The age-herald., 1902-03-02

Washington, February 23.-This dis course of pr. Talmage is full of inspir- ing thoughts for those who find life a struggle and shows that we have many celestial sympathizers; texts, Hebrews xii, 1, Seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses;'' Corinthians xv, s9, T have fought with beasts at Ephesus."
 Crossing the Alps by the Mont Cenis pass or through the Mont Cenis tunnel, you are in a few hours set down at Ve- roma, Italy, and in a few minutes begin examining one of the grandest ruins of the world, the Amphitheater. The whole building sweeps around you In a circle. You stand in the arena where the com bat was once fought or the race run, and on all sides the seats rise, tier above tier, until you count forty elevations, or gall leries, as I shall see fit to call them, in which sat the senators, the kings and the 25,ooO excited spectators. 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 swopA alone, Is condemned to meet them. I think that Paul himself once stood in such a place and that 1t was not only fguratively, 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 children, orators and senators, great men and small thous- ands upon thousands come, until the first gallery Is full, and the second, the third, the fourth, the f1fth-all the way up to the twentieth, all the way up to the thirtieth all the way up to the fortieth. Every place is filled. Immensity of audience sweep ing the great circle Silence. The time for the contest has come. A Roman off, ficial leads forth the victim Into the arena Let him get his sword with firm grip into his right hand. The 25,0oo sit breathlessly watching. I 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 galleries to their feet he rushes against the sword of the combat. ant. Do you know how strong a stroke man will strike when his life depends up- on the first thrust of his blade? The wild beast, lame and bleeding, sinks back to-
 
 ing his Nsisted 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,o0O 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, compassion ate for the fallen, turned their tnurn bs up as an appeal that the yanquished be spared, and sometimes the combat was with wild beasts.
 All Have Lions to Fight.
 To one of the Roman amphitheatrical audiences of 100000 people Paul refers when he says We are compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses" The direct reference in the last passage Is made to race; but elsewhere having dis cussed that, I take now Paul's favorite idea of the Christian life as a combat.
 The fact Is that every Christian man has lion to fight. Yours is bad tenn per The gates of the arena have been opened, and this tiger has come out to destroy your soul. It 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. I verify believe you will conquer. I think that the temptation Is getting weaker and weaker. You have given 1t so many wounds that the prospect is that 1t will die, and you shall be victor, through Christ. Courage, brother! Do not let the sands of the arena drink the blood of your souli
 Your lion is the passion for strong drink. You may have contended against 1t for twenty years but it is strong of body and thirsty of tongue. You have 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 thee limb from limb Take this weapon. sharp and keen treach 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 lion to fight? If there be one here who has no besetting sin. let him speak out, for him have I offended If you have not fought the Hon. 1t is be- cause you have let the lion eat you up. This very moment the contest goes on. The Trajan celebration where 900 glad iators fought and 1000 wild beasts were slain, was not SO terrific a 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 tho 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 1t all alone No! They stand in the center of an imm ense circle of sympathy Paul had been reciting the names of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph, Gideon and Barak and then says, "Being compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses"
 Cloud of Witnesses.
 Before l 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 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 a cloud of witnesses"
 On the first elevation of the ancient amphitheater. on the day of celebration sat Tiberius or Augustus or the reign ing king. So in the great arena of specta- tors that watch our struggles and in the first divine gallery, as I 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 broken hearts healed and the tears wiped away and the souls redeemed. The Roman
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