. Voices from the Orient; or, The testimony of the monuments, of the recent historical and topographical discoveries, and of the customs and traditions of the people in the Orient, to the veracity of the sacred record. t death within those lofty of Antioch is said to have perished here. The lionsdevoured his flesh, and the Christians gathered his bones underthe safe covering of night. *At the entrance to the Coliseumand at the foot of the statue of the Sun, men and women per-ished in the names kindled by hopeless ignorance and heathenbigotry. Many, like Ignatius, for the love of
. Voices from the Orient; or, The testimony of the monuments, of the recent historical and topographical discoveries, and of the customs and traditions of the people in the Orient, to the veracity of the sacred record. t death within those lofty of Antioch is said to have perished here. The lionsdevoured his flesh, and the Christians gathered his bones underthe safe covering of night. *At the entrance to the Coliseumand at the foot of the statue of the Sun, men and women per-ished in the names kindled by hopeless ignorance and heathenbigotry. Many, like Ignatius, for the love of God, were mar-tyred by the most cruel tortures, by fire and iron, and by thedevouring jaws of wild beasts. If men who see in Christianityonly an ancient superstition, powerless for good, and hope forthe worlds deliverance from evil in the progress of iutellectand in the refinement of Art, would stand in that area of theColiseum, and people it with its tens of thousands as of old, andcompare them in their character and their pleasures with thecitizens of European or American capitals, the refining and holyinfluence of Christianity will clearly appear. Let them remem- * Walks in Rome, p. 137. G Ot* l-H aS H w oK. 23 IX AND ABOUT ROME. ber that emperors in their purple sat there. Let them remem-ber that the vestal virgins who devoted their lives to the ser-vice of heathen religion, and the wealth and fashion of Romesat on those seats and spent weeks in succession gloating overscenes of brutal carnage. Perhaps some Christian man orwoman is led into the arena whose only crime is, they fearGod, and live blameless lives. No eye of pity may look downfrom that sea of faces on the defenceless victim. Alone he standsand fearlessly faces the agonies of a terrible death. The wildbeast may hesitate to attack, and the human beasts in purpleand fine linen send out a shouting like the roar of thunder toexpress their discontent and to enrage the beast. Though nofriend sits on those marble seats
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectmiddlee, bookyear1884
