The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-02-28
STRUGGLE OFd LIFE.
Words of Inspiration in the Sermon
of DR.. Talmage.
He Shows Us That We Have Many
Celestial Sympathizers i'm Our
Fight with the Lions
of Today.


Copyright 1902, by Louis Klopsch n. VI
WaShingto ton,
This discourse of DR.. Talmage is
full of inspiring thoughts for those
who find life a struggle and shows
that we have many celestial sympa-
thizers; texts, Hebrews 1871: Seeing
we also are comprised about with
so great a cloud of witnesses" Cor
inthians 1892: Il have fought with
beasts at Ephesus."
Crossing the Alps by the Mont Cen
is pass or through the Mont Cents
tunnel, you are in a few hours set
down at Verona, Italy, and in few
minutes begin examining one of the
grandest ruins of the world, the
Amphitheater. 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, until you count 40 elevations,
or galleries, as 1 shall see fit to call
them, in which sat the senator's, the
kings and the $4,000 excited specta-
tors. 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 victim, who, with his
sword and alone, is condemned to
meet them. L think that Paul him.
self once stood in such a place and
that it was not only figuratively, 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 chill
dren, orators and senator's, great
men and small, thousands upon thou
full, and the second, the third, the
fourth, the ffth-all the way up to
the twentieth, all the way up to the
thirtieth, all the way up to the forti-
eth. Every place is filled. immensely
of audience sweeping the great cir
Gle. Silence. The time for the con-
test 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 $4,000 sit
breathlessly watching. L hear the
door at the side of the arena creak
open. Out plunges the half-starved
lion, his tongue athirst for blood, and
with a roar that brings all the gal
leries to their feet he rushes against
the sword of the combatant. Do you
know how strong a stroke 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 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 mon
ster is dead at his feet, and the 25,-
coo clap their hands and utter
shout that makes the city tremble.
Sometimes the audience came to
see a race; sometimes to see gladi-
ators fight each other, until the peo-
pie, compassionate for the fallen,
turned their thumbs up as an appeal
that the vanquished be spared, and
the combat was with wild
beasts.
To one of the Roman amphitheat-
rical audiences of 100000 people Paul
refers when he says: 1--WE are COM
passed about with so great cloud of
The direct reference in
the last passage is made to a race;
but elsewhere having discussed that,
I take now PauFs favorite idea of the
60
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 Il wound
You have been thrown by it time and
again, but in the strength of God
you have arisen to drive it back. l
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,
brotheri 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 20 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 L 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
gladiators fought and 1900 wild
beasts were slain, was not so terrific
a struggle as that which at this mo-
ment 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 jun
gle; this is with the roaring lion of
hell.
Men think, when the contend
against an evil habit, that they have
to fight it all alone. No! They stand
in the center of an immense circle of