The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-02-28

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 compassed about with so great
cloud of witnesses"
On the first elevation of the ancient
amphitheater, on the day of a cele-
bration, sat Tiberius or Augustus or
the reigning king. So in the great
arena of spectators that watch our
struggles and in the first divine gal
lery, as 1 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
Kings sympathies are all with us
nay, unheard of condescension! l see
Him come down from the gallery into
the arena to help us in the fight, shout
ing until all up and down His voice
is heard: Fear not! will help thee!
1 will strengthen thee by the right
hand of My power!"
They gave to the men in the arena
in the olden time food to thicken 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.
Once in the ancient amphitheater n
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 gal
lery, said: "That was not fair. The
lion must be slain by sword" Other
lions were turned out, and the poor
victim fell. You cry: Shame!
Shamei" 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
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 us. His hand will
deliver us. Blessed are they who put
their trust in Him.
1 look again, and 1 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 1 look away, for the splendor is
insufferable. Here are the guardian
angels. That one watched patriarch;
this one protected child; that one has
been pulling a soul out of temptation!
All these are messengers of light!
Those drove the Spanish armada on
the rocks. This turned Sennacherib'S
living host into heap of $4,000
cOrpses. Those yonder chanted the
Christmas carol over Bethlehem until
the chant awoke the shepherds. These
at creation stood in the balcony of
Heaven and serenaded the newborn
world wrapped in swad6ling clothes of
light. And there, holier and mightier
than all, is Michael, the archangel.
To command an earthly host gives dig
nifty, but this one is leader of the 90
600 chariots of God and of the 10000
times 10000 angels. ! think God gives
command to the archangel, and the
archangel to the seraphim, and the
seraphim to the cherubim, until all
the lower orders of Heaven hear the
command 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 a 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
cassesl o bending throng of bright
angelic faces and swift wings and
lightning foot, 1 hail you to-day from
the dust and struggle of the arenal
1 look again, and L see the gallery
of the martyrs. Who is that? Hugh
Latimer, sure enoughl He would not
apologize for the truth he preached,
and so he died, the night before
swinging from the bedpost in perfect
glee at the thought of emancipation,
Who is that army of 5000? They are
the Theban legion who died for the
faith. Here is a larger host in mag
nificent array, $4,000, who persisted
for Christ in the PROSECUTIONS of
Diocletian. Yonder is a family group,
Felicitas of Rome and her children.
While they were dying for the faith
she stood encouraging them. One
son was whipped to death by thorns;
another was flung from a rock; an
other was beheaded. At last the
mother became a martyr. There
they are together, family group in
heaven, Yonder is John Bradford,
who said in the fire: eve shall
have a merry supper with the Lord
tonight" Yonder is Henry Woes,
who exclaimed as he died: IF l had
ten heads, they should all fall off for
Christi" The great throng of the
martyrs! Iney nad hoC Iedu Poureu
down their throats; horses were fas-
tened to their hands and other horses
to their feet, and thus they were
pulled apart; they had their tongues
pulled out by red-hot pinchers; they
were sewed up in the skins of ami
mails and then thrown to the dogs;
they were daubed with combustibles
and set on fire! If all the martyrs
stakes that have been iindled could
be set at proper distances, they