Connecticut western news., 1895-10-31

tuu6 that uO man can numO6I. b6lDR compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses
 On the first elevation of the ancient amphitheatsr, on the day of a celebra- tion, sat Tiberius,T 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, one Jesus. On his head are many crowns The Roman emperor got his place 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 emperor sat, with folded arms, indifferent as to whether the swordsman or the lion beat, but our king's sympathies are all with us. Nay, unheard of condescensions! 1 see 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 not will help theei 1 will strengthen thee by the right hand of my power p'
 They gave to the men in the arena, in the olden time, food to thioken their blood, SO that it would flow slowly, and that for longer time the people 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 tho anguish of our heart,
 The Man of Sorrows bore part.
 Once, in the ancient amphitheater, a 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 not fair. The lion must be slain by a sword" Other lions were turned out, and the poor victim fell You cry, Shame, shaniet" at such meanness 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. 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 us. His heart is with fia His hand will deliver us. "Blessed arc all they who put their trust in him!" The Angelic Gallery. 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 upholding the throne of God, and from which I look away, for the splendor is insuffer- able. Here are the guardian angels. That one watched patriarch; this one protected child; that one has been pulling soul out of temptationl All these are messengers of light. Those drove the Spanisharmada on the rocks. 1 This turned Sennacherib's living hosts into heap of 1e5, 1000 corpses Those wonder chanted the Christmas carol over Bethlehem until the chant awoke the shepherds. These, at creation, stood in l the balcony of heaven and serenaded the newborn world wrapped in swaddlin9 clothes of light. And there, holier and mightier than all,s IS Michael the arch ! angel To command an earthly host gives dignity, but this one is leader of | the 20, 900 chariots of God and of the | ten thousand times ten thousand angels. think God gives command to the arch angel, and the archaDgel to the serA-' phim, and the seraphim to thecherubir1, l until all the lower orders of heaven hear the command and go forth on the high bshest.
 Now bring on your ionsi Who can fear? Allthe spectators inTthe angelic gallery are our fri6nds.s Hesshall give. his angels sharge 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 shah thou trample under I foot. '
 | Though the arena be crowded with temptations, we shall wit the am gelic 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 light ming foot, hail you today from tho dust and struggle of tho arenal
 look again, and see the gallery of the prophets and apostles Who are those mighty ones up wonder? Hosea and Jeremiah and Daniel and Isaiah and Paul and Peter and John and James. There sits Noah, waiting for all the
 
 waiting till the last Red sea shall di- vide, and Jeremiah, waiting for the Jews to return, and John of the Apoc- alypse, waiting for the swearing of the angel that time shall be no longer. Glorious spirits! Ye were howled at ye were stoned; ye were. spit uponl They have been in the fight themselves, and they are all with us. Daniel knows all about lions. Paul fought with beasts al Ephesus.
 The Applaaso ef the Prophets.
 In the ancient amphitheater the peo- pie got so excited that they would shout from the galleries to the men in the arena: "At it againp' Forward r "One more strokel" Look out P Fail backn' "Huzzal Huzza!" So fin that gallery, prophetic and apostolic, they cannot keep their peace. Daniel cries out, "Thy God will deliver thee from the mouth of the lions!'' David ex. claims, "He will not suffer thy foot 'tc be movedl'' Isaiah calls out: 'Fea1 not I am with theel Be not dis mayedp' Paul exclaims, "Victofy through, our Lord Jesus Christi" That throng of prophets and apostles canno, keep still. They make the welkin ring with shouting and halleluiahs.
 I look again and I see the gallery o the martyrs. Who is that? Hugh Lati mer, sure enoughl He would not apolo gize for the truth preached, and so h, died, the night before swinging iron the bedpost in perfect glee at the though of emancipation. Who are that army O, 6.666? They are the Theban legior who died for the faith. Here is larger host in magnificent array-884. .000- who perished for Christ in the persecu Ietions of Diocletian. Wonder is famih group-Felicitas of Rome and her chil flren While they were dying for tn,