Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-11-02

/
has struck such mighty blows for God and
Righteousness come TO you with the same
gospel that he has preached and 10 join
you In all kinds OF work for making the
world better. and | hope To see you all in
your homes and have you all como and see
me, but don't all come at once, and with
out any preliminary discourseS rs to what
propose To o. begin here and now To cheer
you with the Thought that all heaven Is
sympathcticIlly looking on. Seeing we
also nrc compasscd about with so great .
| cloud Of witnesses
Where Paul Stood.
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Gents
pass, or through the Mont Gents tunnel,
| you AFRO In "A few hours set down Mt Verona.
Italy, and In u few minutes begin exam
| lining one of the grandcst ruins of tho
world--tho amphitheatcr. 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
| nil sides the seats rise, tier above tier, I'M
| til you count 40 elevations, or galleries, as
| shall see 1T To call them, In which sat
tho senators, the kings and the %, 600 ex-
cited spectators. At the sides of the arena
and under the galleries arc the cages in
which the lions and tigers are kept with
| out food. until, frcnzied with hunger and
thirst, they arc 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 place. and
that 1t was not only figurativcly, but liter
ally, that ho had fought with beasts ut
Ephcsus.
The gala day has come From all tho
world the people are pouring into Verona.
Men, women and children, orators and
senators, great men and small, thousands
upon thousands come, until the first gal.
lery Is full and the second, the third, tho
fourth, the ilfth-all the way up To tho
twentieth, all the way up To the thirticth
all tho way up 10 the forticth. Every
place is filed. Immcnsity of audience
sweeping tho great circle Silencoi The
time for the contest has come. y Roman
official leads forth the victim into tho
arena Let him get his sword with firm
grip into his right hand. The 25, 900 sit
brcaihlcssly watching. hear the door mt
the sidc of the arena crcak open. Out
plungcs the half starved lion, his tongue
athirst for blood. and, with roar that
brings all tho galleries 10 their feet he
PUSHES against the sword of the combatant
DO you know how strong stroke man
will strike when his life depends upon the
first thrust of his bladcg Tho wild beast,
lame and bleeding. sinks back toward tho
side IF the arena; then, rallying his vast
ing strength, he comes up with ilcrccr eye
and more terrible roar than ever, only 10
be driven back with fatal wound, while
the conhatant comes in with stroke after
stroke, until the monster Is dead ut MS
feet. and the -. 900 people clap their hands
and utter u shout that makes tho city
trcmblc.
q Cloud of witnesses.
Sometimes tho audience came to see q
rncc, sometimes to see gladiators fight
each other, until the people, compassionate
for tho fallen, turned their thumbs up as
an appeal that the yanquished be spared,
and sometimes tho combat was with wild
beasts.
To an amphithcatrical audience Paul re-
fers when bc says, I've are compassed
about with 80 great cloud Of wi ncsses. +"
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. II has laceratod you with many q
wound. You have been thrown by 1t time
and again, but in the strength of God you
have arisen TO drive 1t hack verify be-
lieve you will conquer. think that the
temptation l. getting weaker and weaker.
You have given IL SO many wounds that
the prospect is that il will die, and you
shall be victor through Christ. Courage,
brother! DO not let the sands of the arena
drink the blood Of your soul.
Your lion H. the passion for strong drink
You may have cOntcndcd against IL 20
years, hut 1t is strong OF body and thirsty
Of tongue. You have tried 20 fight 1t back
with broken bottle or empty wine flask
Nay, that l. not the weapon. With one
horrible roar lac will seize thee by the
throat and rcnd thee limb from limb
Take this weapon, sharp and keen. reach
up and get IL from Gods armory-the
sword Of the spirit. With that thou may
est drive him hack ard conquer.
But why specify when every man and
woman has lion To fights II there be
one here who has no bcsctting sin, let him
speak out, ior him have offended. II you
have not fought the lion, il Is because you
have let the l'pn eat you up. This very
moment the contest goes on. The Trajan
celebration, where 10. 600 gladiators fought
and ! /, 900 wild beasts were slain, was not
so terrific rugglc rs that which at this
moment gocs On in many n soul. That
combat was :Ir the life II the body; this Is
for the life of She soul. That was with
wild beasts from tho jungle; this is with
the roaring lion OF hell.
Men thinA when they contend against
an evil habi that they have TO fight IL all
alone. M. They stand in the center of
an immcns. circle of sympathy. Paul had
been rcciting the names OF Abel, Enoch,
Noah, Abr am, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph,
Gideon and ..arak and then says, Being
sompasscd abnut with so great cloud of
witnesses
Before ! .,et through, will show you
hat you fight IN an arena, around which
circle, In galleries shove each other, all the
kindling eyes and all the sympathetic
hearts OF tho ages, and ut every victory
gained there comes down the laundering
applause of great multitude that no man
can number. Being compassed about
with 50 greg; cloud Of witnesses"
On the first elevation of tho ancient
amrhiihcaicr, on the day Of celebration,
sat Tiberius, or Augustus or tho reigning
king. 80, In the great arena OF spectators
that watch our struggles, and in the first
divine gallery, as / shall call II, sits our
king, one Jesus. On his head are many
crownsl The Roman emperor got his place
by cold bl0pdcd conGucsts, but our king
hath come to his place by the broken hearts
healed, and the tears wiped away, and the
souls redeemed. The Roman emperor sat,
with folded arms. indifferent as to wheth-
or tho swurdsman or the lion beat but our
kings sympathics are all with us Nay,
unhcard of condcsccnsionsl 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 not
will help thee! will strengthen thee
/ by tho right hand OF my powcrr'
In the Arena.
The gave TO the men in the arena, in
the olden time, food to thicken their blood,
so that II would flow slowly, and that for
n longer time the people might gloat over