The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-11-09
TALMAGE's SERMON.
First Discourse to His New Con.
gregation in Washington.
Lsssons Drawn from the Roman Amphi.
theaters-The Fight Against Sin
Likened to Contests In
the Arena.

his opening sermon to his new congrt
cation in Washington to an audienc
that filled every portion of the churcl
and left hundreds outside the portals
His subject was: "All Heaven Looking
On" being based on the text:
Seeing we also are comprised about will
20 great cloud OF witnesscs.-He Kill,
In this, my opening sermon in tn
national capital, ] give you hearties
Christian salutation. I bethink my
self OF the privilege Of standing in thi
historic church so long presided owe
by one OF the most remarkable men o
the century. There are plenty of gooc
ministers beside DIR. Sunderland, bu
do not know OF any man except him
self 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 ha.
marshaled the hosts of Israel, OF
sheathe the sword with which he has
struck such mighty blows for God and
righteousness. leone 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 oil in your own homes and
have you ali come and 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 sympathetically looking
| a1p 4
about with SO great n cloud of wit
nesses."
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Cents
pass, or through the Mont Gents tun-
mel, you are in n few hours set down at
Verona, Italy, and in few minutes
begin examining one of the grandest
ruins of 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 ele-
vations, or galleries, as / shall see
At to call them, in which sat the sena-
tors, the kings, and the twenty-five
thousand excited spectators. At the
sides of the arena, and under the gall
leries, are the cages in which the lions
and tigers are kept without food, I'M
til, frenzied 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 n
place, and that it was not only figura-
lively, but literally, that he had
fought with beasts at Ephesus."
The gala dav has come. From all
the world the people are pouring into
Verona. Men, women and children,
orators and senator's, great men and
small. thousands upon thousands come.
until the first gallery is full, and the
second, third, the fourth. the fifth
nll 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 sweep.
ing 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 twenty-five thousand sit breath.
lessly 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
a roar that brings all the galleries to
| their feet, he rushes against the sword
| If the combatant. Do you know how
strong a stroke man will strike when
his life depends upon the first thru {
of his blade? The wild beast, lame an d
bleeding. sinks back toward the side
of the arena; then, rallying his vast
ing strength, he comes up with fiercer
| 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
twenty-five thousand people clap their
hands and utter shout that makes
the city tremble.
Sometimes the audience came to see
a race; sometimes to see gladiators
fight each other, until the people.
compassionate for the fallen, turned
their thumbs up as an appeal that the
vanquished be spared; and sonnet times
the combat was with wild beasts.
TO an amphitheatrical audience Paul
refers when he says: 1--WE are COM
passed about with so great cloud of
witnesses"
The fact is, that every Christian man
has lion to fight. Yours is 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 wound.
You have been thrown by it time
and again, but in the strength of God
you have arisen to drive it back. /
verify believe you will conquer. l
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, BROTH
err! 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 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 winefaskl
Nay! that Is not the weapon. With
one horrible roar he will seize thee by
the throat and rend thee limb from