The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-02-28

corpses. Those yonder ehanted the Christ
mas carol over Bethlehem until the chant
awoke the shepherds. These at creation
stood IN the balcony OF heaven and sere-
made the newborn world wrapped IN
swaddhEg clothes OF hight. And there,
hoher and mightier than al, Is Michael,
the archangel.
In the ancient amphitheatre the people
got 30 excited that they would shout from
the galleries TO men in the arena: AT IL
again" Forward" "One more s;roke,"
Look out" Fall back" "Huzza, Hux-
za.' so in that gallery, prophetic and
apostolic. they cannot keep their peace.
Daniel cries out, Thy God viii deliver
thee from the mouth OF the hons" David
exclaims, He will not suffer thy foot 10
be moved Isaiah calls out: Fear not.
am with thee! BE not dismayed'' Paul
exc.aims, Victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ" That throng OF prophets
and apostles cannot keep still. They make
the welkin ring with shouting and halle
luiGhs.
look again and see the gallery OF the
martyrs. Who is that; Hugh Latimer,
sure enough! He would not apologize for
the truth he preached, and so he died, the
night before swinging from the hedpost IN
perfect glee az the thought OF emancipa.
tion. Who Is that army OF 6066! They are
the Theban legion who died Tor the faith.
Here is a larger host in magnificent array,
$4,000. who perished for Christ in the
prosecutions OF Diocletian. Honder Is
family group Felicitas, OF Rome, and her
children. While they were dying tor the
faith she stood encouraging them. One
son was whipped 20 death by thorns; an
other was flung from a rock; another was
beheaded. AT last the mother became
martyr There they are together, family
group in heaven, Yonder is John Brad
- l,A aa,I ,p ha fra IA
a merry supper with the Lord tonight"
Yonder is Henry Woes. who exclaimed as
he died. Ii / had ten heads. they should
ali fall of for Christi The great throng
Of the martyrs, They had hot lead poured
down their throats; horses were fastened
to their hands and other horses TO their
fee., and thus they were pulled apart;
they had their tongues pulled out by red
hot plncers they were sewed up IN the
skins of animals and then thrown TO the
dogs; they were daubed w!yh comhustlbles
and set on FIRE, ii all the martyrs stakes
that have been kindled could be set at
proper distances the, would make the mid
night all the world over bright as noon.
day! And now they sat yonder IN the mar
tyrs' gallery.
For them the fires of persecution have
gone cut; the swords are sheathed and the
mob hushed. Now tley watch Us with an
all observing sympathy. They know all
the pain. all the hardship. all the anguish,
all the injustice. all the privatlon. They
canno: keep still. They cry: Courage!
The fire Will not consume; the floods can
not drown; the lions cannot devour. Cour-
ase down there IN the arena
What: Are they all looking This hour
we answer back the salutation they give
and cry, Hail, sons and daughters of the
fire.
look again and see another gallery
that of eminent Christians. What strikes
me strangely is the mixing in companion.
ship OF those who on earth could not agree
There Is Albert Barnes and around him
the presbytery who tried him for hetero.
coXyl Yonder are Lyman Beecher and
the church court that denounced him,
Stranger than all, there are John Calvin
and James Arminus! Who would have
thought that they would SIT so lovingly 70.
getherg There are George Whitefeld and
the ministers who would not let him come
into their pulplts because they thought
him fanatic. There are the sweet sing
ers Toplady, Montgomery, Charles Wes'
ley. Isaac Watts and Mrs. Sigourney If
heaven had had no music before they went
up, they would have started the singing
And there the band of missionaries
David Abeel. talking of China redeemed;
David Brainerd OF the aborgines evan.
geized; and Mn. Adonlram Judson,
whose prayers for Burma took heaven by
violence, All these Christians are looking
into the arena. Our struggle Is nothing TO
theirs, DO we in Christ's cause suffer
from the cold? They walked Greenland's
icy mountains. Do We suffer from the
neat? They sweltered in tropics. Do we
get fatigued? They tainted, with none 10
care for them but cannibas. Are we per.
secutedy They were mathematical. And
a. they look from their gallery and see us
falter IN the presence OF the hons | seem
to hear Isaac Watts addressing US in his
old hymn, only little changed:
Must YOU be carried to the skies
On f.owery beds of ease
While others fought to win the prize
Or sailed through bloody seas:
Top.ady shouts in his old hymn:
Your harps. we trembling saints,
Down from the willows take;
Loud 20 the praise Of love divine
Bid every string awake.
While Charles Wesley, the Meth iist,
breaks forth IN words little variel:
4 charge TO keep you have,
\ God TO glorlfy,
\ never dying soul TO save
And TT It for the sky,
lock again and see the gallery Of our
departed. Many Of those IN the other
galleries we have heard of, but these We
new On. how familiar their facesl They
sat at our tables, and we walked to the
house OF God IN company Have they for.
gotten Us; those fathers and mothers
started US on he road OF life. Are they
careless as 20 what becomes OF us? And
those children-do they look with stolid
Indifference % 70 whether we WIN or lose