The Portland daily press., 1892-09-10

reigning king. So in the great arena
of spectators that watch our struggles,
and in the first divine gallery, as l shall
call it, sitsour 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 swordsman or the lion
beat; but our Kings sympathies are all
with us. Nay, unheard of condescen-
sion! l 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! I will
help thee! 1 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
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 an ancient amphitheater, a
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
were turned out and the poor victim
fell. You cry s'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 galleryi His eyes
arc on us. His heart is with us. His
hand will deliver us. Blessed are all
they who put their trust in Him.
I look again, and I see the angelic
gallery. There they are; the angel that
swung the sword at the gate of Eden,
the same that Ezekiel saw unfolding
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 a 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 one hundred and eighty
five thousand corpses Those yonder
chanted the Christmas carol over
Bethlehem, until the chant awolze the
shepherds. These, at creation, stood
In the balcony of Heaven, and sere-
naded the newborn world wrapped in
swaddling clothes of light And there,
holier and mightier than all, is
Michael, the archangel. To command
an earthly host gives dignity; but this
Que is leader of the twenty thousand
chariots of God, and of the ten thou
sand times ten thousand angels. L
think God gives command to the arch
angel, and the archangel to the sera-
phim, and the seraphim to the 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? ALI the spectators in the angelic
gallery are our frinds she shall give
his angels charge over thee, to keep
thee III all thy ways. They shall bear
thee up in their hands, lest thou dash
thy foot against a 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
tempta lions, 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!
I look again, and I see the gallery of
the prophets and apostles. Who are
those mighty ones up yonder? Hosea.
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; ye 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 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: cat it again!" "Forwardr'
"One more strok ep' ''Look outp
'Fall back" 'Huzza! Huzzay' So in
that gallery, prophetic and apostolic,
they cannot keep their peace. Daniel
cries out: Thy God will deliver thee
from the mouth of the lions!" David
exclaims: HE will not suffer thy foot
to be movedr' Isaiah calls out: Gear
not! am with thee! Be not dismayedn'
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 hallelujahs.
l look again and see the gallery Of