Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-12-01
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

DIVINE.
Subject: "The Wrestlers''-The Time Is
Coming When the Last Mighty Evil of
the World Will Be Grappled by Right
eousness and Thrown.
TEXT: "We wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against princfpalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of tpis world against spiritual wickedness
in high places. .'-Ephesians vi, IL.
Squeamishness and fastidiousness were
never charged against PauPs rhetoric. In
the war against evil he took the first
weapon he could lay his hand on. For IL
lustration, he employed the theatre, the
arena, the foot race and there was moth
ing in the lsthmian game, with Its wreath
of pine leaves; or Pythian game, with It's
wreath of laurel and palm; or Nemean
game, with its wreath of parsley; or any
Roman circus, but he felt he had q right to
put it in sermon or epistle, and are you not
surprised that in my text he calls upon
wrestling bout for suggestiveness? Plu-
tarch says that wrestling is the most artis-
tic and cunning of athletic games. We
must make wide difference between
pugilism, the lowest Of spectacles, and
wrestling, which Is an effort in sport to put
down another on floor or ground, and we,
all Of US, INDUCED in it in our boyhood
days. If we were healthful and plucky- The
J.,
and then sprinkled with sand. The third
throw decided.the victory, and manya man
who went down in the first throw or Sec
ond throw, in the third throw was on top,
and his opponent under. The Romans did
not like this game very much, for 1t was
not savage enough, no blows or kicks be-
ing allowed in the game. They preferred
the foot Of hungry panther on the breast OF
fallen martvr.
In wrestling, the opponents would bow
in apparent suavity, advance face to face,
put down both feet solidly, take each other
by the arms and push each other backward
and forward until the work began in real
earnest, and there were contortions and
stranguIations and violent strokes OF the
foot of one contestant against the foot of
the other, tripping him up, or with strug-
gle that threatened apoplexy or death, the
defeated fell, and the shouts of the specta-
tors greeted the victor. guess Paul had
seen some such contest, and it reminded
him of the struggle of the soul with temp
tation, and the struggle of truth with error,
apollyonic powers, and he dictates my text
to IN amanuensis, for all his letters save
the one to Philemon, seem to have been
dictated, and as the amanuenss goes on
with his work hear the groan and laugh
and shout of earthly and celestial belliger-
ents: 'We wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against pr1ncipalitfes, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places"
notice that as these wrestlers advanced
to throw each other they bowed one to the
other. 1t was civility, not only in Gre
clan and Roman games, but In later days,
in all the wrestling bouts at Clerkenwell.
England and in the famous wrestling match
during the reign of Henry Ill, in st. Giles
Field, between men OF Westminster and
people of London. However rough twist
and hard a pull each wrestler contemplated
giving his opponent, they approached each
other with politeness and suavity. The
genuflexions, the affability, the courtesy in
NO wise hindered the decisiveness OF the
contest. Well Paul, see what you mean.
In this awful struggle between right and
wrong, we must not forget to be gentlemen
and ladies. Affability never hinders, but
always helps. You are powerless as soon
as you get mad. Do not call rum-selers
murderers. Do not call infldels fools. Do
not call higher critics reprobates. Do not
call all card-players and theatre-goers chill
dren of the devil. Do not say that the dance
breaks through into hell. Do not deal in
vituperation and billingsgates and con-
tempt and adjectives dynamite. The other
side can beat us at that. Their dictionaries
have more objurgation and birthstone.
We are in the strength of God to throw
fiat on its back every abomination that
curses the earth, but let us approach our
mighty antagonist with suavity. Her.
cules, a son of Jupiter and Alcmene, will
by precursor of smiles be helped rather
than damaged for the performance of his
twelve labors." Let us be as wisely
strategic in religious circles as attorneys
in court-rooms, who are complimentary
to each other in the opening remarks, be-
fore they come into legal struggle such as
that which left Rufus Choate or David
Paul Brown triumphant or defeated.
People who get into rage in reformatory
work accomplish nothing but the deple-
10, - bnt,
is<uch u thing as having gun so hot at
the touch-nole that it explodes, killing
the one that sets it off. There are
some reformatory meetings to which I
always decline to 60 and take part be-
cause they are apt to become demonstra-
tions Of bad temper. l never like to hear
man swear, even though he swear on
the right side. The very Paul who in my
text employed in illustration the wrestling
match, behaved on a memorable occasion
as we ought to behave. The translators
of the Bible made an unitentional mis-
take when they represented Paul as in
sulting the people of Athens by speaking
of "the unknown god whom ye ignorantly
worship" Instead Of charging them with
ignorance, the original indicates he CON-
plimented item by suggesting that they
were very religious; but as they confessed
that there were some things they did not
understand about God, he proposed to say
some things concerning Him, beginning
where they had left off. The same Paul
who said in one place, "Be courteous" and
who had noticed the bow preceding the
wrestling match, here exercises suavities
before he proceeds practically to throw
down the rocky side of the Acropolis the
whole Parthenon ofidolatries, Minerva and
Jupiter smashed up with the rest Of them.
In this holy war polished rifles will tlo
more execution than blunderbusses. Let
our wrestlers bow as they go into the
struggle which will leave all perdition un-
der and oil heaven on top.
Remember also that these wrestlers went
through severe and continuous course of
preparation for their work. They we're
put upon such diet as would best develop
their muscle. AS Paul says, Every man
that striveth for the mastery is temperate
in all things" The wrestlers were put
under complete discipline-bathing, gym
nastics, struggle in sport with each other
to develop strength and give quickness to
dodge of head and trip Of foot; stopping
to lift each other off the ground; suddenly
rushing forward; suddenly pulling back
ward; putting the left foot behind the
others right foot, and getting his oppo-
nent Off his balances. hard training for da We