Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-03-27

for those who find life a struggle, and
shows that we have many celestial SYM
,, pathizers; texts, Hebrews xii, l, Seeing
we also are compassed about with so
great cloud of Witnesses" l Corinthians
Nv, SO, 81 have fought with beasts at
Ephesus."
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Cenis
pass or through the Mont Cenis tunnel,
you are in few hours set down at Vero-
ma, 1tav. and in a few minutes begin ex-
aminint me of the grandest ruins of the
world, .he Amphitheatre. 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
all sides the seats rise, tier above tier, un-
til you count forty elevations or galleries,
as | shall see fit to call them, in which sat
the Senators, the kings and the 25,000 ex-
cited spectators. At the sides of the arena
and under the galleries are the cages in
which the lions and tigers are kept with
out food until, frenzied with hunger and
thirst, they are let out upon some poor
victim, 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 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 gal
| ]ery is full, and the second, the third, the
fourth. the ffth-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. Immensity of audience sweeping
the great circle. Silence. The time for the
contest has come. A Roman official leads
get his sword with firm grip into his right
hand. The $4,000 sit breathlessly watch
ing I 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 CALLER
sword of the combatant Do You know
how strong 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
tie arena; then rallying his wasted
strength he comes UP with fiercer eye and
more terrible roar than ever, only to be
driven back with fatal wound, while the
combatant comes in with stroke after
stroke until the monster is dead at his
feet, and the 25 600 clap their hands and
utter shout that makes the city tremble.
Sometimes the audience came to see a
race; sometimes to see gladiators fight each
otner, 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 one of the Roman amphitheatrical
audiences of 100000 people Paul refers
when he says, 1--WE arc compassed about
with so great q cloud of witnesses The
direct reference in the last passage is made
to a race; but elsewhere having discussed
that. | take now Paufs favorite idea OF
the Christian life as combat.
The fact is that every Christian man has
lion to fight. Yours is a bad temper.
The gates of the arena have been opened,
| md 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. ! verify be-
lieve 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,
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 for
twenty years, 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 horrible roar he will seize thee by the
threat and rend thee limb from limb.
Take this weapon, sharp and keen-reach
up and get it from Gods armory-the
sword of the Spirit With that thou may
est drive him back and conquer!
But why specify when every man and
woman has lion to fight? If there be one
here who has no besetting sin, let him
you have not fought the lion, it is because
you have let the lion eat you up. This
very moment the contest goes on.
The Traian celebration, where 10000
g,adiators fought and 1000 wild beasts
were slain, was not so terrific struggle as
that which atthis, ,moment.g .goe.s; on in many
q soul The combat was fer the life of the
body; this is for the life OF the soul. That
was with wild beasts from the jungle; this
is with the roaring lion of hell.
Men think, when they contend against
an evil habit, that they have to fight it all
alone. No! They stand in the centre of
an immense circle OF sympathy; Paul had
Noah, Abraham. Sarah Isaac, Joseph,
Gideon and Baral and then says, Being
compassed about with so great cloud OF
witnesses"
Before I get through I will show you
that you fight in an arena, around which
circle. in galleries above each other. all
the kindiing eyes and all the sympathetic
hearts OF the ages, and at every victory
gained there comes down the laundering
applause of great multitude that no man
can number. Being compassed about
with so great cloud of witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient am
phitheatre on the day of celebration.
sat Tiberius or Augustus or the raigning
king. So in the great arena of spectators
that watch our struggles and in the first
divine gallery, as l shall call it, sits our
King, one Jesus. On His head are many
crowns. The Roman emperor got his
place by cold biooded conquests, but our
King hath come to His place by the bro
ken hearts healed and the tears wiped
away and the souls redeemed The Ro
man emperor sat, with folded arms, indif
ferent as to whether the swordsman or
TIE lion beat, but our Kings sympathies
are all with us-nay, unheard of conde
sccnsion! | 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! I will help
thee! l will strengthen thee by the right
hand of Ny power"