Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-09-05


then says, '.Being coinpassel about with
SO great cloud of witnesses"
Before / 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 sympa-
thetic hearts of the ages; and at every
victory gained there comes down tie
laundering applause of a great multi
tude that no man can number. Being
comprised about with SO great Ii cloud
of witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient
amphitheater, on the day of celebra-
ton, 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 broken hearts healed,
and the tears wiped away, and the souls
redeemed. The CONAN 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! |
sec 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.
I Will strengthen thee by the right hand
of my power!'
They gave to the men in the arena in
the olden time food to thiclzen their
blood, SO that it would flow slowly, and
In 10
sloat over the scene. But our King has
10 pleasure in 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 q part.
Once, in the ancient amDhitheater, q
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 a sword Other lions were
turned out and the poor victim fell.
You cry, Shame! shaner 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 gallery! His eyes are OH
Us. His heart is with US. His hand
will deliver us. BLESSED are all they
who put their trust in him.
TEE CELESTIAL GUARDIANS.
l 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 l
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 soul out Of temptation! All
these are messengers of light Those
drove the Spanish Armada on the rocks.
This turned Sennacherib's living hosts
into Il heap of one hundred and eighty
five thousand corpses. Those yonder
chanted the Christmas carol over Beth
lchem 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 al, is Michael, the arch
angel. To command an earthly host
Gives dig:2iT.-. but this one is leader of
the twenty thousand chariots of God,
G:id of thN ten thousand times ten thou
s;sni ance.. | think God gives com
rri;:Ill 10 10 ;;rch&ngel, and the arch
angel to he s@r3phirn, and tho sera i'm
to the c-:e:,,lbiI2, until al the low CT
ortc.3 cf heaven hear the command
and go forth on the high behest
Now, bring on your lions! Who can
fear? All tho 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 IL stone. Thou shalt tread
upon the lion and adder; the young hol,
and the dragon shalt thou trample I'M
der foot
Though the arena be crowded with
temptations VIC shall, with the angelic
help, strike them down in the name Of
our God and leap on their fallen car
casses! 0 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 to 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; ye were spit upon!
They have been in this fight themselves,
and they are all with us. Daniel knows
all about lions Paul fought with beasts