The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-09-16

Help IHee! 4 Will strengthen Jnee Dy
the right hand of my power.
They gave to the men in the arena,
in the olden time, food to thiclSen their
blood, so that it would flow slowly, and
that for a 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 cur heart
The man OF sorrow bore part
Once, in an anchient amphitheater, a
lion with one paw caught the combat
ants sword, and with the other 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,
SHANE! 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 rushing out OF more
lions than we can meet; He viii not
suffer us to be tempted above that we
are able Thank God. The King is in
the gallery! His eyes are on us. His
heart is with us. His hand will deliver
us. Blessed are all they who put
their trust in Him"
look again and Isce the angelic gal
lery. There they are; the angel 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 insufferable. Here
are the guardian angels. That one
watched a patriarch; this one protected
n child. That one has been pulling
soul out 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 $4,000 ccrpses. Those,
yonder, chanted the Christmas carol
over Bethlehem until the chant
awolxe the shepherds. These, at crea-
ton, stood in the balcony of Heaven and
serenaded the new born 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
one is leader of the twenty thousand
chariots Of God, and of the ten thousand
times ten thousand angels. / think
God gives command to the archangel,
and the archangel to the seraphim, and
the seraphim to the cherubiln, until all
the lower orders of Heaven hear the
command and go forth on the high be-
hest.
Now, bring on your lionsl 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 a stone. Thou shalt
tread upon the lion and adder; the
young lion and dragon shalt thou tram
pie 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
cases! 0 bending throng of bright
angelic faces and swift wings and
lightning foot! hail you to-day from
the dust and struggle of the arena
l look again and sec the gallery OF
the prophets and apostles. Who are
those mighty ones mp yonder? Hosea,
aud jeremiah, and Daniel, and Isaiah,
and Paul, and Peter, and John, and
James. There sits Noah, waiting for
all the world 20 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 Apoca-
lypse, waiting for the swearing of the
angel that time shall be no longer.
Glorious spirits, Ye were howled at,
We were stoned, We were spat upon.
They have been in this fight themselves,
and they are al 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: AT it again. Forward
''One more strol1e." Look out!' Fall
bacl5I'' "Huzzll Huzzar So in that
gallery, prophetic and apostolic, they
cannot keep their peace. Daniel cries
out: Thy God viii deliver thee from
the mouth of the ionsr' David eX-
claims: "He viii not suffer thy foot to
be moved.' Isaiah calls out: Fear
mott l am with thee, BE not dismayed!"
Paul exclaims: Victory through our
Lord Jesus Christi That throng of
prophets and apostles cannot keep still.
They make the welilin ring with shouts
and hallelujahs.
7 7 hi lay-r- Of
the martyrs Who Is that? Hugh Lati-
mer, sure enough! He would not
apologize 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 o. 6,66G? Thcy are the Theban
legion who died for the faith. Here is
a larger host in magnificent array
ssh, 000-who persisted for Christ in the
prosecutions of Diocletian YOnder is
family group, Felicitas of Rome, and
her children. While they We're dying
for the faith she stood encouraging
them One son was whipped 20 death
by thorns: another was flung from
rock, another was beheaded. At last
the mother became martyr There
they are together-a family group in
Heaven Youder i John Bra lord, who
said in the fire: 1--WE shall have merry
supper with the Lord to-nighti' Yon-
der is Henry Woes. VINO e-1rla mel. rs
he died: If l had ten heads, they
should all fall of for Christi The
great throng OF the martyrs, They had
hot lead poured down their throats;
horses were fastened to their hands,
and other horses to their feet, and thus
they were pulled apart; they had their
tongues pulled out by red hot pincers: