The Penn's Grove record., 1895-11-01
REV. Oh. 7aLuAGE.
The Brooklyn Divine's Sunday
Sermon.
Sub; ,css .Sal Heaven Looking On"

Sub: scss .Sall Heaven Looking On"
Tn subject OF DIR. Talmage's opening ser.
mon in Washington was: A HEAVIER
Looking On" the text selected being the
famous passage from Hebrews xiii, 1: "See
ing we also are comprised about with sc
great a cloud Of witnesses"
In this my opening sermon in the National
Capital | give you heartiest Christian saluta
ton. 1 bethink myself of the privilege Of
standing in this historic church, so long pre-
sided over by one OF the most remarkable
men of the century. There are plenty o
good ministers beside DR.. Sunderland. but
do not know of any mar except himself witt
enough brain to have stood successfully and
t~riumphantly forty-three years in this con,
spiouous pulpit. Long distant be the veal
when that gospel chieftain shall put dowr
the silver trumpet with which HI
has marshaled the hosts of Israel Of
sheathe the sword with which he ha
struck such mighty blows for lot and
righteousness. I come to you with the SAINT
gospel that he has preached and to join Sou
In all kinds OF work for making the world
better, and l hope to sea You all in your W
homes and have you all come and see me
but don't all come at once. And without any
preliminary d~iscourses as to what l propose
to do l begin here and now to cheer you witt
the thought that all heaven is sympathetic
cally looking on. 'Seeing we also are com.
passed about with so great a cloud OF wit
nesses."
Crossing the Aips by the Mont Cents pass,
or through the Mont Gents tunnel, you are
in a few hours set down at Verona, Italy,
and in a few minutes begin examining one
of the grandest ruins in the world-the
amphitheater. The whole building sweeps
around you in a 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. I shall see fit
TO call them-in which sat the senators,
the kings and the u.s. 900 excited specta-
tors. 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 and alone. is condemned to meet
them. Think that Pau himself once stood
in such a place. and that 1t was not only
flguratively, but literally. that he had
thought with beasts at Ephesus."
The gala day has come. From all the
world the people are pouring into
Verona. Men. n 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 filled.
immensely Of audience sweeping the
great circle. Silencel 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 5000 sit breathlessly watching.
I hear the door at the side Of the arena
creak open. Out plunges the half starved
lion, his tongue athirst for blood, aud with
a roar that brings all the galleries to their
feet he rushes against the sword of the COM
blatant. 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 back
toward the side of the arena. Then, rally
ing his wasting strength, he m up with
fiereer eve and more terrible roar than ever,
only to be driven back with a fatal wound,
while the combatant comes in with stroke
after stroke, until the monster Is dead at his
feet, and the %, 1000 people clap their hands
and utter a shout that a the city trem-
BILE.
Sometimes the audience came to see a
race, sometimes to see gladiators fight each
other, until the people, compassionate for
Inc IhlleD, turneu tuelT thuthps up rs an dp-
peal that the vanquishei be spared, and
sometimes the combat was with wild beasts.
To an amphitheatrical audience Paul re-
fers when he says. 1--WE are comprised about
with so great a cloud of Witnesses"
The fact Is, that every Christian man has
a lion to fight. Yours is a bad temper.
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
... VNtr barya ham fhrnuun NV IL TIM
and again, but in the strength OF God you
have arisen to drive it back. l verify be-
lieve you will conquer. l think that the
temptatian is getting weaker and weaker.
You nave given 1t so many wounds that the
prospect Is that it will die, and you shall be
victor, through Christ. Courage, brotherl
Do moi let the sands of the arena drink thu
blood Of YOU soull
Your lion Is the passion for strong drink.
You may nave contended against it twenty
years, but it is strong OF body and thirsty Of
tongue. You nave tried 10 fight 1t back
with broken bottle oil empty wine flask.
Nav, that is not the weapon! With one hor-
rible 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 srmory. The sword of the
Spirit. With that thou mayest drive him
back aud conquer!
But why specify when every man and wo.
man has a lion to fight2 II there be ont
here who has no besetting sin, let him speak
out, for him lave I offended. II you have
not fought the lion, it is because you have
let the lion eat you up. This very moment
the contest goes on The Trajan celebration,
where 10000 gladiators fought and 11,OOO
wild beasts were slain, was not so terrific a
struggle as that which at this moment goes
on in many a soul. That 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.
Men think, when they contend against
an evil habit. that they have to fight it all
alone. No! They stand In the center of an
immense circle Of sympathy. Paul had been
Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph. Gideon and
Barak aud then says, Being comprised
about with so great a cloud of witnesses"
Before l get through 1 will show you that
You fight in an arena around which circle, In
galleries above each other, all the kindling
eyes and all the sympathetic hearts OF the
ages, and at every victory gained there
comes down the laundering applause of a
great multitude no man can number. "Be-
ing comprised about with so great a cloud Of
Witnesses"
on the first elevation of the ancient amphi-
theater, on the day of a celebration, SAT
Tiberius, or Augustus, or the reigning 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 crowns! Tine
Roman emperor got his place by cold blooded
~conquests, but our king hath come to His
place by the broken hearts healed, and tht
tears wiped away, and the souls redeemed.
The Roman emperor sat, with folded
arms, Indifferent as TO whether the swords
man or the lion beat, but u Kings sympa'
,hies are all with us. Nay, unheard OF con
~dpscensionsl / see Him come down from the
gallery into the arena to help us in the fight,
shouting. until all up and down His voice is
heard: fear notl / will help theel l will
strengthen thee by the right hand OF My
power!"
They gave to the men In the arena, in the
olden time, food to thicken their blood, SC
that it would flow slowly, and that for 4
longer lime the people might gloat over thu
scene. But our King has no pleasure In on
wounds, for we are bon OF His bone, hest
Of His flesh, blood Of His blood.
In all the anguish OF u heart,
The Man of Sorrows bore n part.
Once, in the ancient amphitheater, q lioi
with one paw caught the combatant's sword
4 49, 49, 0anohN hfa ahialA