The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-02-27

group in heavenl Yonder is John Brad
ford, who said in the fire, "We shall have
merry supper with the Lord tonight"
Yonder is Henry Woes, who exclaimed as
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 red
hot pincers; they were sewed up in the
skins Of animals and then thrown to the
dogs; they were daubed with combustibles
aud set on irel II all the martyrs stakes
that have been kindled could be set at
proper distances they would make the mid
hight all the world over bright as noon.
,ayl And now they sit yonder in the mar
tyrs' gallery.
For them the ares 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 hardship, all the anguish,
all the injustice, all the privation. They
cannot keep still. They cry: "Couragc
The fire will not consume; the foods can
not drown; the lions cannot devour. Cour.
age down there in the arenal"
What? Are they all looking? This hour
we answer back the salutation they give
and cry, "Hail, sons and daughters Of the
Grsl" :,
| look again and ] see another gallery
that of eminent Christians. What strikes
ne 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-
doxyl Yonder are Lyman Beecher and
the church court that denounced him!
Stranger than all, there are John Calvin
and James Arminius Who would have
thought that they would sit so lovingly to-
gether? There are George Whiteield and
Che ministers who would not let him come
into their pulpits because they thought
him q fanatic. There are the sweet sing.
ers Topladg, Montgomery, Charles Yves.
ley, Isaac Watts and Mrs Sigom'ney. If
heaven had had no music before they went
up, they would have started the singing
And there the band of missionarios-
David Abeel, talking of China redeemed; I;
and John Scudder, of India saved; and
David Brainerd, of the aborgines evan.
gelized; and Mrs. Adoniram Judson
whose prayers for Burma took heaven by
violence! All these Christians are locking
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
heat? They swelterod in tropics. Do we
get fatigued? They tainted, with none to
care for them but cannibals. Are we per,
as they look from their gallery and see us
falter in the presence of the lions | seem
to hear Isaac Watts addressing Us in his
cd hymn, only little changed:
Must you be carried to the skies
On flowery 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 to the praise of love divine
Bid every string awake.
While Charles Wesley, the Methodist,
breaks forth in words little varied:
a charge to keep you have,
A God to glorify,
"A never dying soul to save
And fit it for the sky!
] look again and | see the gallery Of our
departed. Many of those in the other
galleries we have heard of, but these we
knew. Oh, how familiar their faces! 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 the road of life. Are they
careless as to what becomes of US? And
those children-do they look with stolid
indifference as to whether we win or lose
this battle of life? They remember the
day they left lis. They remember the
agony Of the last farewell. Though years
in heaven, they know our faces. They re-
member our sorrows They speak ON
names. They watch this fight for heaven
Nay, j see them rise up and lean over and
wave before US their recognition and en-
couragement. That gallery is not full
They are keeping places for lis. After we
have slain the lion they expect the King
to call us, saying, "Comc up highor!"
Between the hot struggles in the arena
! wipe the sweat from my brow and stand
on tiptoe, reaching up my right hand tc
clasp theirs in rapturous handshalkinS
while their voices come ringing down from
the gallery, crying, BE thou faithful unto
death, and you shall have crown!"
But here ] pause, overwhelmed with the
majesty and the JOY of the scene! Gallery
of the King Gallery of angels Gallery
of prophets and apostles! Gallery of mar
tyrs Gallery of saints! Gallery of friends
and love! Throngs, throngs, throngs!
How shall we stand the gaze of the uni
verse? Myriads of eyes beaming on us!
Myriads of hearts beating in sympathy for
usl How shall we ever dare to sin again
How shall 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 gio
rified kindred for us-shall we give up the
fight and die? No, Son of God, who didst
die to save u.s. No, ye angels, whose wing:
are spread forth to shelter us! No. ye
prophets and apostles. whose warnings
startle us! No, ye loved ones, whose arms
are outstretched to receive us! No; we
will never surrender!
Sure must fight if l would reign,
BE faithful to my Lord,
And bear the cross, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.
Thv saints in all this glorious war
Shall conquer though they die;
They see the triumph from afar
And seize 1t with their eye.
When that illustrious day shall rise
And all Thine armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.
My hearers, shall we die in the arena OF
| rise to join our friends in the gallery
| Through Christ we may come off more than
conquerors. A soldier dying in the hospi.
| tai rose up in bed the last moment and
| cried. Here, here!" His attendants put
him back on his pillow and asked him why
he shouted "Here" ooh, heard the roll
call of heaven. and / was only answering
| this battle of this life is over our names
| will be called in the muster roll of the
4. f.1 4 4. Al IL