News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1892-09-08

! 10 one or the roman am ph1theatr1cal
audiences of one hundred thousand peo-
pie Paul refers when he says, eve are
icompassed 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 combat
The fact is that every Christian man
has lion to fight. Yours is bad tenn
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 beeL
thrown by it time and again, but in the
strength of God you have arisen to drive
lit back. verify believe you will con-
quer. think that the temptation is get
ting weaker and weaker. You have
given it so many wounds thatsthe pros
spect is that it will die and you shall be
victor, through Christ. Courage, broth
Ier! 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
it twenty years, but it is strong of body
and thirsty of tongue. You have tried
ito fight it back with broken bottle or
empty wine fiesk. Nay! 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 it
from Gods armory-the sword of the
Spirit. With that thou mayest drive
him back and conquerl
But why specify, when every man and
woman has lion to fight If there be
one here who has no besetting sin, let
him speak out; for him have L 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
kand wild beasts were slain, was not 50
terrific a 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 jungle; this
is with the roaring lion of hell
THE INFINITE HELPER.
EIen think when they contend against
AN evil habit that they have to fight it
MI slone. No! They stand in the CEN
tel n an immense circls/o3 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
80 great a cloud of witnesses"
Before get through / will show you
fiCrAt IN ,5.I,
circle, in galleries above each other, all
the kindlihg eyes and all the sympa-
thetic hearts of the ages; and at every
victory gained there comes down the
laundering applause of a great multi
tude that no man can number. 'Being
compassed about with so great cloud
of witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient
amphitheater, on the day of a celebra-
ton, sat Tiberius or Augustus, or the
reigping king. So, in the great arena
of spectators that watch our struggles,
and in the first divine gallery, as | shall
call it, sits our King, ,one Jesus. On his
head are many crownsl The Roman
emperor got his place by cold blooded
conquests; but our King hath come to
lis place by the broken hearts healed,
and the tears wiped away, and the souls
redeemed. The Roman emperor sat
With folded arms Indifferent as to
whether the swordsman or the-lion beat;
but our Kings sympathies are. all with
rs. Nay, unheard Of condescensioni 1
see him come down from the gallery
into the arena to help us in the fight,
thouting until all up and down his voice
is heard: Fear notl l will help thee!
1 will strengthen thee by the right hand
of my powerr'
They gave to the men in the arena in
the olden time food to thicken their |,
blood, SO that it would flow slowly, and
that for longer time the people might
gloat over tbe scene. But our King has
no pleasure in our wounds, for we are