Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-09-10
CHRISTIAN WARFARE.
DR.. Talmage Discourses on a Fruit
full Theme.
The Lions That Confront tho Just In
Their Pathway Through Life - Tho
Sword of tho Spirit the Weapon
With Which TO Conquer.

llCuJlOu InlS WccN IN cHLlJleu' OclcS-
stial Sympathizers," the text being
taken from l. Corinthians, XIV. SO: II
have fought with beasts ut Ephesus. "
Hebrews xii. 1: Seeing we also are
.compassed about with so great n cloud
of witnesses"
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Gents
pass, or through the Mont Gents tunnel,
you are in few hours set down mt Yer
ona, Italy. and in few minutes begin
examining one of the grandest ruins in
the world-thc Ampitheater The
whole building sweeps around you in n
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 Gle
vations, or galleries, rs ! shall see fit to
call them, in which sat the senators,
the kings, and the $4,000 excited spec
tators. 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 hun
ger 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 it was not only
fgurativcly, but literally, that he had
fought with beasts at Ephesus."
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 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
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 $4,000 sit
breathlessly watching. hear the door
mt the side of the arena crcalS open.
Out plunges the half. starved lion, his
tongue athirst for blood, and, with Il
roar that bringsall the galleries to their
feet, he rushes against the sword of the
combatant. Do You know how
strong stroke man will
strike when his life depends upon the
first thrust Of his blade? The wild
beast. ln,nc and bleeding, sinks back
toward the side of the arena; then, raj
lying his wasting strength, he comes
up with fiercer eye and more terrible
roar than ever, only to be driven back
with fatal wound. while the combat
ant comes in with stroke after stroke,
until the monster is dead at his feet,
and the $4,000 people clap their hands
and utter shout that makes the city
tremble.
To one of the Roman amphitheatrical
audiences of 100, 900 people Paul refers
when he says: 1--WE are comprised
about with so great crowd of wit
nesses." The direct reference in the
last passage is made to race; but else
where having discussed that, l take
now Pauls favoritc 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 q wound. You have been
thrown by it time and again, but in the
strength of God you have arisen to drive
it back. l verify believe you will con-
uuer. think that the temptation is
getting weaker and weaker. You have
given it so many wounds that the pros
pect is that it will die, and You shall
be the victor, through Christ. Courage,
brother 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 acknowledgements
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 flask. 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 weap-
on, sharp and keen-reach up and get
it from Gods armory: the sword of the
Spirit With that thou mayest drive
him back and conquer!
But, why specify, when every man
and woman has lion to fight. II 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 because you have let the lion
eat You up. This very moment the con-
test goes on. The Trajan celebration,
where 10, 900 gladiators fought, and H.
900 wild beasts were slain, was not so
terrific struggle as that which ut this
moment goes ON in many a soul. The
combat was for 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.
Men think, when they contend against
an evil habit, that they have to fight it
all alone. MOI They stand in the CEN