The free press., 1895-11-14
REV. DIX. TALMAG GE.
eEIs EMINENT DIvINE's SUNDAY
aERMON.
Subject: ".AiI Heaven Looking On. -

! Looking On, ~ the teXI Selecteu Delnp TIT
! famous passage from Hebrews xiii. l: "See
| ing we also are compassed about with Sc
| great cloud OF witnesses"
In this my opening sermon In the National
| Capital give YOU heartiest Christian saluta
ton. I bethink myself OF the privilege o.
| 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 man except himself witt
enough brain to have stood successfully anc
! triumphantly fortv-three years In this con-
| spicuous 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 has
| struck sucn mighty blows for God and
| Righteousness. 7 come to you with the same
| gospel that he has preached and to join ' >ou
| in all kinds OF work for making the world
| better. and hope to sea you all in your own
! homes aud have You all come and see me
| bu: don't all come at once. And without any
| preliminary discourses as to what propose
| to do l begin here and now to cheer you with
the thought thai all heaven is sympathetic
cally looking op. "Seeing we also are COM
passed about with 80 great cloud of wit
nesseS."
Crossing the AlDs by the Mont Cents pass,
or through the Mont Gents tunnel, You are
in few hours set down at Verona, Italy,
and in few minutes begin examining one
of the grandest ruins in the world--the
amphiheater. 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 galeries--as I shall see fit
TO call them-.n which sat the senators,
the kings and the $4,000 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.
frenzed 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 Paul himself once stood
in suc! place. and that il was not only
fguratively. 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 senators, great men and
small thousands upon thousands come,
until the first gallery is full. and the
secoud. the third. the fourth. the fifth
all the way up TO tho twentieth. nll the
way up TO the thirtieth all the way up
to the fortietl Every place is filled.
Immensitv OF audience sweeping the
great circle, Silence! The time for the
contest has come. Roman official leads
forth the v.ctim into the arenp. Let him gel
his swor'. with firm grin. into his r'cat
baud. The $4,000 sit breathlessly watchnc.
] hear tho door at the side OF the arena
creak opep Out plunges the half starved
lion his tongue athir5t for blood. and witn
a roar that brings all the galleries to tder
Seet ne rusies against the sword OF the COM
Blatant. Do you know now strong stroke
a man will strike wnen his life depends
upon the first thrust of his blade? The
wild beast, lame and blee5ing. sinks back
toward the side of the arena. Then, raliv-
ing his wasting strength, he comes up WITH
fiercer eye and more terrible roar than ever
only to be driven back with fatal wound.
while the comba'ant comes in with stroGe
after stroke, until the monster is dead n. mis-
feet and the %, 900 people clap their hands
and utter shout that makes the city trem-
be.
Sometimes the audience came to see q
race. sometimes to see gladiators fight each
other. until the people, compassionate for
the fallen. turned their thumbs up as an ap-
peal that the vanquished be spared, and
sometimes the combat was with wild beasts.
To an amphitheatrical audience Paul re-
fers when he says. eve are compassed about
with so great cloud Of witnesses"
The fact is. that every Christian man has
n lion 10 figat. Yours is a bad temper.
The gates OF the arena have been opened,
and this tiger mas come out to destroy your
soul. 1t mas lacerated you with many u
wound. You have been thrown by it time
and again, but in tine strength Of God you
have arisen to drive it back l verify be-
lieve you will conquer. J. think that the
cemptatian 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, brother!
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
wears, but it is strong of body and thirsty Of
tongue. You have tried to fight it back
with broken bottle or empty wine flask
Nay, that is not the weapon! With one hor
rible roar he will seiza thee by the throat
| and rend thee limb from limb Take this
weapon, sharp and keen-reach up and gel
| it from Gods armory. The sword of the
Spirit. With that thou mayest drive him
back and conquer!
| man has a lion to fight? If there be one
| here who has no besetting sin, let him speal
out. for him have l offended. If you have
not fought the lion, it is because you hav,
let the lion eat you up. This very momen
the contest goes on. The Trajan celebration
where 10000 gladiators fought and IL ,O0l
| wild beasts were slain, was not so terrific
|
on in many soul. That combat was for the
life of the body; this is for the life of tn,
soul. That was with wild beasts from tn,
jungle; this is with the roaring lion of hell
Men think, when they contend agains
an evil habit. that they have to fight it al
alone. No! They stand in the center of al
immense circle of ofsympathy. Paul had beel
reciting the names Of Abel. Enoch, Noah
Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph. Gideon an,
Barak aud thea says, Being compasse,
about with 80 great cloud of witnesses"
Before get through will snow you thu.
you fight in an arena around which circle. il
galleries above each other, all the kindlln,
eyes and all the sympathetic hearts OF III
ages, and at every victory gained ther
comes down the laundering applause of
great multitude no man can number. "Be
ing compassed about with so great cloud o
witnesses"
On the frs elevation OF the ancient amphi
tneater on the day of a celebration, sa
Tiberus, or Augustus, or the reigning king
SO in tne greac arena OF spectators tina
watch our struggles and in the first divin
gallery, as ] shall call 1t, sits our King. on
Jesus. On His nead are many crowns! IN
Roman emperor got his place by cold blooae
conquests. but our King hath come to Hi
place by the broken hearts nealed, and tn
Gears wiped away, and the souls redeemed