The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-10-30
THE GOOD FIGHT.
God and His Angels are the Great
Cloud of Witnesses
Who are Watching Ou- Conflict With the
Enemy In the Arena of the World
We VIII Conquer II We
Have Courage.

Have Courage.
Rev. DR.. Talmage delivered his first
sermon in Washington to an immense
audience. His discourse was based
on the following text from Hebrews
xii, 1: "Seeing we are also co:npassed
about with SO great cloud of wit
nesses."
In this my opening sermon in the ma
tional capital l give you heartiest
Christian salutation. l bethinlI 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 min
isters besides DIR. Sunderland, but do
not know of any man except himself
with enough brain to have stood sue
cessfully and triumphantly forty-three
years in this conspicuous pulpit. Long
distant be the day when that gospel
chieftain shall put down the silver
trumpet with which he marshalled
the hosts of Israeli or sheath the
sword with which he has struck such
mighty blows for God and righteous
ness come to you with tie 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 and see me, but don't all come
at once; and without any preliminary
discourse as to what | propose to do,
] begin here and now to cheer you with
the thought that all Heaven is syInpa-
thetically looking on. Seeing we also
are compasscd about with SO great a
' cloud of witnesses"
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Cents
pass, or through the Mont Gents tun-
mel, you are in a few hours set down at
Vernona, Italy and in few minutes
begin examining one of the grandest
ruins of the world--the amphitheater.
The whole building sweeps around you
in 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
sec 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, frcnzied with hunger and thirst,
they are let out upon some poor vic
tim, who, with his sword and alone, is
condemned to meet them. | think that
Paul himself once stood in such q
place, and that it was not only figura'
lively, 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 senator's, great men anC
small, thousands upon thousands
come, until the frst gallery is full, an(
the second, and the third, the fourth
the fifth-all the way up to the twen
tieth, all the way up to the thirtieth
all the way up to the fortieth. Every
place is filed. Immensity 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 the right hand
The twenty-five thousand sit breath
lessly watching. hear the door a
the side of the arena creek open. Gu
plunges the half-starved lion, hi
tongue athirst for blood, and, with
roar that brings all the galleries t
their feet, he rushes against the swort
of the combatant. Do you know hoy
strong stroke man will strike wheI
his life depends upon the first thrus
of his blade? The wild beast lame an
bleeding, sinks back toward the sid
- of the arena; then, rallying his vast
ing strength, he comes up with fata
wound, while the combatant comes i
with stroke after stroke, until th
monster is dead at his feet, and tn
twenty-five thousand people clap thei
hands and utter shout that maAg
the city tremble.
Sometimes the audience came to sc
a race; sometimes to see gladiators tigl
each other, until the people, compa
sionate for the fallen, turned the
thumbs up as an appeal that the val
quishcd be spared; and sometimes til
combat was with wild beasts.
To an amphitheatrical audience PAT
refers when he says: "We are con
passed about with so great cloud {
witnesses"
The fact is, that every Christian ma
has lion to fight. Yours is ba
temper The gates of the arena hay
been opened, and this tiger has con
out to destroy your soul. 1t has lace
ated you with many wound. Gc
have been thrown by it time and agai
but in the strength of God you ha'
arisen to drive it back. verify b
lieve you will conquer. think thu
the temptation is getting weaker al
weaker. You have given it so mar
wounds that the prospect is that it WI
die, and you shall be victor, throue
Christ. Courage, brother! Do not j
the sands of the arena drink the Dlot
of your soull
Your lion is the passion for stror
drink. You may have contend'
y against it twenty years; but it is stror
of body and thirsty of tongue. W
have tried to fight it back with broke
bottle or empty winefask. Nay! til
is not the weapon With one horrib
roar he will seize thee by the thro
and rend thee limb from limb. Tai