Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-03-06
FORWARD, MARCH!
The Great Battle of Life Now in
4 Progress.
Joshua, the Great Warrior-Blowing Down
the Walls Of Ierieho--Commanding
the Sun and Moon to
Stand Still.
AN ABLE AND INTERESTING SERMON
Hnecinl 10 The Re0iSker.

shall not any man be able to stand before
thee all the days OF thy life, and then
said: 81. ,...
Moses was dead. A beautiful tradition |
saws God kissed him and in that act drew
forth the soul OF the dying law-giyer. de
has been buried, only one person at MS
funeral: the same One who kissed him.
Rut God never removes a man until he
has some one ready to take his place. Zoo
does not 90 around seeking among great
variety OF candidates some one 10 take
vacated place He Just makes man to NIL
that particular place Moses had passed
off the stage. Joshua the hero OF the text, |
comes out to take his place and put ms
foot so solidly on the platform OF history
that all ages hear the echo OF his tread. ne
was magnificent fighter, and he always
fought on the right side. he never tougns
foi personal sggrandizement, ana never
fought unless the Lord told him to do So |
In my text God gives him military out
fit and one would think it must have been
like plumed helmets to the head anu
ereayes of brass to the feet and harbeglon |
for thc.breast. There shall not any man
be able TO stand before thee all the days Oh
thy life Well" you say, lit does not
require any great courage 10 go out WIN q
hacking like that" ] reply, God PROMISED
Joshua no more than He promises you ana
me in our conflicts. The
Framer OF the Universe.
the cbieftan OF all eternity has pledged all
his resources to see US through, and ne
promised no more than that to Joshua.
Tod always stands By his people and my
object is to show you that Hefulliilled TINS
entire promises to Joshua, although ms
first battle was against spring freShet
and his second battle against a stone wall
and his third battle while leading on a reg
iment of whipped towards and his tourti
battle against the darkness as he marshaIleI
the sun and moon into his battalion; ana
his last battle against death the King OF
terrors. the hero OF the text getting the
victory in all these battles.
general would usually prefer TO start
with small conflict that he might get ms
courage up and his men drilled; out
Joshuas undertaking was more OF Joo
than the dwelling OF
Fort Pulaski.
or the laundering down OF Gibraltar, or
the taking of Sebastopol. His first under
taing was to cross the river Jordan IN
spring freshct At certain seasons OF the
wear at certain points that river could be
easily forded, and the water could only
come to the knee, or. to the girdle; but at
| this season of which / am speaking, the
SHOWS of Mount Lebanon had melted and
they were pouring down into the valley
| and the valley had become one raging flood.
| 1t was easy enough in some seasons 10
| cross the river, as when Lieutenant Noun
| aux was exploring that river Jordan, some,
| times he had his boats in the water anu
| sometimes he had them carried on camelS
| backs, so shallow was the stream in certain
| places But in the spring, when Lieutenant
! lynch attempted his explorations, MS
| boats were knocked to pieces amid the -
rapids of that river, although the boats
we're lined with copper or galvanized iron.
| You might as well talk ot
Wading Across the Hudson River
| at Yonkers as to think OF wading the river
| Jordan at the season of which | am speak
| ing. The Cananites on the other side were
perfcctly sure They looked across the
river and saw the lSraeliteSrand they SAID:
| Aha, you cant get at Us; we are safe any
way until the spring freshct falls. Inc
voice OF the gurgling freshet was lullaby
| TO the Cananites as they looked across the
stream. But one day Joshua orders out his
troops and tells them to fall into line The
| CananiteS looking across, say: "Ah! what's
| the matter now? | wonder if those Israeli
ties are frightened? think panic must
| have struck them and they are going to
| run away, or they are going up near the
| mouth of the Jordan expecting TO cross
| there, and JoShua's army will be entirely
| destroyed before he gets here. Joshua Is
| lunatic" Forward march, cries Joshua
to his troops. They pass on toward the
| river, and it seems as il the light armed
| troops and the spear men and the arChers
and all their leaders must be swept down
| in the fearful food. Let them prepare,
you say, for 4 watery. grave.
one mile ahead OF the main
army OF Joshua 90 the priests, carrying
glittrring box about four feet long hi TWO
feet wide. That glittcring box Is the
Ark OF the Covenant,
and no sooner had the priests come down
| with thar Ark, and with their feet touched
| the margin OF the river than Jordan parts
| hv all almighty fiat. Thirty miles above the
| river stops on one side, while on the other
| side the water flows on down toward the
| Salt sea Forward now, We troops of Israel.
| Come right on. 1t i Il dry path all the way
| thrnugh-a path OF chalk and broken shells
and pcbhlc>. You will not even get the
| >olc< OF your feet wet. March on. Come
| TO the other hank. They reach the bank
and they pull themselves up it, steep bank,
| thirty or turty feet in height. They pull
themselves up the bank by the oleander>.
and the tamara>hcS and the willows until
they reach the top. Now let them clap
>vmbal> and shields and sing song OF praise
to the God Of Joshua. No sooner have they
climbed up this high bank than with dash
and roar and terrific rush the waters OF the
Jordan break loose from their strange an
chorage. You know how fast the waters
roar when mill dam breaks, andthe proba-
blity iS that in the halt OF that great
river and in the plling up OF the accumu-
lated water there must have been dam
lifted by God : hand half mile high, and
when that broke. Oh, the fury! What a
predicament for Joshua and his troops why
did not those waters stay parted until Joshua
and his troops could find out whether they
could cope with their enemies or not? |
hear one OF the unbclieying 1>raclteS say
Lord why didst Thou not keep those bill
lows parted 80 that ii We wanted to retreat
we could 20 back dry shod just a. when We
advanced. We are engaged in q very risky
experiment. How. il these CaananitcS eat
u> all up All, my hearers. God never
makes any provision for the Christians re-
treat. He clears the path TO Canaan if We 90
ahead.
1--WE Go Back We Die.
1t is dry shod on . path OF broken shells
and pebbles in one direction. 1t is water
forty feet deep, in the rear. The same
gate-keeper that swung back the crystal
and amethystine door OF Jordan to let you
pass has barred and bolted the crystal and
amethyStine door of the Jordan to prevent
you from going back. | declare il to-day,
victory ahead, darkness, flood, ruin and
death behind.
You say why didn't those Caananites
destroy Joshua and his troops while they
had chance? Here they were on bank
thirty or forty feet high. There were the
ISraelites under Joshua down in the bed OF
the stream. Why didn't the Caananites
fight back these invaders? The Caananites
were familiar with their own country. The
invading army were strangers TO the coun-
try they were in. The CaanaRites were
all fresh troops. The soldiers under Joshua
were travel-worn. Why didn't the Caanan
ties double up the right wing, and then
double up the left wing, and then pierce
the center. of Joshua's army" | will tell
YOU why they did not. The promise had
been given and the Lord God keeps his
promise There shall not any man he
able to stand before thee all the days of
thy life"
But we cannot stop here. 1t is no place
for Joshua's troops to stay. What is that
in the distance? At the end OF grove of
palms eight miles long is the chief city.
1t is city of