Democratic messenger., 1892-09-10

MS place bN the broken hearts healed,
and the tears wiped away, and the souls
redeemed. The Roman emperor sat
with folded arms Indifferent rs TO
whether the swordsman or the lion beat:
but our Kings sympathies are all with
us. Nay, unheard of condescension!
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, | 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 i'll our wounds, for we are
bone of his bone. flesh of his flesh, blood
of his blood.
In all the anguish OF our heart
The man OF sorrows bore part.
Once. in the ancient amphitheater, n
lion with one paw caught the combat
ants sword and with his other paw
caught his shield The man took his
knife from his girdle and slew the beast
The king. sitting in the gallery. said,
That was not fair; the lion must be
slain by sword" Other lions were
turned out and the poor victim fell.
You cry, shame. shame- at such
meanness. But the king in this case is
our brother, and he will see that we
have fair play. He will forbid the rush
ing out of more lions than we can meet
He will not suffer us to be tempted above
that we are able. Thank God. The
King is in the galleryl His eyes are on
us. His heart is with us. His hand
will deliver rs. BLESSED are all they
who put their trust in him."
TIE CELESTIAL GUARDIANS.
/ look again and | see the angelic
gallery. There they are: the angel that
swung the sword at the gate of Eden,
the same that Ezekiel saw upholding
the throne of God. and from which |
look away, for the splendor is insuffer-
able. Here are the guardian angels.
That one watched patriarch; this one.
protected child. That one has been
pulling a soul ont of temptationl All
these are messengers of light! Those
drove the Spanish Armada on the rocks.
This turned Sennacherib's living hosts
into heap of one hundred and eighty
five thousand corpses. Those yonder
chanted the Christmas carol over Beth
lehem until the chant awoke the shep-
herds. These. at creation, stood in the
balcony of heaven and serenaded the
newborn world wrapped in swaddling
clothes of light. And there. holier ami
mightier than all. is Michael. the arch
angel. To command an earthly host
gives dignity. but this one is leader oc
the twenty thousand chariots of God.
and of the ten thousand times ten thou
sand angels. think God gives com
mand TO the archangel, and the arch
angel to the seraphim, and the seraphim
to the cherubim, until all the lower
orders of heaven hear the command
and go forth on the high behest.
Now, bring on your lions. Who can
fear? All the spectators in the angelic
gallery are our friends. He shall give
his angels charge over thee. to keep the
in all thy ways. They shall bear thee
up in their hands lest thou dash thy
foot against stone. Thou shalt tread
upon the lion and adder; the young lion
and the dragon shalt thou trample un-
der foot"
Though the arena be crowded with
temptations we shall, with the angelic
help. strike them down in the name Of
our God and leap on their fallen car
casses. o bending throng of bright an
gelic faces and swift wings and lightning
foot. hail you today from the dust
and struggle of the arena,
| look again and see the gallery of
the prophets and apostles. Who are
those mighty ones up yonder? Hosea
and jeremiah and Daniel and Isaiah
and Paul and Peter and John and
James There sits Noah, waiting for
all the world 10 come into the ark; and
Moses. waiting till the last Red sea shall
divide; and Jeremiah. waiting for the
Jews to return: and John, of the Apoc-
alypse, waiting for the swearing of the
angel that Time shall be no longer.
Glorious spirits. Ye were howled at
We were stoned; We were spit upon.
They have been in this fight themselves,
and they are all with us. Daniel knows
all abou; lions. Paul fought with beasts
at Ephesus.
THE INTERESTED WITNESSES.
In the ancient amph..heater the peo-
pie got so excited that they would shout
from the galleries TO the men in the
arena: "Atit again" Forward" lone
more stroke-' Look out.' Fall
back" "Huzza. Huzza," So in that
gallery, prophetic and apostolic, they
cannot keep their peace. Daniel cries
ont, Thy God will deliver thee from
the mouth of the lions." David ex-
claims, He will not suffer thy foot to
be moved" Isaiah calls out: Fear not!
am with thee! Be not dismayed"
Paul exclaims. Victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ" That throng of
prophets and apostles cannot keep still.
They make the welkin ring with shout
ing and halleluiahs.
look again and | see the gallery of
the martyrs. Who is that? Hugh Lati-
ner, sure enough. He would not apollo
gize for the truth preached. and SO he
died the night before swinging from the
OthpoSb ia ItilcOb Sitc at tiic tiouS ht Va
emancipation. Who are that army of
six thousand six hundred and sixty-six?
They are the Theban legion who died
for the faith. Here is larger host in
magnificent array-eight hundred and
eightyfour thousand-who perished for
Christ in the prosecutions of Diocletian.
Yonder is a family group. Felicitas, of
Rome, and her children. While they
were dying for the faith she stood en-
couraging them. One son was whipped
10 death by thorns. another was flung
from rock, another was beheaded. At
last the mother became a martyr. There
they are together-a family group in
heaven. Yonder is John Bradford, who
said in the fire, I'VE shall have n merry
supper with the Lord tonight" Yonder
is Henry Woes, who exclaimed as he
died. "If had ten heads they should all