Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-12-26
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON
HE DlscouRsEs ON THE WA.
TIERS OF MERoM.
Continuation of His s.rie. Descriptive of
ais Trip Through tho Holy Land-A
Beautiful Series of WORD Pain,inss-A
Sermon That Will Re Remembered.

DIR. Talmage preached the following
sermon in the Academy of Music, Brook.
Ign, N. Y. His text was Joshua XII, S;
ssAnd when all these kings were met to-
gether they came and pitched together
at the waters Of Merom to fight against
Israeli"
We arc encamped tonight in Pales-
tine by the waters Of Merom. After a
long march we have found our tents
pitched, our fires kindled, and though
far away from civilization a variety of
food that would not compromise q first
class American hotel, for the most of our
caravan starts an hour and q half earlier
in the morning. We detain only two
males carrying so much of our baggage
as we might accidentally need, and a
tent for the MONDAY luncheon. The ma
larias around this Lake Merom are so
poisonous that at any other season of the
year encampmeat here is perilous, but
this winter night the air is tonic and
healthful. In this neighborhood Joshua
fought his last great battle. The nations
had banded themselves together to crush
this .Joshua, but along the banks of these
waters Joshua left their carcases. In
deed, it is time that we more infinitely
i'll these discourses caught only a mo-
mentary glimpse, although he crossed and
recrOssed Palestine, and next to Jesus is
the most stirring and mighty character
whose foot ever touched the Holy Land.
Moses was dead. A beautiful tradi-
ton says the Lord kissed him, and in
that act drew forth the soul of the dying
lawgiver. 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 looking around amid a great va
riety of candidates to find some one es-
pecially fitted for the vacated position
He makes a man for that place. Moses
a has passed off the stage, and Joshua, tho
hero, put his foot on the platform of his
tory so solidly that all the 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 God, who gave him
the promise at the start. ssThere shall
not any nan be able to stand before
thee all the days of thy life." God full
filled this promise, although Joshua's
first battle was with the spring freshet,
next leading on regiment of whipped
towards, and the next battle against
darkness, wheeling the sun and the moon
into his battalion, and the last against
the king of terrors, Death-fvc great
victories.
For the most part. when the General
of an army starts out in o conflict he
would like to have small battle in
order that he may get his courage up
and rally his troops aud get them drilled
for greater conflicts; but this first under
taking of Joshua was greater than the
ieveling of Fort Pulaski, or the thunder
ing down of Gibraltar, or the overthrow
of the Bastile. 1t was the crossing of
the Jordan at the time of the spring
fEeshet. The SHOWS of Mount Lebanon
md Just been melting, and they poured
down into the valley, and the whole
valley was raging torrent. So the
Canaanites stand on one bank, and they
look across and see Joshua and the
Israelites, and they laugh and say,
'sAha! aha! they cannot disturb in time
until the freshets fall; it is impossible
for them to reach u.s." But after awhile
they look across the water and they see
movement in the army of Joshua.
They say: ssWhat's the matter now?
troops, and they are going to fly, or per-
haps they are going to try to march
across the river Jordan. Joshua is a
lunatic.'' But Joshua. tho chieftain,
looks at his army and cries, 'Forward,
march!' and they start for the bank of
the Jordan.
One mile ahead go two priests carrying
glittering box four feet long and two
feet wide. 1t is the ark of the covenant.
And they come down, and no sooner do
they touch the rim of the water with
their feet than by an almighty fat Jor-
dan parts The army of Joshua marches
right on without getting their feet wet
over the bottom of the river, q path of
chalk and broken shells and pebbles,
until they get to tho other bank. Then
they lay hold of the oleanders and
tamarisks and willows and pull them
selves up bank thirty 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
tho waters begin to dash and roar, and
with terrific rush they break loose from
their strange anchorage. Out yonder
they have stopped; thirty miles OF as
lance 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 nplifted
waters-waters perhaps uplifted half a
mile-as the Almighty hand is taken
away, those waters rush down, and some
of the unbelieving lsraelites say: calais,
alas. what misfortune! Why could not
those waters have staid parted? Be-
cause, perhaps, we may want to go back.
OLord, we are engaged in q risky busl-
ness. Those Canaanites may eat us up.
How if we want to go back? Would II
not have been more complete miracle
if the LORD had parted the waters to o. let ct
us come through, and kept them parted Cd
to let US go back If We are deieated!y
Nv friends, God makes no provision Tor
q Christians retreat. He clears the PAIN
ali the way to Canaan. To go back is TO
die. The same gatekeepers that SWING
back the amathystine and crystalline
gate of the Jordan to let Israel pass
through now swing shut the amcthystlne
and crystalline gate
But this is no place for the host to
stop. Joshua gives the com ma aior rof +