The Penn's Grove record., 1892-09-09
REV. DR.. TALMAGB
Subject: celestial sympath,zer..'

E~phesus.n-I Corinthians w., 32.
Crossing the Alps by the Mount Cents
pass or through the Mount Gents tunnel,
you are in a few hours set down at Wronia,
Italy, and In a few minutes begin examiS
ing one of the grandest ruins Of the world
sweeps around you 10 a circle. You stand
in the arena where the combat was once
fought or the race run, n on all sides the
seats rise, tier above tier, uutii-you count
forty elevations or galleries, as / shall SEQ
1T TO call them, in which sat the senator's,
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
aud tigers ars kept without fool until.
frenxied with hunger nj thirst they are let
out upon some victim who. with his sword
and alone. is condemned to meet them. 1
think hat Paul himself oncs stood in such q
place, and that 1t was NOT only flguratively
but literally that hs 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 sena-
tors, great men and small, thousands upon
thousands, come. until the first gallery Is
full, and the second. the third. the fourth,
the ifth-ali the way up to the twentieth.
ali the way up to the thirtieth, all the way
up to the fortieth. Every place h filled.
Immensely OF audience sweeping the great
circle. SilenceI The time for the con-
test 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 b~reathlessly
watching. hear the door at the side of the
arena creak open. Ont plunges the half
starved lion. his tongue athlrst for blood.
and with a roar that brings all the galleries
to their feet he PUSHES against the sword of
the combatant.
DO yoa know how strong Q stroke a man
will sGrike when his life depends upon the
first thrust Of his blades The wild beast.
lame and bleeding, sinks pack toward the
side Of the arena: then, rallyiug his wasted
strength, he comes up with fiercer eye and
more terrible roar than ever, only to be
driven back with q fatal wound, while this
combatant 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 a shout that makes the city
tremble.
Sometimes the audience came TO see q
race; sometimes to see gladiators fight each
other, until the people, compassionate for
the fallen, turned their rhumbs down as an
appeal that the vanquished be spared, and
sometimes the combat was with wild beasts.
To one Of the Roman amphithestrical
audiences Of one hundred thousand people
Paul refers when he says; I'VE are COM
passed abou with SO great q orowd Of wit.
nesses.r The direct reference in the last
/ passage is made to Q race, but elsewhere
having discussed that, I take now Pauls
~favorfte idea OF the Christian life As q COM
bat.
Inc fact Is that every Christian man has
. lion TO light. ours Is . pad temper The
| this tiger has come out to destroy your soul.
| Il has iscerated YOU with many Z wound.
You nave been thrown ~ i time and again,
but in the strength OF SOD you have arisen
70 drive " Dack. I verify peltevo you VIII
conquer. l think that the temptation Is
/ getting weaker and weaker You hAvs
given u 30 many wounds that the prospect
through Christi Courage protnerI DO not
let the sands OF the arena drink the blood OF
your soul!
Your lion 10 the passion for strong drink.
You may nave COMMENDED against " twenty
years, but IT Is strong OF body and thirsty Of
tongue. You have tried TO fight Il back
with broken bottle or empty WIN mask.
horrible roar he will seiss thse by the throat
and reud thee limb from limb. Take this
weapon, sharp and kseu-reach up and got
IL from Gods armory-the sword OF the
Spirit. With that thou mayest drive him
back and couqueri
6ut why bpoc1Lyp Wneu every Iuan 4ue
woman has Q lion to fight. II there be ous
here who has no bsseetdng sin, let him spcak
| ONT: for him rave / offended. IL you have
| not fought the lion, It u because you have
| let the Ion eat You mp. This very moment
the contest goes on. The Trojan celebration
where tsn thousand giadiators fought and
eaeveu thousand wild bsasts were slain, was
Vol 70 terrific . struggle a. that which q
his moment goes ON In many q soul. Thu
combat was for the life Of the body; this ID
for the life of tho soul. That was with Wild
Leasts from the jungle; this is with the roar
n lion OF he'll.
Men think when they contend against IN
xviI habit that they havet to lght Ii all alone.
moi They stand IN the centre OF an inn
mense circle OF sympathyt Paul had bssu
~rsciting the names OF Absl, Enoch, Noah,
| Abraham. Sarah. Isaac, Joseph. Gideon and
R.rek and then nva: aBeing comna ssad
.hrs,t .jth - crs.t !: cioud ~ v;tresres y
49,. + - thrcrch I vfil sho~ vor that
~nn AM II - .rsns sronnd -hick circI.
~ asifsrsss shc-s ssch othsr All ~ IN.
Mas-H-s@. "a III ~ svmnsth.sc hss.ts ~
uaus ~ .~srv vsdtc-- s.trsd th.s.
w. 11n ~. thuydsrinr .nrssnss ~ !
.ss.s sn,,it,as thsr M mar ~ nnmh~r
Hss;rr nsrnrs.aa .hrrt -;us----.
cios,d n wItpsssss y Nv s'sss :
Thanah n. -. he ~,-d.a Ia
tations re s6ais Win ths snss6o ss,p