Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-09-15
DEMOCRATIC NORTHWEST NAPOLEON o. SEPTEMBER 15 1872

we GET nugueaI -IuEJ Ilr5ed WIN nore
10 care for them but eannibals. Are we
persecutedi They were mathematical.
And as they look from their gallery and
see us falter In the presence OF the lions,
seem to hear Isaac Watts addressing us in
his old hymn, only little changed:
Must you be carried TO the skies
On iowery beds Of case,
While others fought to win the prize
Or sailed through bloody seasl
Toplady shouts In his old hymn:
Your harps, ye trembling saints
Down from the willows take;
Loud to the praise OF love divine,
Bid every string awake.
While Charles Wesley, the Methodist,
breaks forth in his favorite words, little
varied:
A charge to keep you have,
A God to glorify;
A never dying soul to save,
And tit 1t for the sky!
OUR FRIENDS N HEAVEN.
look again and see the gallery Of our
departed. Many Of those in the other gal
leries we have heard of, but these we knew.
Oh, how familiar their facesl They sat at
our tables, and we walked to the house of
God in company. Have they forgotten usl
Those fathers and mothers started us on
the road of life. Are they careless as to
what becomes Of usi And those children
do they look on with stolid indifference as
to whether we win or lose this battle for
eternity9 Nay; l see that child running
its hand over your brow and saying, 'Fa-
ther, do not fret" Mother, do not worry"
They remember the day they left us.
They remember the agony of the last fare
well. Though years in heaven, they know
our faces. They remember our sorrows.
They speak our names. They watch this
fight for heaven. Nay; see them rise up
and lean over and wave before us their
recognition and encouragement. That gal
lery is not full. They are keeping places
for us. After we have slain the lion they
expect the King to call us, saying, "Come
up higherp' Between the hot struggles in
the arena wipe the sweat from my brow
and stand on tiptoe, reaching up my right
hand to clasp theirs in rapturous hand
shaking, while their voices come ringing
down from the gallery crying, "Be thou
faithful unto death and you shall have a
crownw
But here pause, overwhelmed with the
majesty and the joy of the scene! Gallery
of the King! Gallery Of angels! Gallery
of prophets and apostles! Gallery of mar
tyrs! Gallery of saintsl Gallery of friends
and kindred! Oh, majestic circles Of light
and lovel Throngsl Throngsl Throngsl
How shall we stand the gaze of the uni
versei Myriads of eyes beaming on US!
Myriads of hearts beating in sympathy for
us How shall we ever dare to sin again!
How shall we ever become discouraged
againl How shall we ever feel lonely
againl
With God for us, and angels for us, and
prophets and apostles for us, and the great
souls of the ages for us, and our glorified
kindred for us-shall we give up the fight
and die? No! Son of God, who didst die
to save us No! ye angels, whose wings are
spread forth to shelter us. Mol ye proph.
cts and apostles, whose warnings startle
US. Mol ye loved ones, whose arms are out
stretched to receive us. Mol we will never
surrender
Sure must fight If would reign
Be faithful to my Lord;
And bear the Cross, endure the pain,
Supported by thy Word.
Thy saints in all this glorious war
Shall conquer, though they die;
They see the triumph from afar
And seize it with their eye.
When that illustrious day shall rise.
And all thine armies shine
In robes Of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be thine.
My hearers, shall we die in the arena OF
rise to ioin our friends in the gallery
Through Christ we may come off more
than conquerors. A soldier, dying in the
hospital. rose up in bed the last moment
and cried, Here! Herel' His attendants
put him back on his pillow and asked hin
why he shouted "Here" "Oh, I heart
the roll call of heaven and was only an
swering to my namer Iwonder whether
after this battle of life is over, our name
will be called in the muster roll of tn
pardoned and glorified, and with the jo,
of heaven breaking upon our souls W,
shall cry, "Herel Herer'