Democratic messenger., 1892-09-10
TALMAGE IN EUROPE.
EXTRAORDINARY CROWDS GATHER
TO HEAR THE AMERICAN DIVINE.

inc witnesses To ~. Eauls Combat at
Ephcsus and the Witnesses To Every
Mans Combat with Sin-The Welcome
Waiting in Heaven for the Victor.
LONDON, Sept. 1.-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 10 audiences aggregating 80, 900
persons. At Sheffield. Derby, Leicester
Exeter and Bristol also phenomenal au-
diences assembled, the most cordial wei
come being everywhere accorded him.
The sermon selected for publication this
week is entitled Celestial Sympathiz-
ers," the text being taken from Corin-
thians xv. y. Il have fought with beasts
ut Ephesus.' and Hebrews xii, /, ''See-
ing we also are compassed 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 few minutes be-
gin examining one of the grandest ruins
of the world-the amphitheater. The
whole building sweeps around You i'll 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 eleva-
tions 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 ont upon some victim who.
with his sword and alone, is condemned
to meet them. think that Paul him
self once stood in such place. and that
it was not only tiguratively but literal
ly 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 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. 4 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 ut 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 rushes against the sword
of the combatant.
Do you know how strong "A stroke a
man will strike when his life depends
/ upon the first thrust of his blade? The
wild beast, lame and bleeding, sinks
1 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 fatal wound, while the combat
Z dlli ChiiltN III With SAtbht stroke.
until the monster is dead at his feet, and
the twenty-five Thousand people clap
their hands and utter n shout that makes
the city tremble.
THERE ARE LIONS IN THE WAY.
| Sometimes the audience came To see a
race; sometimes to see gladiators fight
each other. until the people. compassion
: M. F.ar tha ull.v ft1rnaI fhoi,. L.
down rs an appeal that the vanquished
be spared. and sometimes the combat
was with wild beasts.
To one of the Roman amphitheatrical
audiences of one hundred thousand peo-
pie Paul refers when he says. I'VE are
compassed about with so great 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 n combat.
The fact is that every Christian man
has lion to fight Yours is bad terl
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 bee.
thrown by it time and again, but in the
strength of God you have arisen to drive
it back. verify believe you will con-
quer. think that the temptation is get
ting weaker and weaker. You have
given it SO many wounds that the pros
spect is that il will die and You shall be
victor, through Christ. Courage, broth
er! Do not let the sands of the arena
drink the blood of your soul,
Your hon 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 flesk. 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 conquer!
But why specify, when every man and
woman has 4 lion to fight. If 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 be-
cause yon have let ;he lion eat you up.
This very moment the contest goes on.
The Trojan celebration, where ten thou
sand gladiators fought and eleven thou
sand wild beasts We're slain, was not SO
terrific struggle as that which at this
moment goes on i'll many 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.
Men think when they contend against
an evil habit that they have to fight it
all alone. No. They stand in the cen
ter 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 compassed about with
SO great cloud Of witnesses.