The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-09-21
FIGHTING A LION.
Rev. DR.. Talmage's Thrilling De-
scription Of the Contests
In the Roman Ampliitheaters-He Likens
Them to the Combats OF Those Who
Have Professed Religion-Every
Christian Man and Woman
Has Lion to Fight

AOl nNCh' thC lNSb ~
ing taken from |. Cor. XIV, SO: 81 have
fought with beasts at Ephesus," and
Hebrews xii, /: Seeing we also are
comprised about with so great cloud
of witnesses" The sermon follows:
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Gents
Pass, or through the Mont Cents Tun-
mel, you are in few hours set down at
Verona, Italy, and in few minutes be-
gin examining one of the grandest ruins
in 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 eleva-
tions, or galleries, as / shall see fit to
call them, in which sat the senators,
the kings and the twenty-five thousand
excited 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."
The gala day has come. From all the
world the people are pouring into
Verona. Men, women and children,
orators and senators, great men and
small, thousands upon thousands come,
until the first gallery is full, the sec
ond, the third, the fourth, the ffth-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.
immensely 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 a roar that brings all
the galleries to their feet, he rushes
against the sword of the combatant.
Do you know how strong stroke man
will strike when his life depends upon
the first thrust of his blade? The wild
beast, lame and bleeding, sinks back
toward the side of the arena; then,
rallying his wasting strength, ne comes
up with ticrcer eye and more terrible
roar than ever, only to be driven back
with fatal wound, while the COM
blatant comes in with stroke after
stroke, until the monster is dead at his
feet, and the twenty-five thousand PEG.
pie clap their hands and utter a shout
that makes the city tremble.
Sometimes the audience came to see a
race; sometimes to see gladiators fight
each other until the people, compass
sionate for the fallen, turned their
thumbs down as an appeal that the van
pushed be spared; and sometimes the
combat was with wild beasts.
To one of the Roman amphitheatrica
audiences Of 100000 people Paul refers
when he says: eve are compasset
about with so great a crowd of witness
es." The direct reference in the last
passage is made to a race, but elsewhere
having discussed that, take now Paul.
favorite idea of the Christian life as
combat.
The fact is that every Christian mar
has lion to fight. Yours is bad tenn
per. The gates of the arena have beer
opened, and this tiger has come out t.
destroy your soul. 1t has lacerated yor
with many wound. You have beer
thrown by it time and again, but in tn,
strength of God you have risen to driv,
it back. verify believe you will con
quer. think that the temptation i
getting weaker and weaker. You hav
given it so many wounds that the pros
pect is that it will die, and you shall b
victor, through Christ. Courage, broth
err! Do not let the sands of the aren;
drink the blood of your soul
Your lion is the passion for stron
drink. You may have contended agains
It for twenty years; but it is strong o
, body and thirsty of tongue. You hav
tried to fight it back with broken bot
, tie or empty wine-fask. Nay! that
not the weapon. With one horrible roa
he will seize thee by the throat an
, rend thee limb from limb. Take thi
weapon, sharp and keen-reach up an
get it from Gods armory; the sword G
the spirit. With that thou mayst driv
him back and conquer
, But why specify, when every ma
and woman has a lion to fight? If ther
, be one who has no besetting sin, IL
{ him speak out: for him have offended
. If you have not fought the lion it is b,
, cause you have let the lion eat you W
This very moment the contest goes OF
: The Trajan celebration, where te
, thousand gladiators fought and eleve
, thousand wild beasts were slain, wa
a not so terrific struggle as that whic
at this moment goes on in many a sou
The combat was for the life of the bod,
this is for the life of the soul. Thi
was with wild beasts from the jungle
: this is with the roaring lion of hell.
: Men think, when they contend again
an evil habit, that they have to fight
!. all alone No! They stand in the Gel
, ter of an immense circle of sympath
a Paul had been reciting the names
= Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Saral
Isaac, Joseph, Gideon, and Barak, an
j then says: Being comprised abo'
: with so great cloud of witnesses.
a Before get through, l will show yc
: that you fight in an arena, arour
!, which circle, in galleries above eaC
other, all ,le sympathetic hearts
ages; and at every victory gained the