The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1902-03-06

N,
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 comprised about with 50
great a cloud of witnesses" L Corinthians
Ky, 80, Il have fought with beasts at
Ephesus."
pass or through the Mont Gents tunnel,
YOU are in few hours set down at Nero-
ma, Italy, and in few minutes begin ex-
aiming 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, nn-
til YOU count forty elevations or galleries,
as / shall see fit to call them, in which sat
the Senators, the kings and the 25OOO 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. | think that
Paul himself once stood in such place,
and that it was not only fguratively, but
literally, that he had Fought with beasts
at Ephesus."
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 fifth-all the way up to the
twentieth, all the way up to the thlrtleth,
all the way up to the fortieth. Every place
| is filed immensely 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 $4,000 sit breathlessly watch
ing. 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 CALLER
les to their feet he rushes against the
sword of the combatant. Do you know
/ how strong a stroke man VIII 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 tiercer eye ana
more terrible roar than ever, only to 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 trembe
Sometimes the audience came to see a
race; sometimes to see gladiators fight each
/
other, until the people, compassionate Tor
the fallen, turned their thumbs up as an
appeal that the vanqushed be spared, and
sometimes the combat was with wild
beasts
To one of the Roman amphitheatrical
audiences of 100000 people Paul refers
when he says, eve are. comprised, ABOUT l
with so great a cloud of witnesses" The
direct reference in the last passage Is made
to race; but elsewhere having discussed
that. take now Paups favorite idea OF
the Christian life as combat.
The fact is that every Christian man has
a lion to fight. Yours is 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 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 soul!
| Your lion is the passion for strong drink
! You NAV 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 VINE
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 hesetting sin, let hlm
speak out, for him have l offended. II
| = tI,n lion IL
you have let the lion eat you up. ms
very moment the contest goes on.
! The Trajan celebration, where 10000
gladiators fought and 1000 wild beasts
were slain was not so terrific struggle as
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 hon of hell.
Men think when they contend against
an evil habit, that they have to fight it all
alone. No! They stand in the centre 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, Beng
comprised about with so great clouu Oh
| witnesses.
Before I get through l 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 a great multitude that no man
can number, Being comprised about
with so great a cloud of witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient am
phitheatre, on the day of celebration,
sat Tiberius 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
King, one Jesus. On His head are many
crowns. The Roman emperor got his
place by cold blooded conquests, but our
King hath come to His place by the bro
ken hearts healed and the tears wiped
away and the souls redeemed. The Ro-
man emperor sat, with folded arms indif-
ferent as to whether the swordsman or
the lion beat, but our Kings sympathies
are all with us-nay, unheard of conde-
scension! l 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! l viii strengthen thee by the right