Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-25

feet high, completely demolleh those
poor Israelites down IN the river? 1 will
tell you why. God had made a promise
and He was going TO keep 1t. 'There
shall not any man be able to stand be-
fore thee all the days of thy lfe. -
But this is no place for the host to
stop. Joshua gives the command,
HFG-ward march!'' In. the distance
there is long grove of trees. and at the
end OF the grove is q city. 1t is city OF
arbors, a city with walls seeming to
reach to the heaven, to buttress the very
sky. 1t is the great metropolis that
commands the mountain pass. 1t Is
Jericho. That city was afterward cap
tured by Pompey, aud it was atterward
captured by Herod the Great, and 1t
was afterward captured By the Moham-
medHns; but this campaign the Lord
plans. There shall be no swords. no
shields, no battering ram. There shall
be only one weapon of war and that
RAMS HORN.
The horn of the slain ram was some
times taken and holes were punotured in
1t, and then the musician would put the
instrument to his lips, and he would run
his fingers over this rude musical in
strument. and make great deal of
sweet harmony for the people. That
was the only kind of weapon. Seven
priests were to take these rude rustic
musical instruments and they were TO go
around the city every day for six days
once a day for six DAYS, and then on the
seventh day they 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 seventh day. the peroration of the
whole scene was 10 be u shout at which
those great walls should tumble from
caDstone 10 base.
The seven priests with the rude mu-
steal 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 rs
loosened rock, not so much as piece of
mortar lost from its place. "There,
say the unbeieving Israelites, "didn't
l tell you so? Why, those ministers are
fools! The idea of going around the
city with those musical instruments aud
expecting IN that way to destroy it!
JOSHUA HAS BEEN SPOILED,
he thinks because he has overthrow and
destroyed this spring freshet he can
overthrow the stone wall. Why, il is
not philosophic. Don't you see there Is
no relation between the blowing of these
musical instruments and the knocking
down of the wall? 1t ism t philosophy. -
Aud | suppose thgre were many wise
ucres who stood with their brows knitted
and with the foreiinger of the right hand
to the foretiuger of the left hand, argu-
ing it all out, and showing 1t was not
possible that such cause could produce
such an effect. And | suppose that
Srrk,r
plenty of philosophy and caricaturs, and
If Joshua had been nominated for any
high military position he would not have
got many votes.
Joshua's stock was down. The sec
ond day, the priests blowing the musical
instruments go around the city, and q
failure. Third day, and a failure;
fourth day, and failure; fifth day and
a failure, sixth day, and failure. The
seventh day comes, the climac;eric dav.
Joshua is up early in the morning and
examines the troops, walks all around
about, looks at the city wall. The
priests start 10 make the circuit of the
city. They go all around once, all
around twice, three times, four times,
i've times. six times,
SEVEN TIMES, AND A FAILURE.
There is only one more thing to do,
and that is to utter q great shout. I see
the Israelitlsh army straig hteulng them
selves up, filling their lungs for a vocif-
GRAFTON such as was never heard before
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 cityl' All the people be-
gin to cry: "Down, Jericho, down
Jericho!' and the long line of solid ma
eoury begins to CULVER aud to move and
TO rock. Stand from under! She falls!
Crash! go the walls, the temples, the
towers, the palaces; the air blackened
with the dust. The huzza of the victo-
rious Israelites and the groan of the con-
quered CanaaDites commingle. and
Joshua standing there in the debris of
the wall hears a voice saying: "Thers
shall not any man be able TO stand before
thee all the days of thy life.''
Only one house spared. Who lives
there? Sone great king? No. Some
woman distinguished for great kindly
deeds? No. she had been conspicuous
for her crimes. Il is the house of Rahab
Why was her house spared? Because
she had been o great sinner? 10, but
because she repeuted, demonstrating TO
ell the ages that there is
MERCY FOR THE CHIEF OF SINNERS.
The red cord of divine injunction reach
iug from her window TO the ground, so
that when the people saw that red cord
thy knew j: was the divine indication
they should not disturb the premises;
making us think of the divine cord of
Saviour's deliverance. the red cord of -
Snviour's kindness, the red cord of
Saviour's mercy, the red cord of our
rescue. . Mercy for the chief of sinners.
Put your trust 10 that God, and no am
age shall befali 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 ribs of
nature shall break, they who have had
Rahab's faith shall have Rahab's de-
liveranCe.
When wrapt in fire the realms of ether glow,
And Heavens last thunder shakes the earth
below;
Thou undismayed shalt Ger the ruins smile,
And Ii ,ht thy torch a. nature funeral pile
But Joshua's troops may not halt here.
The command is, Forward, march!'
There lie the city of Al; it must be taken.
How shall it be taksn2 A scouting party
comes back and says: Joshua. we can do