The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-09-15
HEAVENLY HELPERS
rR. TALMAaE BREACHES TO AN Ina.
kiENss LONDON AUDIENCE. Z q

# r = Z 81
The struEGIe of st. PaaIs With Beasts at
Ephesus Was but . Typo Of the strng-
gle Every soul ntust Have with Evils
Q ,mpathiains witnss,es In Reaven. I:
LoNDoS, Sept. 4.--The great ont.
poufings to hear DR.. Talmage preach
continue. Probably the greatest demon.
stration during the past month was that
at the town hall, Birmingham when he
delivered three addresses the same even.
ing TO audiences agSregatirg 80, 900 per-
sons. A; Sheffield. Derby, Leicester,
Exeter aud Bristol also phenomenal
audiences assembled, the most cordial
welcome being everywhere accorded
h!m The sermon selected for publica.
TIC SLis week ls entitlel celestial
>,'Apathizers," the text being taken
from Cor. XIV. 80, "I have fought with
beasts nt Ephesus," and Hebrews xiii
i, Seeing we also are com passed about
with so great cloud Of witnesses"
Crossing tho Alps bY the. Mont Cents
pass, or through the Mcnt Jenls tunnel,
you are in lew hous set down at
Verona, Italy, and in Il tew minutes be-
or the world--the amrhil heater. rhs
whole building sweeps around you III a
circle. You staud In the arena where
the combat was once fought or the race
run, ana on all sides the sc ITS rise, tier,
above tier, until you count fo;tv elcva-
tiOns, or galleries, as l s.lall see H. to
Call them, In which sal che senators, 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
hons and tigers are kept without TODD,
until frenzied with hunger and thlrs +;
they are let out upon some poor victim,
who with his sword and alone is con-
demned TO meet them. / think That
Paul himself once stood in such place,
and that it was not only figuIatiyely but
literally that he had ''toug ht with beasts
at Ephesus."
The gala day has come. From all
the world the people are pouring into
Verona. Men, women and children, ora
tors and senators, great men ana small
thousands upon thousands come, until
the first gallery is full, and The second,
the third, the fourth, the tltth-all the
way up to the twentieth, all the way up
TO the thlrteth, all the way up to the
tcrtieth. Every place is filed. In
mensity OF audience sweeping the great
circle. Silence! The time for the con
test has Come. A Roman official leads
forth the victim into the arena. Let HIM
get his sword witt firm grip into his right
hand. The twenty-five thousand sit
breathlessly watching. l hear the door
ut the side of the arena creak open. Ont
pl nges the half starved lion, his tongue
atL'rst Tor blood, and with roar that
brings all the galleries TO their ieet he
rushos against the sword of the com :
blatant.
DO yon know how strong n stroke u
nan will strike when his life depends
upon the first thrust OF his blade? The
Wild blast, lame and bleeding, sinks back
toward the side of the arena; then, rally
ing hls wasting strength, he comes up
with hercer eye aud more terrible
roar than ever, only TO bc driven back
with fatal wound, while the combatant
comes III with stroke after stroke, until
the monster is dead Il; his feet, and the
twenty live thousand people clap their
hands and utter shout that makes the
city tremble.
SOnleumes the audience came To see a
race; sometimes to see sladiators fight
each other until the people, compas-
slonate ior the fallen, turned Their
thumbs down rs au appeal that the vau-
Quished DC spared; ;uld sometimes the
combat was with will beists.
10 one OF the Roman amphtheatrical
audiences OF one hundred thousand Deo-
pie Paul refers when nc says, "Wc arc
compassea about with go great crowd
OF Witnesses" The direct reference in the
last passage is made to race; but else
where, having discussed that, | take
now PauPs tavorite idea of the Chris
tian life as combat.
The fact is that every Christian man
has lion to fight. y ours ls a bad tenn
per. fhe ates OF the III ena have been
opened, and this tiger he's come out TO
destroy your soul. 1t hasl acerated YOU
with many u wound. You have been
thrown by 1t time aud az ain, but in the
strength OF God you Lave arisen to drive
= h""k. l verify believe you will con.
quory. think that the tcmptG:;Gn is
getting weaker and weaker. You have
gwen 1t 80 many wounds that the pros
pect Is that it will dies 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
nave tried to fight 1t back with broken
bottle or empty wine flask. Nay! that
ls not the weapon. With one horrible
roar he will selze 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 mayesl drive
him back and conquer!
Before get through will show you
that your fight is an arena around which
circle, IN galleries above each other all
the kindling eyes and all the sympathetic
hearts OF the ages; and at every victory
gained there comes down the thunder
ing applause OF great multitude that no
man can number. being compassed
about with so great cloud of wit.
nesses."
On the first elevation of the ancient
amphitheater, on the day of q celebra.
tlOn. aat Tihariua nr uunotna -. A.