The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1898-11-18
ANCIENT ATHLETES.
Rev. Dr.. Talmage Uses Them as the
Basis of a Sermon.
rhe Wrestler with q Human Adversary
Made to TypIfy the Constant StruS-
gle of Gods Chosen Against
the Power of Evil.

In the following discourse Rev. L.
Dewitt Talmage selects prominent
Biblical figure to present practical
truths. The text is: 1--WE wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against
principaiities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places" "-Ephesians vi, II.
Squeamishness and fastidiousness
were never charged against Pauis
rhetoric. In the war against evil he
took the first weapon he could lay his
land on. For illustration, he en-
ployed the theater, the arena, the foot
lace, and there was nothing in the
Isthmian game, with its wreath of
parsley; or any Roman circus, but he
felt he had a right to put it in sermon
or epistle, and are you not surprised
that in my text he calls upon wrest-
ling bout for suggestiveness? Plu-
tarch says that wrestling is the host
artistic and cunning of athletic games.
We must make a wide difference be-
tween pugilism, the lowest of specta-
cles, and wrestling, which is an ef-
fort to put down another on floor or
ground, and we, all of US, indulged in
it in our boyhood days, if we were
healthful and plucky. The ancient
wrestIers were first bathed in oil, and
then sprinkled with sand. The third
throw decided the victory, and many
a man who went down in the first
throw or second throw, in the third
throw was on top, and his opponent
under. The Romans did not like this
game very much, for it was not saw
age enough, no blows or kicks being
allowed in the game. They preferred
the foot of hungry panther on the
breast of fallen martyr.
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 un-
til the work began in real earnest, and
there were contortions and strangu-
lations, and violent strokes of the foot
of one contestant against the foot of
the other, tripping him up, or with
struggle that threatened apopleXy or
death, the defeated fell, and the shouts
of the spectators greeted the victor.
| guess Paul had seen some such con-
test, and it reminded him of the
struggle of the soul with temptation,
and the struggle of truth with error,
and the struggle of heavenly forces
against apolIyonic powers, and he &C
tates my text to an amanuensis, for
all his letters, save one to Philemon,
seem to have been dictated, and as the
amanuensis goes on with his work /
hear the groan and laugh and shout
of earthly and celestial belligerents:
1--WE wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places"
/ notice that as these wrestlers ad-
vanced to throw each other they bowed
one to the other. 1t was a civility,
not only in Grecian and Roman games,
but, in later day, 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
a twist and hard pull each wrestler
giving his opponent,
they approached each other with po-
likeness and suavity. The genuf1ex-
ions, the affability, the courtesy in no
wise hindered the decisiveness of the
contest. Well, Paul, l see what you
mean. In this awful struggle between
right and wrong, we must not forget
to be gentlemen and ladies. Affabili-
ty never hinders, but always help.
You are pOwerless as soon as you get
mad. Do not call rumsellers murder
ers. Do not call infideIs fools. Do
not call higher critics reprobates. Do
rot call all card-players and theater-
goers children of the devil. Do not
say that the dance breaks through in
to hell. Do not deal in vituperation
and billingsgate and contempt and ad-
jectives dynamite. The other side
can beat US at that. Their die
tionaries have more objurgation and
Remember also that these wrestlers
went through severe and continuous
course of preparation for such work.
They were 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 un-
der complete discipline = bathing,
gymnastics, struggle in sport with
each other to develop strength and
give quickness to dodge of head and
trip of foot; stopping ii lift each other
er off the ground; suddenly rushing
forward; suddenly pulling backward;
putting the left foot behind the 9TH
er's right foot, and getting his oppo- |
lent off his balance; hard training ford
lays and weeks ana months, so that |
when they met it was giant clutchfng
giant. And, my friends, if we DO not |
want ourselves to be thrown in this |
vrestle with the sin and error of the |
world, we had better get ready by |
Christian discipline. by holy seIf-de- |
nal, by constant practice, by submit |
ing to Divine supervisal and direc- |
ion. Do not begrudge the time and |
money for that young man who is in |
for the ministry, spending |
wo years in grammar school and four |
7ears in college, and three years in |
theological seminary. 1 know that |
line years are big slice to take off a
mans active life, but if you realized |
he height and strength of the archan-
yels of evil in our time with which |
hat young man is going to wrestle, |
Tou would not think nine years of |