The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-10-31

| iery. said: THAT was not fair. The lion
must be slain by sword" Other lions
were were turned out, and the poor victim
such meanness. But the King. in this
case, is our brother. and He will see that we
I have fair plav. He will forbid the rushing
o'it OF more lions than we can meet He
, VIII NOT suffer us to be tempted above that
we ne able. Thank Godl The King is in
IS with us. His hand will deliver us.
BLESSED are all they vino put their trust in
| Him."
| loot agair. and see the angelic gallery.
/ There they are--the angel that swung the
| sword AZ the gate OF Eden. the same that
Ezekiel saw upholdinc the throns OF God.
| and from which look away, for the splen-
| dor Is insufferable. Here are the guardian
angels. That one watched n patriarch; this
one protected a child that one has been pull
ing soul out Of temptation. All those are
messengers OF light. Those drove the Span
ish armada on the rocks. This turned SEN
nacherlb's living hosts into n heap OF
lS5.eOo corpses. Those yoDder chanted
the Christmas carol over Bethe.
hem until tho chant awoke the
! shepherds. These, at creation. stood In the
| balcony OF heaven and serennded the new
born world wrapped in swaddling clothes of
| light. And there. hotter and mighter than
all, is Michael. the archangel. To command
II
leader oi the 10000 chariots Of God and of
the ten thousand times ten thousand angels.
l think God gives command to the arch
angel. aud the archangcl TO tho seraphim.
and the seraphim to the cherubim, until ali
the lower orders OF heaven hear the COM
mand and 90 forth on the high behest
Now bring on your lions! Who can fenr?
All the spectators in the angelic gallery are
our friends. "He shall give His angels
charge over thee to keep thoe in all thy
ways. They shall bear thee up in their
hands, lest thou dash thy foot against
| stone. Though shalt tread upon tho lion
aud adder the young lion and the dragon
shalt thou trample underfoot."
Though the arena be crowded with tempta-
tlons we shall. with the angelic help, strike
them down in the name of our God and lean
on their fallen carcasscs Oh. bending
throng of bright, angelic faces and swift
wings and lightning foot. | hail Won to-day
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 yondcr? 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 tho last Rod Sea shall di-
vide. and jeremiah. waiting for the Jews TO
return. and John OF the Apocalypse waiting
Tor the swearing OF the angel that time shall
be no longer. Glorious spirits! Ye were
howIed at; ye were stoned; ye were spit
upon! They nave been I'm the fight them
selves. End they are all with us. Daniel
knows all about lions. Paul fought with
beasts at Ephesus.
In the ancient amphitheatre the people
GOT so excited that they would shout from
the galleries to the men In the arena: AT
t again. Forward conc more stroker'
"Look out" Fall back" "Huzza! Huzzal"
50 in that gallery. prophetic and apostolic,
tNtNNF 80 sl...t.. -
out: "Thy God will deliver thee from the
mouth OF the lions" David exclaims. "Ho
will not suffer thy foot to be movedr Isaiah
calls out: Fear not! am with thee! Be
not dismaved"' Paul exclaims: "victory
through our Lord Jesus Christi" That
throng OF prophets and apostles cannot keep
still. They make the wclkin ring with
shouting and halleluiahs.
look again and | see the gallery OF tho
martyrs. Who is ;hat2 Hugh Latimer. sure
enough He would not apologize for the
truth preached, and so he died. tho night
before swinging from the bedpost in perfect
glee at the thought OF emancipation. Who
are that army OF 6G6G? They are tho
Thebnn legion who died for the faith. Here
Is larger host in magnificent array-Ss4.-
ODO-who perished for Christ ia the pe -st-i
cution OF Dloclctian. Yonder is family
group-Felicitas. Of Rome. and her chill
dren. While they were dying for tho faith
she stood encouraging them. One son was
whipped to 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 heav-
en-! Yonder is John Bradford, who said in
the fire, "We shall have merry supper with
the Lord tonight" Yonder is Henry Woes.
who exclaimed rs he died, 'If | had
ten heads they should all fall Off
Tor Christ" The great throng OF the
martyrs! They had hot lead poured down
their throats horses wero fastened TO their
hands and other horses TO their feet. and
thus they were pulled apart. They had their
tongues pulled out by redhot pinchers; they
were sewed up in the skins OF animals and
then thrown to the dogs; they were daubed
with combustibles and SET on ilrel II all tho
martyrs stakes that have been kindlej
could be set mt proper distances, thew
would make the midnight all the world
over bright as noondayi And now they
SIT yonder In the martyrs gallery. For them
the fires Of persecution have gone out. Tho
swords are sheathed and the mob hushed.
Now they watch us with an all observing
sympathy. They know all the pain, all tho
hardship, all the anguish, all the injustice,
all the privatiOn. They cannot keep still.
They cry; Courage! Tho Are will not con-
sumo. The Hoods cannot drown. The lions
cannot deyour! Courage down there in tho
arena"
But here pause. overwhelmed with the
majesty and the JOY OF the scene, Gallery OF
the King! Gallery OF angels! Gallery o.
prophets and apostles! Gallery of martyrs
Gallery OF saints! Gallery Of friends and
kindred! Oh, majestic circles of light and
love, Throngs! rnrongs! Throngsl How
shall we stand the gaze OF the universe?
Myriads of eyes beaming on us! Myriads o.
hearts beating in sympathy for us! How
snail we ever dare 10 sin againp How
snail we ever become discouraged again?
How shall we ever feel lonely again?
With God for us, and angels for us, and
prophets and apostles for US, and the great
souls OF the ages for US, and our glorlned
kindred for us, shall we give up the fight
2nd die? No, Son of God, who didst die TO
Aive us! No, ye angels. whose wings ara
spread forth TO shelter us. No. ye prophets
and apostles, whose warnings startlo us.
No, ye loved ones, whose arms are out
stretched TO receive US. No, we will never
surrender!
Sure / must fight II would reign
Be faithful to my Lord.
And bear the cross, endure the pain
aI 49,