The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1895-12-21

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let the lion eat Yen mp. This very mo-
tnent the contest goes on. The Tro-
Jan celebration. whefs ten thousand
gladiators fought, and eleven thou
sand wild beasts were slain, was not
SO terrific a struggle as that which at
this moment goes ON in many soitl.
That combat was for the life of the
body; this is for the life of the soul.
That was with wild beasts from the
jungle; this is with the roaring lion
of hell.
Men think, when they contend against
an evil habit, that they have to fight 1t
ali alone. Mol They stand In the ccn-
ter of an immense circle of sympathy
Paul had been reciting the names of
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah.
Isaac. Joseph, Gideon and Barak, and
then says: Being comprised about
with so great cloud of witnesses.
Before / get through, 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 applause of a great
multitude that no man can number.
being comprised about with SO great
| cloud of witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient
amphitheater, on the day of a cclebra-
ton, sat Tiberias. or Augustus, or the
reigning king So, in the great arena
of spectators that watch our struggles,
and In the first divine gallery, as
shall call it, sits our King. Jne Jesus.
On His head are many crowns! The
Roman emperor got his plase 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 en-
peror sat, with folded arms, indiffer-
ent as to whether the swordsman or
the lion beat; but our Kings smpa
thies are all with us. Nay, unheard-
of condescensions! sec 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 notl / will help theei I viii
strengthen thee by the right hand of
| my power!"
They gave to the men in the arena,
| in the olden time, food to thicxen
| their blood, so that it would flow slow
ly, and that for a longer time the poo
pie 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 our heart,
The Man OF Sorrows bore part.
| Once, in the ancient amphitheater, a
lion with one paw caught the COM
batant's 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 gal-
lery, said: ''That was not fair; the
lion must be slain by a sword"
Other lions were turned out, and
| the poor victim fell. You cyE.
"Shamel shame!'' at such mean
ness. 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; lie will rot suffer US to be
tempted above that we are able.
Thank God! The King is in the gal
| leryi His eyes are on us. His heart
is with us. blessed are all they who
put their trust in HimT'
look again, and 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 look away, for the splendor is
insufferable Here are the guardian
angels. That one watched a patriarch;
this one protected child. That one
has been pulling soul out Of tempta-
ton! All these are messengers OF light!
Those drove the Spanish Armada on
| the rocks. This turned SIENNA
cherib's living hosts into heap
of one hundred and eighty-five
thousand corpses. Those yonder
chanted the Christmas carol over
bethlehem. until the chant awolxe the
shepherds. These, at creation, stood
in the balcony of Heaven and serenad-
ed the newborn world wrapped in
swaddling clothes of light. And there,
holier and mighticr than all is Michael,
the archangel. To command an earth
ly host gives dignity; but this one is
leader of leader of the twenty thou
sand chariots of God. and of the ten
thousand times ten thousand angels.
think God gives command to the arch
angel, and the archangel to the sera-
phim, and the seraphim to the cher
ubim, until all the lower orders OF
Heaven hear the command. and &c
forth on the high behest.
Though the arena be crowded with
temptations, we shall. with the an
gelic help, strike them down in the
name of our God. and leap on theii
fallen carcasses. Oh, bending throng
of bright, angelic faces, and swift
wings and lightning footl hail you
to-day. from the dust and struggle Of
the arcna!.
] look again. and l see the gallery
of the prophets and apostles. Who are
those mighty ones up yonder? Hosea
] and jeremiah, and Daniel. and Isaiah
and Paul, and Peter. and John, and
James. There sits Noah, waiting fol
! all the world to come into the ark
and Moses. waiting till the last Rec
i sea shall divide; and jeremiah. wait
ing for the Jews to return; and John
of the Apocalypse, waiting for the
swearing Of the angel that Time shall
be no longer. Glorious spiritsi "
were howled at; We were stoned; VI
were spit uponl They have been II
the fipht themselves. and they are al