The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-02-28
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE sY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject; Every Man Has a Lion 20 Fight
when Contending Against an Evil
Habit You Stand in an Immense Circle
of sympatby-Clouds OF Witnesses.

WASHINGTON, ID. C.-Ihls discourse OF
Or. Talmage Is full OF inspiring thoughts
for those who find life a struggle, and
shows that we have many celestial sym
pati,zers; texts, Hebrews XII, ], Seeing
we also are compassed about with 50
grea. a cloud of witnesses" | Corinthians
xv, 80, Il have fought with beasts a.
Ephssus."
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Gents
pass or through the Mont Gems tunnel,
you are in few hours set down az Nero-
na, Italy, and in 4 few minutes begin ex-
aiming one OF the grandest ruins OF the
world, the Amphltheatre. The whole
building sweeps around you IN a circle
You stand in the arena where the combat
was orAe fought or the race run, and on
all sides the seats rise, tier above tier nn-
al yoI count forty elevations or galleries,
a. / shall see fit to call them, in which sat
the Senators, the kings and the 25.OOO 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 10 meet them. | think that
Paul himself once stood IN such place,
and that il was not only hguratively, 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
lerv Is full. and the second, the third, the
fourth. the ffth-ai the way up 20 the
twentieth. all the way up 10 the thrtleth.
all the way UP TO ne forteth. Every place
is sled. immensely Of audience sweeping
the great circle. Silence The tine for the
contest has come \ Roman official leads
forth the victim into the arena. Let HIM
get MS sword with firm grip into has right
hand The 2j 600 sit hreathlessiy watch
ing | hear the door at the side OF the
arena creak omen. Ont piunges the hall
starved lion, his tongue athir.t Tor blood.
and with a roar that brings all the CALLER
les 70 their feet he rushes against the
sword OF the comhatant. Do YOU know
how strong a stroke a man Will strike
when his life depends uDon the first thrust
of his blade? The wild beast. lame and
bleeding sinks back toward the side OF
the arena; then rallviug his wasted
strength he comes up with ierCer eye and
more terrible roar than ever, only 10 be
driven back with a 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 70 see a
race: sometimes 70 see gladiators fight each
the fallen, turned tLeir thumbs up as an
appeal that the vanquished be spared, and
sometimes the combat was with wild
beasts.
To one OF the Roman amphitheatrlcal
audiences of 100000 people Paul refers
when he says, I'VE are compassed about
with so great a cloud OF witnesses" The
direct reference in the last passage is made
TO a race; but elsewhere having discussed
that | take now Pauls tavorite idea Of
the Christian life rs a combat.
The fact is that every Christian man has
lion 10 fight Yours Is a bad temper.
The gates of the arena have been opened,
and this tiger has core cut to destroy your
soul. II has laceratod YOU with many a
wound You have been thrown by 1t time
and again. but in the strength OF God you
have arisen 10 drive il back. ! verify be
lieve you viii conquer. ! think that the
temptation Is getting weaker and weaker.
You have given It so many wounds that
the prospect is that II 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 II for
twenty years. but it j. strong OF body and
thirsty of tongue. You have tried to fight
il hack with broken bottle or empty wine
flask. Nay. that is not the weapon. With
throat and rend thee limb from limb.
Take this weapon, sharp and keen-reach
UP and get it from Gods armory-thc
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? Ii there be one
here who has no besettnZ SIN, let hln
sIeak out, for him have ! offended. If
you have not fought the lion. 1t is because
YOU have let the hon eat you up. his
very moment the contest goes on.
The 7rajan celebration. where l00)0
eladiators fought and 1000 wild beasts
were slain, was not so terrific a struggle as
that which at this moment goes on IN many
q soul The conbat was Tor the life OF the
body; this is for the life Of the soul. That
was with Wild beasts from the jungle; tins
is with the roaring ion Of hell
Men think. when tEov contend against
an 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 recitinr the names OF Abel, Enoch.
Noah. Abraham. Sarah. Isaac, Joseph,
Gideon and Barak and then says, Being
compassed about with so great cloud Of
witnesses
Before | get through J viii show you
that you fight in an arena, around which
circle. in galleries ABOVE each other. all
the kindling eyes and al the sympathetic
hearts of the ages. and az every victory
gained there comes down the laundering
applause of a great multitude that no man
can number Being Compassed about
with so great a cloud OF witnesses
On the first elevation Of the ancient am
phitheatre on the dav Of a celebration
sat Tiberus or Augustus or the reigning
king. So IN the great arena OF spectator
that watch our struggles and IN the first
divine gallery, as ! shall call u, sits our
King. one Jesus On His head are many
crowns. The Roman emperor got his
place by cold b.ooded conquests but our
King hath come 90 His pace by the b-o-
ken hearts healed and the tears wiped
away and the souls redeemed. The Ro.
man emperor sat. with folded arms. indli-
ferent as TO whether the swOrdsman or
the hon beat bu. or Kings svnpath.es
are all with ~s-nav. Crheard OF cOndc-
sconsion, 7 see Him come down from
the gallery into the arena 20 help Us IN the
hrht sh .uting until an ny and down His
voice is heard. Fear not, / viii help
thee, VIII strengthen thee by the right
hand OF Ny power,'
They gave 20 the men IN the arena in
the 7ilen time food 10 thicken their blood.
50 that IL would fow SLOWLY and that for a
longer time the peou.e ruizh' goat over the
scene But our kin- has no pleasure IN
our wounds, for we are bone ct His bone.
flesh Of His flesh. blood Of HIS blood
In an the anguish OF our heart
The Man Of Sorrows bore part.
Once IN the ancient amphtheatre a hon
with one paw cauzh. the comhatants
sword and with his other paw caught his
shield The man took h.s knife from his
li-d'e and slew the beast The king st.