Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-09-09
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divlna's sub
day Sermon
Subject. celestial sympnlI.i,sr,.''

Italy, and in few minutes begin examin.
ing one of the grandest ruins Of the world
the amphitheatre. The whole building
sweeps around you in circle. You stand
in the arena where the combat was once
fought or the race run, au1 on all sides the
seats rise. tier above tier. until you count
forty elevations or galleries, as / shall see
TT to call them. in which sat the senators,
the kings and the twenty-five thousand ex-
cited spectators.
At the sides Of the arena aud under the
galleries are tue cages in which the lions
and tigers are kept without fool until.
freDzied with hunger and thirst they are let
out upon some victim who, WITH his sword
and alone, is condemned 10 meet them |
think that Paul himself oncs stood in such a
place, and that it was not only fguratively
but literally that he had fought with
beasts at Ephesus.7
The gala day has come. From all the
world the people ara pouring into Verona.
Men, women and children, orators and sens
tors, 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 filed.
immensely 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 with firm grip into his right hand.
The twenty-five thousand sit breathlessly
watching Ihear the door at the side of tbs
arena creak open. Out plunges the half
starved lion, his tongue athlrst for bloo1,
and with a roar that brings all the galleries
20 their feet he rushes against the sword OF
the combatant
DO you know how strong a stroke a man
will strike when his life depends upon the
1rst thrust of his blade? The wild beast,
ame AMI bleeding, sinks back toward the
ide of the arena then, rallying his wasted
strength, he comes up with fiercar eye aud
more terrible roar than ever, only to bs
driven back with a fatal wound, while tho
| combatant comes I'm 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
tremblc.
Sometimes the audience came to $40 a
/ race; sometimes to SEQ gladiators fight each
other, until the people, compassionate for
the fallen. turned their thumbs down as an
appeal that the yanquished be spared aud
| sometimes the combat was with wild beasts,
To one Of the Roman amphitheatrical
| audiences of one hundred thousand people
! WHtu ut SAles W . dio CUM
passed about with so great a crowd OF wit.
nesses" The direct references In the last
passage is made to a race, but elsewhere
having discussed that | take now PauPs
avorite idea o. the Christian life as a COM
| Bat
The fact is that every Christian man has
lion to fight Yours is bad temper. The
yates of the arena have been opened, an |
/ his tiger has come out to destroy your soul.
! Il has iacarated you with many wound d,
! You have been thrown by it time and again,
/ INIT in the strength of God YOU have arisen
to drive il back | verify believe you will
conquer. think that the temptation is
getting weaker and weaker You have
! given It so many wounds that the prospect
/ Is that it will die AM 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 pas ion for strong drink.
You may have contended against it twenty
years, but 1t is strong Of bo1y aud thirsty OF
tongue. You have tried to fight it back
with broken bottle or empty wins flask.
Nav that is not the weapon. With one
horrible roar he will s,ize thee by the throat
and rend thee limb from limb. Take tlis
weapon. sharp and keen-reacl up and get
il from Gods arnory-the sword OF the
Spirit With that thou mayest drive him
back and conquer
But why specify, when every man an
woman has lion to fight. II there be one
here who has no besettiug sin, let him SPEAK
ont: for him have offended. II 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 glaliators fought an
eleven thousand wild beasts were slain, wa
not 50 terrific struggle As taat which a
this moment goes on in many soul. IN
combat was for the life Of the body, this /
for the life of the soul. That was with wild
beasts from the Jungle; this is with the roar
ing lion of hell.
Men think when they contend against al
evil habit that they have to fight it all alone
No. They stand in the centre OF an i'm
mense circle Of sympathy Paul had bee
recitiug the names Of Absl. Enocl, Noah
Abraham. Sarah, Isaac, Joseph. Gideon 4
Barak, and then says Being compass
about with so great a cloud Of witnesses.
Before get through | will show you tna
YOU fight in an arena around which crcl
in galleries above each other all the kir
ding eyes and all the sympathetic hearts q
the ages: and at every victory gained IN II
comes down the laundering applause o.
great multitude that no man can NUMBER
-.ng complsssd about with 50 great
CiOu 4 OF witnesses"
Though the arena DC crowded With temp
tations we snail, VIII the lyeHc he,p
strike them down in the name of or Go
and leap on their fallen clrclss9s. 0 bend
ing thron2 of bright angelic faces AMI swift
wings AMI lightning foot hail you TO dal
from the dust and struggle of the arena
/ look again and see the gallery o. IN
prophets and apostles. Who ara thos.
mighty ones up yonder? Hosea and Jere
miah and Daniel and Isaiah and Paul anl
/ Peter and John and James. There sit
/ Noah, waiting for all the world to come int
/ the ark: and Moses, waiting till the las:
/ Red Sea shall divide: and jeremiah, waiting
! for the Jews to return. and John, OF the
| Apocalypse, waiting for the swearing OF IN
angel that Time shall be no longer Gloriou,
spirits We we're howle1 at; ye were stoned
We were spit upon They have been in this
/ fight themselves, and they are all with us
Daniel knows all about lions. Paul fought
witt beasts at Ephesus
In the ancient ainphitheatre the people
got so excited that they would shout from tn
galleries to the men in the arena; AT it
again" Forward Zone more stroke ~
LOOK outr Fall back" Huzzal Huzzlr'
So in that gallery prophetic and apostolic
they cannot keep their peac'. Daniel cries
out, Thy Col will deliver thea from the
mouth of the lionsw Davil exc,aims, "He
will not suffer thy foot to be movedr' Isaiah
calls out. Fear not | am with thee. Be
not dismayed" Paul exclaims. "Fic5ory
through our Lord Jesus Clrist" That
/ thrUng of prophets and apostles cannot keep
still. They make the welkin ring with
/ shouting and halleluiahs.
/ look again AMI / sec the gallery of the
martyrs Who is thatl Hugh Latimer,
sure enough He woul1 not apologize for
the truth preached, aud so he died the night
before swinging from the bedpost in perfect
glee at the thought Of emancipation. Who
are that army Of six thousand six hundred
and sixty-Sixg They are the The5an legion
who died for the faith. Here is a larger nos.
! in magnificent array-eght hundred and
eighty -our thousand-who perished for
| Christ in the prosecutions OF Docietian.
Yonder is a family group. Felicita' oil
| Rome and her children. Willis they were
diving for the faith she stood encouragn :
them One son was whippsi TO death By
| thorns, another was flung from rock. an-
other was bsheaiei At last tho mother
became a martyr There they are together
"a family group in he1ven. Ion1er n
John Bradford, who said in the fire, we
/ shall have a merry supper with the Lord
to-nightw Yonder is Henry Woes, who ex'
/ claim ed as he died. IF had ten heads they
| should all fall off for Christi
The great throny OF the martyrs. Thsy
had hot lead poured down their throa,s;
| horses were fastened to their hant', aud