as guides to benighted travelers . They have , with their own hands , kindled the fires at the altar . They have opened prison doors and set free the servants of the Lord . Clothed with the panoply of heaven , they came to roll away the stone from the Saviour ' s tomb .
In the form of men , angels are often in the assemblies of the righteous ; and they visit the assemblies of the wicked , as they went to Sodom , to make a record of their deeds , to determine whether they have passed the boundary of God ' s forbearance . The Lord delights in mercy ; and for the sake of a few who really serve Him , He restrains calamities and prolongs the tranquillity of multitudes . Little do sinners against God realize that they are indebted for their own lives to the faithful few whom they delight to ridicule and oppress .
Though the rulers of this world know it not , yet often in their councils angels have been spokesmen . Human eyes have looked upon them ; human ears have listened to their appeals ; human lips have opposed their suggestions and ridiculed their counsels ; human hands have met them with insult and abuse . In the council hall and the court of justice these heavenly messengers have shown an intimate acquaintance with human history ; they have proved themselves better able to plead the cause of the oppressed than were their ablest and most eloquent defenders . They have defeated purposes and arrested evils that would have greatly retarded the work of God and would have caused great suffering to His people . In the hour of peril and distress " the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him , and delivereth them ." Psalm 34:7 .
With earnest longing , God ' s people await the tokens of their coming King . As the watchmen are accosted , " What of the night ?" the answer is given unfalteringly , "' The morning cometh , and also the night .' Isaiah 21:11 , 12 . Light is gleaming upon the clouds above the mountaintops . Soon there will be a revealing of His glory . The Sun of Righteousness is about to shine forth . The morning and the night are both at hand--the opening of endless day to the righteous , the settling down of eternal night to the wicked ."
As the wrestling ones urge their petitions before God , the veil separating them from the unseen seems almost withdrawn . The heavens glow with the dawning of eternal day , and like the melody of angel songs the words fall upon the ear : " Stand fast to your allegiance . Help is coming ." Christ , the almighty Victor , holds out to His weary soldiers a crown of immortal glory ; and His voice comes from the gates ajar : " Lo , I am with you . Be not afraid . I am acquainted with all your sorrows ; I have borne your griefs . You are not warring against untried enemies . I have fought the battle in your behalf , and in My name you are more than conquerors ." The precious Saviour will send help just when we need it . The way to heaven is
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