The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-11-01
THE LION IN THE WAY.
Opening Sermon of DR.. Talmage at
Washington.
The Temptations that Confront the Chris
tain Through LIfe-The Sword OF the
spirit the Weapon to Achieve
Ultimate Victory.

Rev. I. Dewitt Talmage in his open
ing sermon at Washington. TO which
place he was recently called, was
greeted by an immense congregation.
The subject of his sermon was: "All
Heaven Locking On the text being
from Hebrews Kill: Seeing we are
also comprised about with so great a
cloud of witnesses" Following is the
sermon:
In this, my opening sermon in the
national capital. give you heartiest
Christian salutation. l bethink myself
of the privilege of standing in this his
toric church, so long presided over by
one of the most remarkable men of the
century. There are plenty of good
ministers beside DIR. Sunderland. but
l do not know of any man except
himself with enough brain to have
stood successfully and triumphantly
forty-three years in this conspicuous
pulpit. Long distant be the year when
that gospel chieftain shall put down
the silver trumpet with which he has
marshaled the hosts of Israel. or
sheathe the sword with which he has
struck such mighty blows for God and
righteousness. l come to You with the
same gospel that he has preached and
to join you in all kinds of work for
making the world better. and | hope
TO see you all in your own homes and
have you all come aud see me, but
don't all come at once: and without
any preliminary diScourses as to what
] propose to do | begin here and now
to cheer YOU with the thought that all
Heaven is sympatheticallv looking on.
''Seeing we also are comprised about
with 50 great a cloud of witnesses"
Crossing the Alps by the Mount Cents
pass. or Through the Mount Gents tun-
mel. YOU are in few hours set down at
Verona. Italy, and in few minutes
begin examining one Of the grandest
ruins of the world amphitheater.
The whole building sweeps around you
in 4 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 tit to call them. in which sat the
senators, the kings and the -. 600 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 alone, is condemned to meet
them. think that Paul himself once
stood IN such a place, and that it was
not only figuratively, but literally,
that he had fought wild beasts at
Ephesus.
The gala day mas 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 tifth-all the
vav up to the twentieth, all the way
mp 20 the thirtieth, all the way up to
the fortieth. Every place is filed. I'm
mensity of audience sweeping the
great circle Silence! The time for
the great 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. l
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
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. rallvinr his wasting strength,
he comes up with tiercer 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 $4,000 people clap
their hands and utter shout that
makes the city tremble.
To an mphitheatrical audience
Paul refers when he says: We are
compassed about with so great cloud
of witnesses.
The fact is that every Christian man
has a lion to fight. Yours is bad
temper The gates of the arena have
u
out TO destroy your soul lthas lacer-
ated you with many wound. You
have been thrown by it time and
again. but in the strength of God you
have arisen to drive Il 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 it
will die. and you shall be victor,
through Christ Courage, brother! Do
not let the sands of the arena drink
abe blood of your soul!
Your lion is the passion for strong
drink. You may have contended
against it for 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.
Nav! 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-reGch up and get 1t from Gods
armorv: the Sword of the Spirit.
With that thou mayest drive him back
and conquer!
But why specify, when every man
and woman has a 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. il is because you have let the lion
eat you up. This very moment the
contest goes on. The Trajan celebra-
ton. where 10000 gladiators fought,