The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-03-05
4 GREAT SERMON.
4 Beautiful Word Picture Painted BY
That Master Artist
DOCTOR T. DeWITT TALNAGE.
Every Man and Woman Has
Lion to Fight in tho shape
Of Some Bescttins
Sin.

This discourse Of Dr.. Talmage is Iul!
Of inspiring thoughts for those who
find life 4 struggle and shows that we
have many celestial sympathizers:
texts. Hebrews xii, !. Seeing We also
are compassed about with so great a
cloud of Witnesses ! Corinthians Sv,
50, I have fought with beasts at
Ephesus."
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Gems
pass or through the Mont Gents tun'
mel, you are in few hours set down
at Verona. Italy, and in few min
utes begin examining one of the
grandeSt of the world, the Amphi'
theater. 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 al
sides the seats rise, tier above tier,
until YOU count forty elevations, OF
galleries. as I shall see fit to call them,
in which sat the senators, the kings
and the $4,000 excited spectators. At
the sides of the arena and under the
galleries are the cages in which the
lions and tigers are kept without food
until. frenzied with hunger and thirst,
they are let out upon some poor VIC
tim, 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 tlgura-
lively. 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
second, the third, the fourth, the fifth
all the way up to the twentieth, all
the way up to the thirtieth; all the
way up to the fortieth. Every place
IS filed. immensely of audience
sweeping the great circle. Silence.
The time for the contest has come.
A Roman official leads forth the VIC
tim into the arena. Let him get his
sword with firm grip into his right
hand. The $4,000 sit breathleSsly
watching. 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 galleries to their feet he
rushes against the sword Of the COM
batant. DO you know how strong a
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 hercer 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 $4,000 clap
their hands and utter a shout that
makes the city tremble.
Sometimes the audience came to see
a race; sometimes to see gladiatorS
fight each other, until the people, COM
passionate for the fallen, turned their
thumbs up as an appeal that the van
ouished be spared, and sometimes the
combat was with wild beasts.
To one Of the Roman amphitheatri-
cal audiences Of 100000 people Paul
refers when he says, We are COM
passed about with so great cloud OF
witnesses. The direct reference in
the last passage is made to a race; but
elsewhere having discussed that, l
take now Paul's favorite idea Of Chris
tian life as a 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, 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. I verify
believe 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 throat 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 mayeSt drive him
back and conquer!
But why specify when every man
and woman has a lion to fight? If
there be one here who has no beset-
ting sin, let him speak out, for him
have I offended. If 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
Trajan celebration, where 10000 gladi-
ators fought and 1900 gladiators
fought and 1900 wild beasts were
slain, was not so terrific struggle as
that which at this moment goes on in
many a 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 an evil habit that they have
to tight it all alone. No. The stand
in the center of an immense circle
Of sympathy. Paul had been reciting
tho names Of Abel EnOch, Noah. Alb