News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-12-25

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and they were to so around the city
every day for six days-Once Il day for
six DAYS and then on the seventh day
thev were to go around blowing these
rude musical instruments seven times
and then at the close of the seventh
blowing of the rams horns on the sew
enth day the peroration of the whole
scene was to be q shout at which those
great walls should tumble from cap
stone to base.
THE FIRST DAY A FAILURE.
The seven priests with the rude must
cal instruments pass all around the city
walls on the first day, and failure
| Not so much as piece of plaster broke
| loose from the wall; not so much as a
| Ioosened rock, not so much as piece
of mortar lost from its place. There"
say the unbelieving Israelites, didn't l
| tell you so2 Why, those ministers are
| fools. The idea of going around the
city with those musical instruments
and expecting in that way to destroy it.
Joshua has been spoiled; he thinks be-
cause he has overthrown and destroyed
the spring freshet he can overthrow the
stone wall. Why, it is not philosophic
Don't you see there is no relation be-
tween the blowing of these musical in
struments and the knocking down of
the wall2 1t isn't philosophy" And |
suppose there were many wiseacres
who stood with their brows knitted,
and with the foFefinger of the right
hand to the forefinger of the left hand,
arguing it all out and showing it was
not possible that such a cause could
produce such an effect. And l sup
pose that night in the encampment
there was plenty of philosophy and
caricature, and if Joshua had been
nominated for any high military posi-
ton he would not have got many
votes.
Joshua's stock was down. The sec
ond day the priests blowing the musi-
| cal instruments go around the city,
and a failure. Third day, and a fail
ure: fourth day, and n failure; fifth
day. and a failure; sixth day, and
failure. The seventh day comes, the
climacteric day Joshua is up early in
the morning and examines the troops,
walks all around about, looks at the
city wall The priests start to make
the circuit of the city. They go all
around once. all around twice, three
| times. four times, five times, six times,
seven times, and q failure.
SHOUT, FOR THE LORD HATH GIVEN
YOU THE CITY!
There is only one more thing to do,
and that is to utter n great shout. Isee
| the Israelitish army Strengthening them
| selves up, filling their lungs for a vo
! alteration such as was never heard be-
fore and never heard after. Joshua
feels that the hour has come, and he |
cries out to his host Shout. for the |
Lord hath given you the city" All the |
people begin to cry, Down, Jericho, |
down, Je-icho" and the long line of |
solid masonry begins to culver and to
move and to rock. Stand from underl |
She fallsl Crash! go the walls, the |
temples, the towers, the palaces; the |
air blackened with the duSt. The |
huzza of the victorious Israelites and |
the groan of the conquered Canaanites |
commingle. and Joshua, standing there |
in the debris of the wall, hears a voice |
saying, There shall not any man be |
able TO stand before thee all the DAYS |
of thy life"
Only one house spared. Who lives
there? Some great king! No. Some
woman distinguished for her great
kindly deeds? No. She had been |
conspicuous for her crimes. 1t is the !
house of Rahab. Why was her house |
snarsd Because she had hean .reat
sinner No, but because she repented,
demonstrating to all the ages that there
is mercy for the chief of sinners. The
red cord of divine injunction reaching
from her window to the ground, so
that when the people saw that red cord
they knew it was the divine indication
they should not disturb the prem
ises, making us think of the divine
.ord of a Saviours deliverance, the
red cord of a Saviour's kindness, the
red cord of a Saviours mercy, the red
cord of our rescue. Mercy for the
chief of sinners. Put your trust in that
God and no damage shall befall you.
When our world shall be more terribly
surrounded than was Jericho, even by
the trumpets of the judgment day, and
the hills and the mountains, the metal
bones and the ribs of nature, shall
break, they who have had Rahab's
faith shall have Rahab's deliverance.
When wrapt in fire the realms of ether glow,
ana heavens last thunder shakes the earth be-
low:
Thou undismayed shalt DER the ruins smile,
ana hght thy torch at natures funeral pile
But Joshua's troops may not halt
here. The command is Forward,
march. :" There is the city of All; it
} must be taken. How shall it be taken?
A scouting party comes back and saws,
, Joshua, we can do that without Won:
it is going to be a very easy lob: Won
7 just stay here while VIC go and capture
{ it." They march with small regi-
4 ment in front of that city. The men
q of All look at them and give one veil
0 and the laaelites run like reindeer
4 I1e northern troops ct Bull Run did not
d make such rapid time as these Israelites
k with the Canaanites a..er them. They
g never tsuch q sorry figure as when
IT they were on the 4cTeat. Anybody
e that goes out in the battles of God
o With only half force, instead of your
taking the men Of Al the men of All
: will take you
Look at the church of God on the
retreat The BorncSian cannibals ate
! T9sa Munson, the missionary. Fall
: oaeF sait'- .azaat many Christian
peo'le-'fall back, q churclS Of God
boneo will never be takenA Don't
you see the Bornesiaa cannil7-As 4l.ss---+--1T
enen up Munson, the Missionary"
yndaH delivers his lecture at the Uni
versity of Glasgow, and a great many
good people say: FAN back, o church
OF God! Don't you see hat Christian
philosophy is going to be overcome by |
worldly philosophy Fail back" &c
Uogy pluhges its crowbar into the |
Mountains, and there are a great many
people who say: Scientific investiga-
uon is going to overthrow the Mosaic
account of the creation. Fall backr
friends of the church have never had
any right to fall back.
| JOSHUA HUMAN LIKE THE REST OF US.
Joshua falls on his face in chagrin.
~ Is the only time you ever see the
back of his head. He falls on his face
and begins to whine, and he says, ''Oh,
Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all
brought this DpODla ov,o, TorJau TO de- |