The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-02

The fact Is that every Christian man has a lion to fight Yours Is . bad tenn per. The gates of the arena have been destroy your soul. It has iacerated you with many a wound. You have been thrown by it time and again. but In the strength. of God you have arisen .to conquer. I think that the temptation is getting weaker and weaker. You have given it 50 many wounds that the pros pect is that 1t will die, and you shall be victor. through Christ. Courage. broth 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 tried to fight 1t 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 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!
 woman R has a 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 on. The Trajan celebration. where 10000 gladiators fought and Il 900 wild beasts were slain. was not so terrific a stgpR- gle as that which at this moment Roes on in many soul. The combat was for the life of the body; this Is for the life of soul. That was with wild beasts from the jungle; this is with the roaring lion of hell.
 Men think. when they contend against all alone. No! They stand in the center of an immense circle of sympathy. Paul had been reciting the names of Abel, Enoch, Noah. Abraham. Sarah, Isaac, Joseph, Gideon and Barak and then says. Being composed about with so great a cloud of witnesses"
 A Cloud of Witnesses.
 Before I get through I will show you that you fight in an arena. around which circle, in galleries above each other, all the kindling eyes and all the sympa- thetic hearts of the ages, and at every victory gained there comes down the laundering applause of 8 great multitude that no man can number. Being com passed about with so great a cloud oi witnesses
 On the first elevation of the ancient amphitheater, on the day of a celebra- tion. sat Tiberius or Augustus or the reigning king. So in the great arena of spectators that watch our struggles and it. sits our King. one Jesus On his head are many crowns The Roman Elm peror got his place by cold blooded con quests. but our King hath come to his place by the broken hearts healed and the tears wiped away and the souls re- deemed The Roman Emperor sat, with folded arms, indifferent as to whether the swordsman or the lion beat. but our Kings sympathies are all with us--nay, unheard of condescension! I see him come down from the gallery into the arena to help us in the fight. shouting until all, up and down His voice is heard: Fear not! I will help thee! I will help thee! will strengthen thee by the right hand of my power!'
 They gave to the men in the arena. in the olden time food to thicken their blood, so that it would flow slowly and that for longer time the people might gloat over the scene. But our King has no pleasure In our wounds for we are bone of His bone. flesh of His flesh, blood of His blood.