The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-02-27
MAN HASA LION TO FIGHT
NJ, Tslmnsc Says When ContendIng Against
An Evil Habit You Stand In "a
Circle Of Sympathy.


WASHINGTON, ID. C.--Ths discourse Of
DR.. Talmage is full Of inspiring thoughts
for those who find life a struggle, and
shows that we have many celestial sym
pathizers; texts, Hebrews xii, /, Seeing
we also are compassed about with so
great cloud OF Witnesses" i Corinthians
xv, 80, II have fought with beasts at
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Gents
pass or through the Mont Gems tunnel,
YOU are in few hours set down at .Vero-
ma, Italy, and in a few minutes oegla ex.
aminipg one of the grandest ruins OF the
world the Amphitheatre. The whole
building 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-
nj YOU count forty elevations or galleries.
ns 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.
ont 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. j think that
Paul himself once stood in such place,
and that it was not only figuratively, but
literally, that he had fought with beasts
at Ephesgs,'
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,
ali the way up to the fortieth Every place
is filed. Immensity 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
get his sword with firm grip into his right
hand The 25,000 sit breathlessly watch
ing. l hear the door at the side of the
arena creah 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 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 rallyng 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 alter
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, compassionate for
4he 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 900 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
to race; but elsewhere having discussed
that, | take now Paups favorlte idea OF
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 a
wound. You have been thrown by it time
and again, but in the strength of God yon
have arisen to drive it back. ! verify be-
leve 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 drinE.
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-reaeh
up and get it from Gods armory-the
sword w of the Spirit. With that thou may
est 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 besetting sin, let him
speak out, for him have | offended. Ii
you have not fought the lion, 1t is because
you have let the lion eat you up. This
very moment the contest goes on
The Trajan celebration, where l000C
gladiatofs fought and IL 1000 wild beasts
were slain was not so terrific struggle a;
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 fight it al
alone. Mol They stand in the centre Of
an immense circle of sympathy. Paul had
been recting the names OF Abel, Enoch
Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph
Gideon and Barak and then says, Being
compassed about with so great cloud ol
witnesses"
Before / get through / will show YOU
circle, in galleries above each other, al
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 mar
can number. "Being compassed abou
with so great cloud of witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient am
phthcatre, on the day OF a celebration
sat Tiherius or Augustus or the reigninl
king. So in the great arena of spectators
that watch our struggles and in the frs
divine gallery, as / shnll call it, sits oui
King, one Jesus On His head are many
crowns. The Roman emperor got hi
place by cold b,ooded conquests, but oul
King hath come TO His place by the bro
ken hearts healed and the tears wipeC
away and the souls redeemed. The Ro
man emperor sat, with folded arms, indif
ferent as to whether the swordsman ol
the lion beat, but our Kings sympathiei
are all with Hs-nay, upheard of conde
scension! / see Him come down from
the gallery into the arena to help us in th'
fight, shouting until all up and down Hi
voice is heard: Fear not l will he'll
theel | will strengthen thee by the righ
hand of My power!"
They gave to the men in the arena il
the oden time food to thiclSen their blood
90 that it would flow slowly and that for
longer time the people might gloat over th'
scene. But our King has no pleasure il
our wounds, for we are bone of His bone
flesh of His flesh, blood of His blood.