The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-03-01

To break tho silence I shouted, and thAe
seemed to awaken the echoes. echo upon
echo. And those awakened echoes seemed
to address me, saying: "Men die, but their
who planned this structure; the 60, 600 en-
slsved Jews brought by Titus from Jerus-
aIem, and who toiled on these walls, the
pladiators who fought iu this arena, the en-
perors and empresses who had place on yon-
der platform, the millions who during GEN.
turies sat and rose in these galleries have
passei away, but enough OF tho Coliseum
stands to tell the story q cruelty cruelty and pomp
Then, as stood there, there came to me
another. burst OF echoes, which seemed
throbbing with the prayers and songs and
eroans OF Christians who had expired in
that arena, and they seemed to say, "How
much it cost to serve God in ages past, and
how thankful modern centuries ought to De
that the persecution which Redeemed the
sands of this amphitheater have been aooi-
ished."
And then questioned the echoes, saying,
"Where is Emperor Titus, who sat herer
The answer came, "Gone to judgment"
"Where is Emperor Trajan, who sat herer
m4ons to Judgment" "Where is Maximi-
nns who sat Rerey' "Gone to Judgment"
"Where ara all the multitudes who clappsd
and shouted and waved flags to let the van
ouished up, or to have them slain put
thumbs down. The echoes answered, done
90 Judgment" inquired, "AlS' And they
answered "AH." A.
ruins. and it was full Of clouds scurrying
swiftly past and those clouds seemed as
though they had faces, and some or the faces
smiled and some Of them frowned, and they
Scanned to have wings and some OF tne
wings were moongilt and others thunder
CHARGED. and the voice overpowered tne
echoes beneath. "Behold He comsth Win
clouds. and every eye shallse Him"
And as stood looking up along toe "alIs
of the Coliseum they rose higher and hlgner.
higher and higher, until the ampMGnea1re
the past. and all the Nations Of the present.
and ALI the Nations OF the future, those who
want down under the paws OF wild beasts,
and those who sat waving dags to let up the
CONQUERED. and thoss who held thumbs down
to command their assassination, and small
and great and emperor and slave, and pas
tor and people, and righteous and Wioked'
the amphitheatre seeming 70 rlse 10 In
definite heights on all sides OF me, ana
in the center of that amphitheatre. instead
stood. rising higher and higher, higher
and higher, and on it sat the Christ
for whom the martyrs died and
against @ whom the bioclstians plot
ted their prosecutions, and waving
one hand toward the piled up .,splendors to
the right Of Him he cried, "Come, ye bless
ed" and waving the other hand toward tne
niied no glooms on the left Of Him He cried,
'sDspart ye cursed"
And 80 the Coliseum Of Rome that even.
ING of 1889 seemed enlarged into the amphi..
theater of the last judgment, and passed
from under the arch Of that mighty struc.
ture, mighty even in It's ruins, praying to
Almighty God, through Jesus Christ, for
mercy In that day for which all other days
were made, and that as expected mercy
from God might exercise mercy toward
Others and have more and more OF the
spirit s'Let him up and less OF the spirit OF
Thumbs DOWN.
We may not all be able to do sum in
higher paathemsticS but there Is sum in
the first role of gospel arithmetic which we
all lay do. It Is sum In simple addition;
'Aad to your faith virtue, aud to virtue
knowledge and to knowledge temperance,
and to temperance patience. and to patience
godliness, and to godIiuess brothsrly kind
ness, and to brotherly kindness charity"