The Portland daily press., 1892-09-10
FIGHTING A LION.
Rev. DR.. Talmage's Thrilling De-
seriptiOn Of the Contests
IN the Roman Amphitheaters-HeL ikens
Them to the Combats of Those Who
Have Protested Religion-Every
Christian Man and Woman
Has Lion to Fight.

celestial Sympathizers' is the title
OF Rev. DR.. Talmage's sermon selected
for publication this week, the text be-
ing taken from I. Cor. XIV, 80: 81 have
fought with beasts at Ephesus," and
Hebrews xii, 1: Seeing we also are
comprised about with so great a cloud
of witnesses. The sermon follows:
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Gents
Pass, or through the Mont Gents Tun-
mel, you are in few hours set down at
Verona, Italy, and in few minutes be-
gin examining one of the grandestruins
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 I 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
thought 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 senator's great men and
small, thousands upon thousands come,
until the first gallery is full, the Sec
ond, 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.
Immensely of audience sweeping the
great circle Silencel 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. I
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
GuG RdllCI1CS W tllClI 1CCUy 4lC IuSlSo
against the sword of the combatant.
Do you know how strong a 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, he comes
up with fercer 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 peo-
pie clap their hands and utter shout
that makes the city tremble.
Sometimes the audience came to see
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
quished be spared; and sometimes the
combat was with wild beasts.
To one of the Roman amphitheatrical
audiences of 100, 900 people Paul refers
when he says: 'We are comprised
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 Paurs
favorite idea of the Christian life as
combat.
The fact is that every Christian man
has lion to fight. Yours is bad tenn
per. The gates of the arena have been
opened, and this tiger has come out to
destroy your soul 1t has lacerated you
with many a wound. You have been
thrown by it time and again, but in the
strength Of God you have risen to drive
it. back. verify believe you will con-
quer. I think that the temptation is
getting weaker and weaker. You have
given it so many wounds that the pros
pect is that it will die, and you shall be
victor, through Christ Courage, broth
er. Do not let the sands of the arena
drink the blood of your soul!
Your lion is the passion for strong
drink. Iou may have contended against
it for twenty years; but it is strong of
body and thirsty of tongue. You have
tried to fight it back with broken bot
tie or empty wine-fask. Nay! that is
not the weapon. With one horrible roar
he will seize thee by the throat and
rend thee limb from limb. Take this
weapon, sharp and keen-reach up and
get it from Gods armory; the sword of
the spirit. With that thou mayst drive
him baeIy and conquer!
But why specify, when every man
and woman has lion to fight? If there
be one who has no besetting sin, let
him speak out; for him have offended.
If you have not fought the lion it is be-
cause you have let the lion eat you up.
This very moment the contest goes on.
The Trajan celebration, where ten
thousand gladiators fought and eleven
thousand wild beasts were slain, was
not SO terrific struggle as that which
at this moment goes on in many soul.
The combat was for the life of the body;
this is for the life of the soul. That
was with wild beasts from the jungle;
this is with the roaring lion Of hell.
Men think, when they contend against
an evil habit, that they have to fight it
all alone No! They stand in the CEN
ter of an immense circle of sympathy.
Paul had been reciting the names Of
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah,
n.