Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1895-11-01


which at this moment goes OIL i'll many
Il Soul. That coalbat WAS FOR The lite
of the body: this is Cor the lie ot IN"
soul. That was with wild beasts from
the jungle: this is with the roaring Ioh
OF hell.
Men think. when they conicn"
against an evil habit. that they have to
fight it all alone. No, They stand in the
center of an immense circle Of SYM
pathy. Paul had been recitins INC
names of Abel. Enoch, Noah. Abraham,
Sarah, Isaac, Joseph. Gideon and Bar
ak. and then says: Being compa2 SEQ
about with so great a cloud OF W.T.
nesses.'
Before get through | will show you
that you fight in an area. around which
circle, in galleries above each other, all
the kindiing eyes and al the sympa-
thetic hearts OF the ages; and at every
victory gained there comes down the
laundering applause of great multi
tnde that no man can number. Beng
! compassed about with SO great a clouo
| of witnesses.
| amphitheater. on the day az celeDfi-
| ton. sat Tiberius, or Augustus, or the
reigning king So, in the great arena OF
| spectators that watch our struggles ana
in the first divine gallery. as shall! call
it, sits our King, ono Jesus. On his
head are many crowns! The Roman
emperor go, his place by cold-hlcodcd
conquests but our King hath come 10
| his place by the broken hearts heated
and the tears wiped away and the sous
redeemed. The Roman emperor sat.
with folded arms, Indifferent az 10
whether the Swordsman or the lion
beat; but our Kings sympathies are all
with us. Nay. linheard-of condescen-
sions. see MIN 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. | VII
! help thee, will strengthen thee by The
right hama Of my power
They gave to the men in the arena,
, in the oiden time. food 10 thicken their
! blood, so that il would flow slowly, aud
! that for % longer time the people might
gloat over the scene. But our King has
! 20 pleasure in our wounds, for we are
bone OF his bone. flesh Of his iicsh,
blood OF his blood.
In all the anguish Of our heart,
! The Man OF Sorrows bore o pare
Once. in the ancient amphitheatei 4
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 rot fair; the lion must
he slain by z sword" Other lions were
! turned out. and the poor victim fell.
You cry. shame. shame at SUCH
meanness. But the King in this case is
| our brother and he viii 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 gallery! His eyes are
on MS. His heart Is with US. His hand
will deliver us. blessed are all they
| who puHtrust in him..
| I loolHhgain, and | see the angelic
! gallery. There they are: the angel that
swung the sword nj the gate OF Eden,
| the same that Ezekiel saw upholding
| the throne of God and from which
! look away for the splendOr is insuffer-
able. Here are the guardian angels
| That one watched a patriarch: this one
protected a child. That one has been
! pulling a soul Oit OF temptation, All
! these are messengers Of light! Those
drove the Spanish Armada on tine rocks.
This turned Scnnacheribs living hosts
| into q heap OF one hundred and eighty
FIVE thousand corpses. Those yonder.
chauted the Christmas carol over Beth
lehem, until the chant awoke the shep-
herds. These, at creation, stood in the
| balcony OF heaven, and serenaded the
new born world wrapped i'm swaddling
clothes OF light. And there, holler and
mishtier than all, is Michael, the arch
angel. 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 10 the seraphim, and the SER
aphim to the cherubim. until all the
! lower orders of heaven hear the COM
mand and go forth on the high behest.
Now, bring on your lions! 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 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
temptations, We shall, with the angelic
| help. strike them down in the name of
our God, and leap on their fallen car
| casses. Oh. bending throng of bright.
angelic faces, and swift wings. and
lightning foot! hail you. today. from
the dust and struggle of the arena.
look again. and / see the gallery OF
| the prophets and apostles. Who are
those mighty ones up yondor? Hosea,
and jeremiah, and Daniel. and Isaiah,
and Paul. and Peter, and John.
and James. There sits Noah,
waiting for nj, the world TO come