries, rs | shall see fit to
call them, in which sat the senators,
the kings and the twenty-five thousand
excited spectators.
~ -
the galleries are the cages in which the
lions and tigers are kept without fool
until, frenzied with hunger and thirst,
they are lot out upon some victim who,
with his sword and alone, is condcm9c1
TO meet them. think that Paul him
relf once stood in such place, and that
it was not only fguratively but literal
ly that he had "fought with beasts at
Ephesus."
The gala day has come. From all the
world the people are pouring into We
roma. Men, women and children, ora
tors and senators, great men and small,
thousands upon thousands, come, until
the first gallery 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 filed
Inlmensity of audience sweeping the
great circle. Silence! The time for
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.
hear the door at the side Of the arena
creak open. Out plunges the half starved
lion, his tongue athirst for blood, and
with roar that brings all tho galleries
10 their feet he rushes against tho sword
hf the combatant.
Do you know how strong stroke
man will strike when his life depends
npon the first thrust of his blade? The
wild beast, lame and bleeding, sinks
back toward the side Of the arena; then,
rallying his wasted strength, no comes
MP with tiercer eye and more terrible
roar than ever, only to be driven back
with fatal wound, while the combat
ant comes In with stroke after stroke,
until the monster Is dead at his feet, and
the twenty-five thousand people clap
their hands and utter q shout that makes
tho city tremble.
THERE ARE LIONS IN THE WAY.
| Sometimes the audience came To see q
race; sometimes TO see gladiators fight
each other, until the people, compassion-
hte for the fallen, turned their thumbs
down as an appeal that the vanquished
be spared, and sometimes the combat
was With wild beasts.
To ono of tho Roman amphitheatrical
audiences Of one hundred thousand peo-
pie Paul refers when he says. "We are
compasscd about with so great crowd
OF witnesses" The direct reference in
the last passage Ia mado to race, but
elsewhere having discussed that, take
now Paul's favorite idea of the Christian
life as combat.
= The fact is that every Christian man
has lion to fight. Yours Is bad tenn.
per. Tho gates Of tho arena have been
opened and this tiger has come out to
destroy your soul. II has lacerated you
with many wound. You have bee.
thrown by 1t time and again, but in the
strength Of God you have arisen TO drive
It back. Ivcrily believe you will con
quer. think that the temptation is get
ting weaker and weaker. You have
given II SO many wounds that the pros-
spect Is that il will die and you shall DO
victor, through Christ Courage, broth
eri Do not let the sands OF the arena
drink the blood Of your soull
| Your lion is the passion for strong
drink. You may have contended against
1t twenty years, but II is strong of body |
and thirsty OF tongue. You have tried
TO fight 10 back with broken bottle or
empty wine ilesk. Nay! that IL not the |
weapon. With one horrible roar he will
seize thee by the throat and rend thee
limb from limb. Take this weapon.
sharp aud keen-reach up and get il
from Gods armory--the sword Of the
Bpirit With that thou mayest drive
him back and conquerl
But why specify. when every man and
woman has lion to fight. II there be
Dne here who has no besetting sin, let
him speak out; for him have offended.
n you have not fought the lion. it is be-
cause you have let tho lion eat you up
This very moment the contest goes ON
The Trojan celebration. where ten thou
land glsdiators fought aud eleven thou
land wild beasts were slain, WAS not so
Ierrific struggle as that which at this
goes on IN many soul. The
combat was for the life Of the body;
his Is for the life Of the soul. That was
With wild beasts from the jungle; tLis