The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1892-10-29
Being comprised about with SO great
q cloud of witnesses"

q cloud of witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient
amphitheater. on the day of the cele-
bration, sat Tiberius, or Augutus, or
the reigning king. So, in the great
arena of spectators that watch our
struggles, and in the first Divine gal
lery, 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 Roman emperor sat, with folded
arms, Indifferent as to whether the
swordsmon or the lion beat; but our
Kings sympathies are all with us. Nay,
unheard-of condescension! i see Him
come down from the galleries into the
arena to help us in the fight, shouting
"Fear not! 1 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 q 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.
In all the anguish Of our heart
The man of sorrows bore part
Hook again, and see the angelic gal
lery. There they are, the angel that
swung the sword at the gate of Eden,
the same that Ezekiel saw uphold ng
the throne of God, and from which l
look away, for the splendor is insuffer-
able. Here are the guardian angels.
That o6e watched patriach; 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 heap of one hundred and
eighty-five thousand corpses. Those,
yonder. chanted the Christmas carol
over Bethlehem, until the chant awoke
the shepherds. These, at creation,
stood in the balcony of Heaven, and
serenaded the newborn world wrapped
in swaddling clothes of light And
there, holier and mightier than
all, is Michael, the archangel. Tocom-
mand an earthly host gives dignity;
but this one is leader of the twenty
thousand chariots of God, and of the
ten thousand times ten thousand an
gels think God gives command to
the archangel, and the archangel to the
seraphim, and the seraphim to cheru-
bin, 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
thee 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 under 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
angelic faces, and swift wings, and
lightning foot! / hail you to-day,
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
Apocalypse, 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 about lions
Paul fought with beasts at Ephesus.
In the ancient amphitheater the peo-
pie got so excited that they, would
shout from the galleries to the men in
the arena: SAT it again. Forward
Zone more stroker Look out!' Fall
backr' "Huzza! Huzza!' So in that
gallery, prophetic and apostolic, they
can not keep their peace. Daniel cries
out: "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
mott am with thee, Be not dismayedw
Paul exclaims: Victory through our
Lord Jesus Christi That throng of
prophets and apostles can not keep
still. They make the welkin ring with
shouting and hallelujahs.
look again, and see the gallery of
the martyrs. Who is that? Hugh Lat
inner, sure enough! He would not apol-
ogize for the truth preached; and SO he
died, the night before swinging from
the bed-post in perfect glee at the
thought of emancipation. Who are
that army of six thousand six hundred
and sixty-six? They are the The
ban legion who died for the faith. Here
is larger host in magnificent array
eight hundred and eighty-four thou
sand-who persisted for Christ in the
persecution of Diocletian. Yonder is a
family group, Felicitas, of Rome. and
her children. While they were dying for
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