Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1892-09-24
REV. DR.. TAIN
VIE EECOKLYN DIVINE's sun
DAY SERMON.

. ~ $3.50
Crossing the Alps by the Mount Gems
pass or through tie Mount Gems tunnel.
you are IN a few hours SEQ down at Verona,
Italy, and in n few minutes begin examfn-
ing one # the granIc>t ruins of the world
the anphirhsGtrc. Tn. whole building
sweep around you IN "A circle. Yoi stunt
in the arena wn"re the combat was oace
fought Or the rare rU1. anl oI all slle, tn.
seats ris-. ter atrvc ter, un.il vou ,unt
forty elevations or Ia1leries, as | snail see
1T 10 cell them. IN when sat the sPn1tors,
tn" kings aud the TWENTY i've THOUSAND ex
cited spectators.
At the SIDES % the area- and under tho
gal!erics are the cage~ sI "hlcl the lions
aud tiger are kept .itnout foo until.
freLz.ri "ith hunger an tnlr.t they are 1t
out UPON SON; vl.tlIn wnD, with III. swori
ani alone, y en- tenIng I u meet tlem. |
thIu& that PAM himself one stool ~ such a
place. anI that IL was not only fl ur Itiveiv
but literally thai he la ".og.h. witn
bensts az i:phc9us
The gala day has cope. From all the
word tue people 8rt pouring into Verona.
Men, women AMI children, orators an SEN
t5Nga a men AMI small. thousands upon
thoueanis, come, until the first gallery Is
ihll, and The srcpni, th, thir |. the fourth.
the hfth-all the way up to the twentIeth.
all the way mp 10 the thirtie;h, all the way
up 10 the lortieth. Every place l. filed.
mn 'iBN9lt III 1I ifbfs : s'trtjIIy tIs RItth
Gree. Silrne.' III. time for tn- con
test HIS cs'ic 4 RI nan oiIicits lea is forth
the victim int IL" arena. LIT him get his
sword VITA firm grip into his rigli hani.
The tWenty lis" thousand sit brrathles-iy
watching near the 'ioor at the 81 i: II the
DreHn cr nj, open. Ont plunge the ht!t
starved loo. his tongue athlrst Tor boot,
AMI wtth i roar that 'rin ; All tt" galleri 5
10 their i,ct he iu-iies against tue sword Of
til. conhtttnt.
Do you know how strong u stroke a man
viii riE" when his iIr lie en- Is upJn the
first thrust oi his blt.iet The wild beast.
lame ani hice tim, slrtG. bac. toward the
side OF III. arena; tnnn, ralIyin3 hl, wasted
strength, II: comes up with fierc:r eye aud
more terrible roar than ever, only to be
driven back witti n fatal wound, while tn.
c0Inlatdnt comes III with stroke ate; STROKE,
until tn" monster is dead at his feet, and the
twenty five thousand peopl" clap their hands
aud utter a shout that makes the ci.2
tretuoie.
sometimes the aulieuca came t. sae a
race, sometimes - 81, glatiator, fight each
other, uIttl the people, compassionate for
the fallen. turned thor thumos down as an
appeal that the vrnqit-hci be spared, and
sometime, thu combat was with wild beasts.
10 one OF the Roman anphitheatrical
AUDIENCES o; one hun lred thousand people
Paul refers when he sa ys: I'VE are com
passed about with 50 great a crowd OF wit
nesses.' HE direct reference in the last
passage is mad to a race. but elsewnere
havin. li>cu sell that, | take now Paul's
fGvoiitt idea ot the Christian life AS a com
bat.
The fact is that every Christian man has
a lion to fight. Yours Is a bal temper. The
gates OF the arena have b en opened, AMI
this tiger has come out to destroy your soul.
1t has lnchratrd you with many a wound.
Iou have been thrown by 1t time and again,
but in the strength of God YOU have arisen
to drive 1t back. | verify believe you will
conquer. think that the temptation i,
getting weaker aud weaker. You have
given 1T 3, many wounds that the prospect
is that it will die an you shall be victor,
through Christ. Courage, brother! Do not
let the sands OF the arena drink the blood OF
your soul!
Your lion is the passion for strong drink.
You may have contended against it twenty
years, but 1t is strong of body and thirsty Of
tongue. You have tried to fight it back
with broken bottle or empty wine flask.
Nay. that IS not TIE WEAPON. With one
horrible roar he will SeiZ, thee by the throat
AMI reni thee limb from LIMB. Take this
weapon, 5 arp and keen up AMI get
it from Cots armory-the sword OF the
Spirit. Vita that thou mayest drive him
back and conquer
But why specify. when every man an,
woman has a lion to fight. II there be one
here who has no besetting sin, let him speak
out: for him have | offended. IL you have
not fought the lion, it is because you have
let the lion eat you up. This very moment
the contest GOES on. The Trojan celebration
where ten thousand gla llatprs fought an
eleven thousand vii beasts were slain, wa,
not s. terrific a struggle as taat which a
tins moment goes ~ IN many a soul. Th'
combat was for tha life Of tue body; this L
for the life Of the spu!. That was with wild
beasts from the jungle, this IS with the roar
lnS lion OF hell.
Men think when they contend against al
evil habit That they lavctO tight 1t al alona
No! Trey stand III the centre OF an np
mpnse circlc OF sympathy, Paul had beer
recitinr tile names ot Ab.t. Euoch, Noah
Abraham, sarah, Isaac, JOS phi. Gideon anc
Barak, and then says: beng codlpaSSe
al Cut VITA - great I clou OF witness.
Fefore | -rt through | viii SHOW You itia
Won ii-bt III al arena around whicn c'rtl-
~ galleries ABOVE clcl other, all the XII
dnng "y,, an ali the >ynr, tthehc carts q
f, the aye sutat .vtry victory gained th@r
comes 1o"A III tuuu ierlnI applause ..
great mlltltu &c that no man can number
',hei1- comprised about with 50 great
Ci"li ot Witnesses
cough tn" arena bc crow lei with taulp
ttt!nnS w snal, with the an 5eic bel,
strike them down III tn, name of our tt
''tA thti&A tN<'N ~ ltIt
lnG throng Of bright angelic faces AM swl
wings An lightning foot / hail Won to-da
from the uu>t An struggle Of the arena
look a&iln AMI SO the gallery al III
prophets AMI apostles. VINO are tho
.nf@ltN oats III Nan Ter Hosea AMI Jer,
llr'h AMI pini~, AMI Isaiah and Pau an
1T { attd John ami james. There 81,
>o9r, wattInr for AIT the world to come int
the ARK; ant Moses, waiting till thu las
t."i SEA >hall divide: ami Jerenian. waltlu
ior tn2 Jews 10 return: and John of th
Aloc1lvl>,, waiting tor the swearing Of III
angel that lime shall be no longer. Gloriou
spirits. Ne were hOwlel at. We were stones
We "tr"~plt upon They nave been in tn
ight themselves. an they are all with us
tartp! knows all about lions. Paul folvi
with haI~,>at r. >he>u>.
IN ~" ancient a.nphltheatre the peool
* Soexelte that they would shout from IN
&aIieries II the men IN the arena AT i
AGAIN Forward" One more stroke
"l-poh OUT Fall back Huzza, Huxza,
20 IN that gallery, prophetic and apostoli,
iheF cannot keep Their peacs. : Dame. erie
our. "FhN Goi VIII deliver thee from th
mouta " the lions David exc.ainls. ~
VIII not suffer this foot 70 ba moved" lSaia
calls out, Fear not, | am with IN -, I
not dis navel" Paul exciaims. Victor
ihrouch cur Lord Jesus Christ This
thrun, - pr iphets AMI apostles cannot Ike
>tli. They make the we.kin ran W