The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-09-22
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIyINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: Celestial sympathizers.'

TExr: 81 haze tough, ,eith beasts q
EphssHs.'-I Corinthians XIV, 81.
Crossing the A ps By the Mount Cen
pas or through tee Mount Gems tunnel
YOU are in A few hours set iowa a5 Verona,
Itaiy. AMI IN q few n mites begil exam n
ing one of the iran iest RUNS Of tle World
the ampnithsatre. Tn wloe BUILDING
SWEEPS around you in cree. YoI sand
in the arena wh-re the % uoat was once
fought or the race ran. An on ali 81 les tue
seats rise er a owe tier. ulci Won c1I1r
forty elevations or cal aries, IS | s1all So
fit to call them. in which sat ths senators
the kings and the twenty-five thous8nl ex-
cited So -ctators.
At the sides Of the arena AMI under the
galleries are the cages n which tne hons
and tigers are kept without tool until,
frerzied with hun .er ami thirst they are let
out upon some victim VINO. with ais sword
ami alone. is condemned to meet taen. l
think that Pau himself once stood IN such a
place and that il was nOt only d-urltlveY
but literally that he hal fought with
beasts at Epaesus."
The gala day mas come. From all the
word the 1ple ara pouring into Verona.
Men, women and children, orators aut seu4-
tors. great men ami small, thou an 5 upon
thousands, come until ths first ga. ery IS
full, and the s-cJn i the tniri. the fourth,
the dfth-a'l the way 10 10 the twentieth,
all the way 10 70 tne tairtieth, al the way
up TO the fortietl. Every place Is Fl ie l.
Immensely OF au Hence swse lInc the great
cree. Silencs The time for the con-
test mas come. A Ro.uau official lea is forth
the victim into the arena. Let MIN get his
sword vito firm GRO into his right hand.
The twenty-five thousand sit brsathiessly
watching. Ihear the ioor at the 81 e OF the
arena crsak open. Out piunge5 tne half
starved hon. his tongue ath.rsr for Dloo1,
AMI with roar that orinzs a. the "a ieries
to their feet he rusnes against tae sword of
the combatanr.
Do you know how strong a stroke man
will strike when his lire de3enls upon tne
first thrust or his blade? The wild beast,
lame an blee ling, SINKS bac. toward the
strength, h. comes uo with dercr eye ard
more terrible roar than ev r. only 10 bs
driven oack with fatal woanl, while the
comuatant comes III with stroke after stroGe,
until the monster is dead al MS feet, and the
twenty-five thousand people cap their hands
and utter a shout that makes the city
tremOle.
sometimes the audience came to see
race; someti nes to see ZladlaCors fyht each
other, until the peoo.e, compassionate lo-
the fallen, turned their UhunJ down as an
appeal that the vanqu'shed be spare I, and
sometimes the comoa5 was WITH wild beasts.
To one OF tde Roman ampniUh eaJrical
audiences OF one nunIre1 thousand people
Paul refers wAen ne says: ~ g are COM
passed ABOUT with SO gre AZ a crowd OF wit
nesses." The direct referenc. in the last
passage is made TO a race, GuC elsewhere
having iscussed thaU, | tlSe now PauFs
favorite idea OF the Christian life as a con-
bat.
Inc fact is taat every Caristain man has
a lion to tight. Yours IS ua ts.nper. T4e
gates OF the arena uays en- oyeleI ami
this tiger has come OUT 10 destroy your SOU.
1t mas c-rared yot wita .uAnv wouaI.
You nave zen thrown oy It time anu ayaln,
but in the strength OF God YOU nave arisen
to drive 1T nacs. vscuy bsiisve you Will
conquer. | tlin- tn4b Chs .not4Cion Il
getting weaxsr AM weaker You havs
given it so many woun.s Uh3U the prospect
is tnat il will dle an You sn1ii bs victor,
through Chr.stl Courage, brother! Do not
let the sanIs Oh the arena drnz tue bloo1 OF
your SOUL
Your lion is the passion for strong drink.
You may nave coGteIdei q aims j. tw MY
years, out It is ron OF 10 " ali thirsty OF
tongue. You nave tried u fight it BACK
with broken ootJe o. empty VINE hasa.
Nav! that is not tla wei on. With ous
horrio.e roar ne viii s-lz thee oy Tue tlroa5
Al
weapon, arp and keen CT up AMI get
it from Gols ar nory-tns sword of tue
Spirit. WITH thai thou mayesJ drive hin
back and conqueri
3ut why specify, when every man AMI
woman las a non 10 iiZht. l. t9sre De one
herr who nls no bssettIuy slu, let ri u SPEAK
GU : FIR nun nave / offended. II you have
not gu yht the non, 1t Is because YOU nave
let tue non ca you ~. thiS very m4lt
the contest goes on. The tro an celebration,
where ten thousan { a iiaJors fought ant
eleven tGou-anI Viii beasts were san. was
not 50 terinc struggle as tlaU wnIcn at
this moment goes on N malY a sou. the
com Dat was for the iite or tae o>lv; tdis IS
for the lie o, the soul. That was W.in wild
beasts from the jungle; this IS with the roar
in lion OF neil.
Nm think wnen they contend against an
evi. habit taat they nave 60 ignJ it a.t at'n..
No! Ioev srand IN the calt'e OF al I'M
mense cree OF sympaln.. Paul had ba-l
reciung the names OF A1sl, Ea1cl, NOtl,
Abraham, ,arah, Isaac, JOs-pI, I4Ieoh AL
Barak, and tnen SAYS: "8sins 60 nnassst
about with so great c.oul o. wion-ss 81
Be ore / get through l VIA sloW you mat
you light in al arena around wlicn crtia,
In galleries aDJys elcn oUner nj, tne Sin-
ding eyes ami all the sym1itheuc hearts OF
the ages; anu at every Vi tory gained tn re
comes down the tnun ierlng applause o. a
great m1tilu4e that no man can nunoer.
''Sslne com Ja-saI about with so treat O
clou of witness IS.
Though the arena be crowded with temp
tations We sna l. wtl the angejc hep,
strike the II down n the name of our Gfoi
ami eaD on cir fallen clrc1ss4 D b-ni.
Ing tnrong Of bright ang-uc aces IN swift
wings an lightlinC foot! nail you to day
from the aust an strug &c Of tne arena!