The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1892-09-09
TALMAGE In EUROPE.
EXTRAORDINARY CROWDS GATHER
/ TO HEAR THE AMERICAN DIVINE.

Tho Witnesses to st. Paui's Combat at
Ephesus and the Witnesses to Every
Mans Combat with sin-The Welcome
Waiting In Heaven for the Victor.
LONDON, Sept. 4.-The great outpour,
ings to hear DR.. Talmage preach con-
tinue. Probably the greatest demon
ttration during the past month was that
Mt the town hall, Birmingham, where
he delivered three addresses the same
evening to audiences aggregating 90, 900
persons. At Sheffield, Derby, Leicester,
Exeter and Bristol also phenomenal au-
diences assembled, the most cordial well
come being everywhere accorded him.
The sermon selected for publication this
week is entitled Celestial Sympathiz-
ers," the text being taken from Corin-
thians XIV, 80, ~ have fought with beasts
at Ephesus," and Hebrews xii, /, "See-
ing we also are compassed about with
SO great cloud of witnesses"
Crossing the Alps by the Mount Gents
pass or through the Mount Gems tun-
mel, you are in few hours set down at
Verona, Italy, and in few minutes be-
gin examining one of the grandest ruins
of the world-the amphitheater. The
whole building sweeps around you in a
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 elevas
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 victim who;
with his sword and alone, is condemned
TO meet them. think that Paul him
self once stood in such place, and that
it was not only figuratively but literal.
ly that he had "fought with beasts at
Ephesus."
The gala day has come. From all the
world the people are pouring into We
roma. Men, women and children, ora
tors and senators, great men and small,
thousands upon thousands, come, until
the first gallery is full, and the second,
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 filled.
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.
hear the door at the side of the arena
ereak open. Out plunges the half starved
lion, his tongue athirst for blood; and
with roar that brings all the galleries
to their feet he rushes against the sword
of the combatant.
Do you know how strong stroke a
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 wasted strength, he comes
up with fercer eye and more terrible
roar than ever, only to be driven back
with fatal wound, while the combat
ant 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 shout that makes
the city tremble.
| THERE ARE LIONS IN THE WAY.
Sometimes the audience came to see d
race; sometimes to see gladiators fight
each other, until the people, compassion
ate for the fallen, turned their thumbs
down as an appeal that the vanquished
be spared, and sometimes the combat
was with wild beasts
To one Of the Roman amphitheatrical
audiences of one hundred thousand PEG.
pie Paul refers when he says, "We are
comprised about with SO great crowd
of witnesses" The direct reference in
the last passage is made to a race, but
elsewhere having discussed that, l take
now Paul's favorite idea of the Christian
life as combat.
| The fact is that every Christian man
has lion to fight. Yours is bad tom.
per. The gates Of the arena have been
opened and this tiger has come out tc
destroy your soul. 1t has lacerated you
with many wound. You have beef
thrown by it time and again, but in the
strength of God you have arisen to drive
it back. Iverily believe you will con.
| quer. think that the temptation is get
ting weaker and weaker. You have
given it SO many wounds that the pros.
spect 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. You may have contended against
it twenty years, but it is strong of body
and thirsty of tongue. You have triet
| to fight it back with broken bottle Of
empty wine fesk. Nayl that is not the
weapon. With one horrible roar he vii
seize thee by the throat and rend thee
limb from limb. Take this weapon
sharp and keen-reach up and get il
| from Gods armory-the sword of the
Spirit. With that thou mayest drive
him back and conquer!
But why specify, when every man and
woman has a lion to fight. II there be
one here who has no besetting sin, lei
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 Trojan celebration, where ten thou
sand gladiators fought and eleven thou
sand wild beasts were slain, was not sc
terriic a struggle rs that which at this
moment goes on in many a 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; thi,
is with the roaring lion Of hell.
| THE INFINITE HELPER.
Men think when they contend against
an evil habit that they have to fight
all alone. No! They stand in the Cen
t'-r of an immense circle of sympathy
Paul had been reciting the names o.
Abel, Enorh, Noah, Abraham, Sarah
Isaac, Joseph, Gideon and Barak, ant
then says, Being comprised about will