Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1902-03-08

perOr sat, with folded arms, indiffer-
ent as to whether the swordsman or
the lion beat. but our Kings sympa-
thies 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, shouting until all up
and down his voice is heard: Fear
not, 1 will help thee! will strength
en- thee by tie right hand of my pow
err
I look again, and I 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 hosts into a heap of $4,000
corpSes- Those yonder chanted the
Christmas carol over Bethlehem until
the chant awoke the shepherds. And
there, holier and mightier than ALL is
Michael, the archangeL To command
an earthly host gives dignity, but this
one is leader of the 10000 chariots of
God and of the ten thousand times ten
thousand angels. | think God gives
command to the archangel, and the
archange1 to the seraphim and the
seraphim to the cherubim until all the
lower orders of heaven hear the COM
mand and so forth on the high behest.
Now bring on your lions, Who can
fear? All the spectators in the angelic
gallery are our friends. Though the
arena be crowned with temptations. we
shall, with the angelic help, strike
them down in the name of our God
and leap on their fallen carcasses, o
bending throng of bright angelic faces
and swift wings and lightning foot, l
hail you to-day from the dust and
struggle of the arena,
L look again, and | see the gallery of
the prophets and apostles. Who are
those mighty ones up yonder? Hosea
and jeremiah and Daniel and Isaiah
and Paul and Peter and John and
James. There sits Noah, waiting for
ali the world to come into the ark, and
Moses, waiting till tie last Red sea
shall divide. and jeremiah. waiting for
the Jews to return. and John of the
apocalypse. waiting for the swearing
longer. Glorious spirits Ye We're
howled at. We were stoned. We were spit
upon. They have Eeen in this fight
themselves. and they are all with US.
Daniel knows all about lions. Paul
fought with beasts at Ephesus.
| look again. and l see the gallery of
the martyrs. Who is that? Hugh Lat
inner. sure enough, 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 6,6662 Taey are the The
ban legion who oiied for the faith
Here is a larger host in magnificent
array, $4,000. who perished for Christ
in the prosecutions of DiocIetian. Yon-
der is family group, Felicitas of
Rome and her children While they
We're dying for the faith she stood en-
couraging them. One son was whipped
to death by thorns; another was fiuhS
from rock; another was beheaded A.
last the mother became martyr
There they are together, family group
in heaven. Yonder is John Bradford
who said in the fire. We shall have a
merry supper with the Lord tonight
Yonder is Henry Woes, who exclaimed
as ne uled. IL L had ten heads, they
should all fall off 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 feet and thus
they were pulled apart; they had their
tongues pulled out by redhot pinchers:
they were se-xed up in the skins of an
imals and tnen thrown to the dogs:
they Wi F,,,c HI
and set on fire, If all the martyrs
stakes that have been kindled could be
set at proper distances. they would
make the midnight all the world over
bright as MONDAY, And now they sit
yonder in the martyrs gallery. For
them the fires of persecution have gone
out. the swords are sheathed and the
mob hushed- Now they watch US with
an all observing sympathy. They know
all the pain. all the injustice all the
priyation. They cry: Courage, The
fire will not consume; the floods can
not drown; the lions cannot devour.
Courage down there in the arena."
What? Are they all lookfnge This
hour we answer back the salutation
they give and cry. Hail, sons and
daughters of the fire."
look again and / see another gal
lery-that of eminent Christians What
strikes ME strangely is the mixing in
companionship of those who on earth