Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-25
Thirteenth Of DR.. Talmage's Sc
ries on His Recent Journey.
Tenting. After a Long March, in the
NeighbOrhoOd of Where Joshua
Fought His Last Great Battle
And When All These Kings We're Met TO-
ge;her, They Came and Pitched To-
gether at the Waters of Merom to
Fight Against Israel"
THE WATERS OF MEROM.

special 10 lhe NaEtttS'
BRooKLYN, n. i. Dec. 2l.-Dr. TAI
mage preached tn following sermon this
morning in the academy of music in THIS
city, and again in the evening at the
Christian Herald service in New York.
His text was Joshua II, 8: land when
all these hinge were met together, they
came md pitched together at the waters
of Merom TO fight against Israel.
We are eucamped tonight in Pales-
tine by the WATERS of Merom. After
long march we have found our tents
pitched, our fires kndIed, and though
far away from civilization, a variety of
food that would not compromise first
class American hote,, for the most of our
caravan starts an hour and a half earlier
IN the morning. We detain only two
mules carrying so much OF our baggage
as we might accidentally need .and tent
for the MONDAY luncheon. The ma!a-
rias around this Lake Merom are so pois-
ouous that at any other season OF the
year encampment here is perlous, but
this winter night the air is toni and
healthful. In this neiRhborhood Joshua
fought his last great battle. The
nations had banded themselves together
TO crush this Joshua, bat along the
Lauks of these waters Joshua left their
carcrsses. indeed ii is time that we
more infinitely examine this Joshua of
whom We have in these dscourses caught
only n momentary glimpse, although he
crossed and recrOssed Palestine, anu
next to Jesus is the most stirring and
mighty character whose foot ever
TOUCHED THE HOLY LAND.
dad lenutiful tradition
snys the Lord kissed him, and in that act
drew forth the soul of the dying law
giver He had been buried, only one
Person at the funeral, the same One who
kissed him. But God never takes man
AWAY from any place of usefulness but
He has some one ready. The Lord does
not 20 locking around amid great
variety of candidates to find some one
especially fitted for the vacant position.
He makes man for that place. Moses
hns passed of the stage, and Joshua,
the hero, puts his foot on the platform
of history so solidly that all ages echo
with the tread. He was magnificent
fighter, but he always fought on the
right side, and he never fought unless
God told him TO fight. He got his mill
tary equipment from Gou, who gave him
the promise at the start: "There shall
mol any man ne HUG u sluuu DelbIo
thee all the days OF thy life. - God full
filled this promise, although Joshua's
frs: battle was with the spring freshet;
and the next with q stone wall; and the
next, leading on a regiment of whipped
towards; and the next battle, against
darkness wheeling the sun ana the moon
into his battalion aud the last, against
the king of terrors,
pEATH-TIVE GREAT VICTORIES.
For the most part, when the general of
on army starts out in Il conflict he would
like TO have n small battle in order that
he may get his courage up and he may
rally his troops aud get them drilled for
greater conflicts: hut this first undertake
ing of Joshua was greater than the lev
cling Of Fort Pulaski or the laundering
down Of Gibraltar, or the overthrow of
the Bastille. II was the crossing Oh the
Jordan nj the time of the spring freshet.
The SHOWS of Mount LeDnGon had just
been melting and they poured down into
the valley, and the whole valley was d
raging torrent. So the CaDnauites stand
on one bank and they look across and
see Joshua ana the IsraelItes, and they
laugh and say: AHA! aha. they can
not disturb us in time-untti the freshets
fall; il is impossible for them to reach
che water ana they see movement in
the army of Joshua. They say, whats
the matter now? Why there must be @
panic among these troops, aud they are
going to lv, or perhaps they are going TO
try to march across the river JOrda Il.
Joshua is lunatic. But Joshua. the
Chieftnin, looks at his army ana cries:
Forward. march, aud they start for
THE BhNK or THE JORDAN,
One mile ahead 20 two priests carrying
Il glIttering box four feet long and two
feet wide. II is the ark of the covenant.
And they come down, and no sooner do
they just touch the rim of the Water with
their feet, than By an almighty fiat,
Jordan parts. The army of Joshua
marches right on without getting their
feet wet. over the bottom of the river,
path of chalk and broken shells aud
pebbles. until they get TO the othor
bank. Then they lay hold of the oieand-
ers and tamarisks and willows and pull
themselves up bank thirty or forty
feet high. and having gained the other
bank, they clap their shields and their
cymbals. and sing the praises of the God
of Joshua. But no sooner have they
reached the bank than the waters begin
TO dash and roar, and with Il terrific
rush they break loose from their strange
anchorage. Out wonder they have
stopped, thirty miles of distance they
halted on this side the waters roll off
toward the salt sea. But as the hand
of the Lord God is taken away from the
thus uplifted waters-waters perhaps up
lifted half IL mile-as tho almighty hand
is taken away, those waters rush down,
and some of the unbeiievinE Israelites
saw: ALAS, alas, what misfortunel
Why could not those waters have stayed
parted? Because perhaps we may want
TO go back. . Lord, We are
ENGAGED IN A RISKY BUSINESS.
Those Canaanites may eat US up. How
if we want TO go back? Would it not
have been more complete miracle il
the Lord had parted the waters TO let us
come through and kept them parted |
10 let us go back if we are defeated?' |
My friends, God makes no provision for |
q Christian g retreat. He clears the |
path all the way TO Canaan. To go back |
is TO die. The same gatekeepers that |
swung back the ameihystine and crys-
talline glte OF the Jordan TO let israel |
mass through now swing shut the anna