Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-09-05
HEAVENLY HELPERS.
DR. TALMAcE breaches TO AN
IMMENSE LONDON AUDIENCE.

Ephesus Was but Type OF the ssrug
gle Every soul Must Have with Evil
sympsthizing Witnesses in Heaven.
LONDON, Sept. 4.--The great outpouring
TO hear DIR. Talmage preach continue
Probably the greatest demonstration dur
ing the past month was that at the tow
hall, Birmingham, when he delivered tire,
addresses the same evening to audiences
aggregating $4,000 persons. At Sheffield
Derby, Leicester, Exeter and Bristol ais
phenomenal audiences assembled, tn,
most cordial welcome being everywher,
accorded him. The sermon selected fol
publication this week is entitled "Celestia
Sympathizers," the text being taken from
Il Cor. Nv, 90, II have fought with beast,
at Ephesus," and Hebrews xii, 1, "Seeine
we also are comprised about with so great
cloud OF witnesses"
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Cent,
pass, or through the Mont Gents tunnel
you are In few hours set down at Verona
Italy. and In few minutes begin examin
Ing one Of the grandest ruins of 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 elevations, or galleries, as shall see
at to call them, In which sat the 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 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 1t was not
only figuratively but literally that he had
fought with beasts at Ephesus."
GATHERING TO THE SHOW.
The gala day has come. From all the
world the people are pouring into Verona.
Men, women and children, orators and
senators, great men and small, thousands
upon thousands come, until the first gal
lery 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 mp to the fortieth. Every place
In 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. 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 the galleries to their feet he
PUSHES against the sword Of the oombatant
Do you know how strong stroke man
will strike when his life depends upon the
first thrust of his bladet 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 combatant 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, compassionate
for the fallen, turned their thumbs down
az an appeal that the vanquished be
spared; and sometimes the combat was
with wild beasts. #frt
To one of the Roman amphitheatrical
audiences of one hundred thousand people
Paul refers when he says. eve are COM
passed about with 80 great crowd Of
witnesses" The direct reference In the
last passage Is made to race; but else
where, having discussed that, take now
Paul's favorite idea of the Christian life as
combat.
A BATTLE BEFORE YOU.
The fact Is that every Christian man
has lion to fight. Yours is a bad temper.
The gates of the arena have been opened
and this tiger has come out to destroy
your soul 1t has lacerated you with
many wound. You have been thrown
by 1t time and again, but in the strength
Of God you have arisen to drive 1t back. |
verify believe you will conquer | think
that the temptation is getting weaker and
weaker. You have given 1t SO many
wounds that the prospect Is that 1t will
die and you shall be victor, through Christ
Courage, brother Do not let the sands of
the arena drink the blood of your souli
Your lion is the passion for strong drink.
You may have contended against 1t twenty
years, but ii is strong of body and thirsty
Of tongue. You have tried to fight it back
with broken bottle or empty wine flask,
Nayi 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 IL from God s armory-the Sword of the
Spirit. With that thou mayest drive him
back and conquerl
But why specify when every man and
woman has a lion to fghtf II there be one
here who has no besetting sin, let him
speak out, for him have / offended. If 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 Rladiators
fought and eleven thousand wild beasts
were slain, was not 30 terrific struggle
as 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 jun
gle; 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 MOI They stand In the center of
an immense circle Of sympathy. Paul had
been reciting the names Of Abel, Enoch,
Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph,
Gideon and Barak, and then says, Being
comprised about with so great a cloud Of
witnesses"
THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES
Before / get through will show you
that your fight is an arena around which
circle, in galleries above each other, all
tho kindling eyes and all the sympathetic
hearts of the ages; and at every victory
gained there comes down the laundering
applause of a great multitude that no man
can number. Being comprised about
with 30 great cloud Of witnesses"
On the first elevation Of the ancient
amphitheater, ON the day OF celebration,
eat Tiberius or Augustus, or the reigning
king. So, In the great arena Of spectators