The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-09-06
TALMAGE IN EUROPE.
EXTRAORDINARY CROWDS GATHER
TO HEAR THE AMERICAN DIVINE.

EPhesus and the Witnesses TO Every
Mans Combat with SiD-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
stration during the past month was that
at the town hall. Birmingham, where
he delivered three addresses the same
evening to audiences aggregating 30, 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, Il have fought with beasts
at Ephesus," and Hebrews xii, l, See
ing we also are comprised about with
so great a cloud of witnesses"
Crossing the Alps by the Mount Gents
pass or through the Mount Gents tun-
mel, you are in few hours set down at
Verona, Italy, and in u 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 eleva-
tons 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 a place, and that
it was not only fguratively but literal
" 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 aud small,
thousands upon thousands, come, until
the first gallery is full, and the second,
the third, the fourth, the ffth-aIl 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. \ 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 a roar that brings all the galleries
to their feet he rushes 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 wasted strength, he comes
up with fiercer eye and more terrible
roar than ever, only to be driven back
with a fatal wound, while the combat
ant comes in with stroke after stroke,
until the Inc:lster is dead at his feet, and
the twenty-five thousand people clap
their hands and utter a shout that makes
the city tremble.
THERE ARE LIONS IN THE WAY.
Sometimes the audience came to see
race; sometimes to see gladiators fight
each other, until the people, compassion
ate for the fallen, turned their thumbs
down as an appeal thit the vanquished
be spared, and sometimes the combat
was with wild beasts.
To one of the Roman amphitheatrical
of one hundred thousand peo--
pie Pau refers when he says, I'VE are
cOmpassed about with so great a crowd
of witnesses" The direct reference in
the last passage is made to race, but
elsewhere having discussed that, take
now Paul's favorite idea of the Christian
life as d combat.
The fact is that every Christian man
has lion to fight. Yours is a bad terI-
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 beei.
thrown by it time and again, but in the
of God you have arisen to drive
it back. Iverily believe you will con-
luer. l 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
erl Do not let the sands of the arena
drink the blood of your soull
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 tried
to fight it back with broken bottle or
empty wine hesk. Nayi that is not the |
With one horrible roar he will |
seize thee by the throat and rend thee
limb from limb. Take this weapon.
'harp and keen-reach up and ger it |
rom Gods armory-the sword of the
Spirit. With that thou mayest drive
lim back and conquerl
But why specify, when every man and
has lion to fight. If there be
)ne here who has no besetting sin, slet |
him speak out; for him have offended.
# you have not fought the lion, it is be-
cause you have let the lion eat you up.