Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-09-15
HEAVENS ARENA.
Eyes That Look Down From
Their Home in Gods
Abode.
The Many Daily Temptations
That Beset Human
Nature.

in a few moments begin examining
one of the grandest ruins
of the world-the Amphitheater.
The whole building sweeps around
you in a circle. You stand
in the arena where the combat was
once fought or the race run, and on all
sides the seats rise, tier above tier,
until you count 40 elevations or gol-
leries, as I shall see fit to call them,
in which sat the senators, the kings
and the $4,000 excited spectators.
At the sides OF the arena and under
the galleries are the cages in which the
lions and tigers are kept without food
until frenzied with hunger and thirst,
they are let out upon some poor
victim, who, with his sword and alone,
is condemned to meet them. I think
that Paul himself once stood in such
place, and that it was not only
figurat lively bnt literally that he had
fought with beasts at Ephesus."
The fact is, that every christian
man has lion to fight. Yours
is a bad temper. The gates
of the arena have been opened,
and this tiger has come to destroy
your soul. 1t has lacerated you with
many wound. You have been
thrown by it ime and again, but in
the strength OF God you have arisen
to drive it back. | verify believe you
will conquer. think that the temp
tation is getting weaker and weaker.
You have given it SO many wounds
that the prospect is that it will die,
and you shall be victor through
Christ, Courage brothers! Do not
let the sands of the arena drink the
blood OF your soul!
Your lion is the passion for strong
drink. You may have commended
against it for 20 years; but it is strong
OF body and thirsty OF tongue. You
have tried to fight it back with broken
bottle or empty wine flask.
one horrible roar he will seize thee by
the throat and rend the limb from
limb. Take this weapon, sharp and
keen-reach up and get it from Gods
armory: the Sword of the Spirit.
With that thou mayest drive him
back and conquer!l
Men think, when they contend
against all evil habit, they have to
fight it alone. No! They stand in the
center of, an immense circle OF sym
pathy. Paul had been reciting the
names OF Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abra-
ham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph, Gideon
and Barak, and then Says: "Being
comprised about with so great q
cloud of witnesses"
Before 1 get through, I will show
you that you fight in an arena, around
which circle, in galleries above each
other all the kindling eyes and all the
sympathetic hearts Of the ages;
and at every victory gained there
comes down the laundering applaus
OF a great multitude that no man can
number. "Being compassed about
with so great a cloud OF witnesses"
On the first elevation OF the ancient
amphitheater, on the day ola celebra-
ton, sat Tiberious, or Augustus, or the
reigning king. So in the great arena
of spectators that watch our strug-
giles, 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
come to his place by the broken hearts
healed, and the tears wiped away,
and the souls redeemed.
Hook again, and l see the angelic
gallery. There they are, the angel
that swung the sword at the gate of
Eden, the same that Ezekiel saw up
holding the throne of God, and
from which I look away, for
the splendor is insufferable. Here are
the guardian angels. That one watch
ed a patriarch; this one protected
child. That one has been pulling a
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 $4,000 corpses. Those,
yonder chr ted the Christmas carol
over Beth hem, until the chant
awoke the shepherds. These, at Gre
alton, 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. To
command an earthly host gives dig
nifty; but this one is leader of the
10000 chariots of God, and of the
10000 angels. I think God gives
command to the archangel, and the
archangel to the seraphim, and the
seraphim to the cheru BIN, until all
the lower orders of heaven hear the
command, and 60 forth on the high
behest.
Hook again and see the gallery OF
the prophets and apostles. Who are
those mighty ones upyonder? 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 fast Red
Sea shall divide; and Jeremiah, wait
ing for the swearing of the angel that
time shall be no longer.
look again, and see the gallery of
tho m a rtvra Who ia that2 Hnoh