The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-12-31
MANNING, S. c., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1890

up. Wherefore liest thou upon thy
face" Joshua rises, and warrant you
with mortified look, but his old cour-
age comes back. The fact was that
was not his battle. If he had baen in
it he would have gone on to victory.
He gathers his troops around him and
says, Now, let US go up and capture
the city OF Al; let US go up right
away
They march on. He puts the MAORI
ty of the troops behind ledge Of rocks
in the night, and then he sends COM
paratively small regiments up in front
Of the city. The men of Al come out
with shout. The small regiments of
ISraeliteS in stratagem fall back and
fall back, and when all the men of Al
have left the city and are in pursuit of
these scattered, or seemingly scattered,
regiments Joshua stands on a rock-1
see his locks flying in the wind as he
points his spear toward the doomed
city, and that is the signal. The men
rush out from behind the rorkS and
take the city, and it is pnt to the torch,
and then these 1SraeliteS in the city
march down, and the flying regiments
of Israelites return, and between these
two waves of Israelitish proves the
m en- of Al are destroyed, and the Is
raelites gain the victory. And while
| see the curling smoke Of that de-
Stroyed city on the sky, and While |
hear the huZZa of the 1sraelites, and
the groan of the CanaaniteS. Joshua
hears something loader than it all,
ringing and echoing through his soul,
"There shall not any man be able to
stand before thee all the days of thy
life"
On TO THE CITY OF GIDEON.
But this is no place for the host of
Joshua to stop. Forward, march,
cries Joshua to the troops. There is
the city of Gideon. It has put self
under .he protection of Joshua. They
sent word, There are five kings after
us; they are going to destroy us; send
troops quick; send US help right away"
Joshua has three days march at more
than double quick. On the morning
OF the third day he is before the enemy.
There are two long lines of battle.
The battle opens with great slaughter,
but the Canaanites soon discover some
thing. They say: THAT is Joshua.
That is the man who conquered the
sping freshet and knocked down the
stone wall and destroyed the city Of Al.
There is no use fighting" And they
sound a retreat, and as they begin to
retreat Joshua and his host spring |
upon them like panther, pursuing
them oyer the rocks: and as these |
Canaanites with sprained ankles and
gashed foreheadS retreat, the catapults
of the sky pour volley OF hallStones
into the valley. and all the artillery of
the heavens with bullets of iron pound |
the Canaanites against the ledges of
Beth-horen.
"Ohv says Joshua, "this is surely
victory" 'But do you not see the sun
is going downs Those Amorites gre
going to get away after III: and then
they will come up some other time and
bother US, and perhaps destroy u.s."
See, the sun is going down. On, for
longer day than has ever been seen in
lthis climate. What is the matter with
Joshua? Has he fallen in an apoplectic
ite No. He is in prayer. Look out
when a good man makes the Lord his
ally. Joshua raises his face, radiant
with prayer, and looks at the descend.
isg sh saa 9SsssE GiShh tsesh ID fAa fs1t
crescent of the moon, for you know the
queen Of the night sometimes will
linger around the palaces of the day.
Pointing one hand at the descending
sun and the other at the faint crescent
of the moon, in the name of that God
who shaped the worlds and moves the |
worlds, be cries, "Sun, stand thou still |
upon Gideon; and thou moon, in the
valley of Ajalon." They halted.
But Joshua was not quite through.
There was time for five funerals be-
fore the sun of that prolonged day set.
Who will preach their funeral sermon?
Massillon preached the funeral sermon |
over Louis XVI. Who will preach the
funeral sermon of those five dead kings
king of Jerusalem, king Of Hebron,
king of Jarmuth, king of Lachish,
king of Eglon? Let it be by Joshua
What is his text? What shall be the
epitaph put on the door of the tomb?
There shall not any man be able to
stand before thee all the days of thy
life"
But before you fasten up the door I
want five more kings beheaded and |
thrust hiking Alcohol, King Fraud,
King Lust, King Superstition, King
In6delity. Let them be beheaded and
hurl them in. Then fasten up the
door forever. What shall the lnscrip-
tion and what shall the epitaph be?
for all Christian philanthropists of all
ages are going to come and look at it.
What shall the transcription be-: There
shall not any man be able to stand be-
fore thee ali the days OF thy life
TINE FOR JOSHUA TO GO HOME.
But it is time for Joshua to go home.
He is ITO years old. Washington went
down the Potomac, and at Mount Yer
non closed his days. Wellington died
peacefully at Apsley House. Now,
where shall Joshua rest? Why, he is
to have his greatest battle now. After
a hundred and ten years he has to meet
king who has more subjects than al
the present population OF the earth, his
throne pyramid ofskulls, his parterre
the grave yards and the cemeteries Of
the world, his chariot the worlds
hearse-the King Of Terrors. But If
this is Joshua's greatest battle, it is
going to be Joshua's greatest victory.
He gathers his friends around him and
gives his valedictory, and it is full of
Renaissance. Young men tell what
they are going to do; old men tell what
they have done And as you have
heard grandfather or great-grand-
father, seated by the evening fire. tell of
Monmouth or Yorktown, and then lift
the crutch or staff as though 1t were
musket, to fight and show how the old
battles were Won, SO Joshua gathers
his friends around his dying couch.
and he tells them the story OF what he
has been through, and rs he lies there,
his white locks showing down on his
wrinkled forehead, | wonder if God