The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-11-08
heaven LOOKING ON.
Rev, Dr. Talmage Opens His Wash
ington Campaign.
His Sermon Prsfaeed By n Graceful TrIb-
uss 70 Rev. Dr. Sdaderland-An
Heaven 10 symPathefIcaI-
Iy Looking ON.

TO an audience that packed every por-
ton of the sasred edifice, leaving hun
dreds disappointed outside. The sub
ject was: "All heaven Looking On, :"
and the text:
Seeing we also are compass about with
50 great cloud Of witnc--eS.-Hebrews xii. !.
In this, nv opening serrJA IN The
nation. capital, giTe yeu heartiest
C..rstiaa saiatation. 1 bethink my
seaf of The privilege of standing iB tEis
historic church SO long presided over
by one of the Racst remarkable men of
the century. There are plenty Of good
FaiRisters beside DR.. Sunderland, but
I do not know of any man except him.
self with enough brain 10 have stood
successfully and tFlHmphantiy forty
three years Ia this conspicuous pnlPit.
Long distant be the Year when that
Gospel rhieftain shall put dawn the
silver trumpet with which he has
marshaled the hosts of Israeli 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
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 discourses as to what
I propose TO do, begin here and now
to cheer you with the thought that
all Heaven is sympsthetieally looking
on. Seeing we also are compassed
about with so great a cloud of wit
nesses."
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Cents
pass, or through the Muat Cents tHh-
mel, you are I'm few hours set down at
Verona, Italy, and ia few minutes
begin examining one of the grahdest
ruins of the world-the Aftphitheater.
The whole building sweeps around
you in a circle. You stand in the
arena where the combat was once
fought or the race run, aud on all
sides the seats rise, tier above
tier, until you count f6fty ele-
vations, or galleries, as / shall see
At 20 cali 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 gals
leries, arc the cages In which the lions
and tigers are kept without food, un-
til, frenzicd with hunger and thirst,
they are let out upon some poor vic
tim, who, with his sword and alone, is
condemned to meet them. l think that
Paul himself once stood In such a
place, and that it was not only fglra-
tIvely, but literally, that he had
fought with beasts at Ephesus."
Ia III
tho 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
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, TmmenSity of audience SWEEPS
ing tho great circle. Eilehce! 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. 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
roar that brings all the galleries to
their feet, he PUSHES against the sword
of the combatant 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. rallying his vast
ing strength, he comes up with fiercer
eye 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
twenty-five thousand people clap their
hands and utter shout that makes
the city tremble.
Sometimes the audience came to see
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 sometimes
the combat was with wild beasts
To an amphitheatrical audience Paul
refers when he says: 1--WE are COM
passed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses"
The fact is, that every Christian man
has 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 wound.
You have been thrown by it time
and again, but in the strength of God
you have arisen to drive it back. l
verify believe you will conquer. /
think that the temptation is getting
weaker and weaker. You have given
it 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 wineflaskl
Nay! 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, ssharp and
keen-reach up and get it from Gods
armory; the sword of the Spirit With
that thou mayest drive him back and
conquerl
But why specify, when every man
aud woman has n lion to fight. If
there be one here who has no beset-
ting sin, let him speak out, for him
have / offended. If you have not
fought the lion. it is because you have
let the lion eat you up. This very mo-