The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-02-27
MAN HASA LION TO FIGHT
pr TsInagc Says When contending Against
An Evil Habit You Stand In
Circle Of Sympathy.
Clouds Of Witnesses Blessed Are They WHO
Put Their Trust Ia rIiui."

WASHINGTON, ID. C.--This discourse Of
DIR. 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 compassed about with. SO
great cloud of Witnesses" ] Corinthians
XIV, 80, "I have fought with beasts at
Ephesus' ,,
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Gems
pass or through the Mont .Cenis tunnel,
YOU are in few hours set down at Vero'
ma Italy, and in a few minutes begin ex'
amininc one of the grandest ruins OF the
world, the Amphitheatre. The whole
huildina sweeps around you In 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,
ne / shall see fit to call them, in which sat
the Senators, the kings and the $4,000 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 i think that
Paul himself once stood in such a place,
and that it was not only hguratively, but
literally, that he had fought with beasts
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
upo- thousands come, until the first gal
lery is full, and the second, the third, the
fourth, the fifth-all the way up to the
twentieth, all the way up to the thlrtieth,
all the way up TO the fortieth. Every place
is filed. Immensity OF audience sweeping
the great circle. Silence. The time for the
A d., NlGn sal 1o
forth the victim into the arena. Let him
get his sword with firm grip into. his right
hand. The 5000 sit breathlessly watch.
ing. / 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
les to their feet he rushes against the
sword of the combatant 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 srenai then rallying his wasted
strength he comes up with fiercer eye and
more terrible roar than ever, only to be
driven back with a fatal wound, while the
eombatant comes in with stroke after
stroke until the monster is dead at his
feet, and the 25,000 clap their hands and
utter a shout that makes the city trembe.
Sometimes the audience came to see a
race; sometimes to see gladiators fight each
other, until the people, compassionate for
appeal that the vanquished be kpared, 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 are compassed about
with so great cloud of witnesses" The
direct reference in the last passage is made
Il H., III C~aI
that, | take now Paups favorite idea oil
the Christian life as a combat.
The fact is that every Christian man has
a. 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 1t 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 soull
Your lion is the passion for strong drinl-.
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 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
speak out, for him have | offended. If
you have not fought the lion, 1t is because
you have let the lion eat you up. This
very moment the contest goes one
The Traian celebration, where 10000
gladiatofs fought and 1000 wild beasts
were slain, was not SO terrific struggle as
that which at this moment goes on in many
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 fight it all
alone. MOI They stand in the centre OF
an immense circle of sympathy. Paul had
been reciting the names OF Abel, Enocl,
Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph,
Gideon and Barak and then says, Being
compassed about with so great a cloud OF
witnesses"
Before / get through / will show you
that you fight in an arena, around which
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 great multitude that no man
can number. Being compassed about
with so great cloud OF witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient am
phithcatre, on the day of celebration,
sat Tiherins or Augustus or the reigning
king. So in the great, arena of spectators
that watch our struggles and in the first
divine gallery, as | shall call it, sits our