Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-02-28
MAN HASA LION TO FIGHT
Dr. Talmage Says When Contending Against
An Evil Habit You Stand ina
Circle of Sympathy.
Clouds Of Witnesses-"Blessed Are They Who
Put Their Trust in Him.

WASHINGTON, IL. Gins discourse OF
DR.. Talmage is full of inspiring thoughts
for those who find life struggle, and
shows that we have many celestial SYM
pathizers; texts, Hebrews xii, l, Seeing
we also are comprised about with SO
great a cloud Of witnesses" | Corinthians
Ky. 80, 81 have fought with beasts at
Ephesrs."
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Gents
pass or through the Mont Gents tunnel,
you are in few hours set down at Vero-
ma, Italy, and in few minutes begin eX'
aiming one Of the grandest runs or the
world, the Amphitheatre. The whole
building sweeps around you IN cree.
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, III which sat
Ie Senators, the kings and the $4,000 ex-
ted spectators. At the sides OF the arena
.nd 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, l5
condemned to meet them. / think that
Paul himself once stood in such a place,
and that it was not only figurativeiy, 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.
lery 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.
Ill the way up to the forticth. Every place
j. filed. immensely OF audience sweeping
The GREAT circle. Silence. The time for the
contest has come. A Roman official leads
forth the victim into the arena. Let him
ret his sword with firm grip into his right
hand. The 2j,00Q sit breathlessy watch
ing. | hear the door at the side OF the
arena creall open. Out plunges the halt
starved lion, his tongue athlrst for blood,
and with a roar that brings all the CALLER
les TO their feet he rushes against the
sword of the combatant. Do You know
how strong Il 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 wasted
strength he comes up with fiercer eye ana
more terrible roar than ever, only to be
driven back with fatal wound, While the
rombatant comes in with stroke after
stroke until the monster is dead at his
feet. and the $4,000 clap their hands and
utter shout that makes the city trembie.
Sometimes the audience came to see
race: sometimes to see gladiatOrs tight each
other. until the people, compassionate Tor
the fallen, turned their thumbs up as al
appeal that the vanquisbed be spared, and
sometimes the combat was with WIG
beasts.
TO one of the Roman amphltheatrcal
audiences of 100000 people Paul refers
when he says, 1--WE are comprised about
with SO great a cloud OF witnesses Inc
direct reference in the last passage Is MADE
to race; but elsewhere having discussed
that, | take now PauPs favorite ldea OF
the Christian life as a combat.
The fact is that every Christian man haa
n lion to fight. Yours is 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
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-
heve 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 tor strong drlnE'
You may have contended against 1t Tor
twenty years, but it is strong OF body and
thirsty of tongue. You have tried to fight
it back with broken bottle or empty VINE
flask. Nay. that is not the weapon. With
one horrible roar he will seize thee by. the
throat and rend thee limb from llm61.
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 10 fight? Ii there be one
here who has To besetting sin, let him
sneak out, for him have | offended. Ii
YOU have not fought the lion, 1t Is because
you have let the lion eat you ". Inns
very moment the contest goes on. .o
The Traian celebration, where lo0oO
gladators fought and 1900 wild beasts
were slain, was not so terrific struggle as
that which at this moment goes on in many
n soul. The combat was for 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
au evil habit, that they have to fight 1t all
alone. No! They stand in the centre OF
an immense circle of sympathy. Paul had
been reciting the names of Abel, Enoch,
Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph,
Gideon and Barak and then says, Being
comprised about with so great cloud OF
witnesses"
Before I get through / will show YOU
that you fight in an arena, around when
circle, in galleries above each other, all
the kindling eyes and all the sympathetic
hearts of the ages, and at every victory
gained there comes down the laundering
applause of a great multitude that no man
can number. Being comprised about
with so great cloud of witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient am
phitheatre, on the day of a celebration,
sat Tiberius or Augustus or the reignlng
king So in the great arena of spectators
that watch our struggles and in the first
divine gallery, as [ shall call it, sits our
King, one Jesus. On His head are many
crowns. The Roman emperor got his
place bv cold blooded 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,
the lion beat, but our Kings sympathies
are all with us-nay, unheard OF conde-
scension! [ see Him come down from
the gallery into the arena to help us i'll the
fight, shouting until all up and down His
voice is heard: Gear not! / will help
thee! I will strengthen thee by the right
hand of Ny power"
They gave to the men in the arena in
the olden time food to thicken their blood,
so that it would flow slowly and that fol. Il
longer time the people might gloat over the
scene. But our King has no pleasure in
our wounds, for we arc bone of His bone,
flesh of His flesh, blood of His blood.
Tn all the anguish of our heart
The Man of Sorrows bore part.
Once in the ancient amphithcatre lion
with one paw caught the combatant's
sword and with his other paw caught his
shield. The man took his knife from bis
girdIe and slew the beast. The king, sit.