Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-12-26

that red cord they knew it was the divine
indication they should not disturb the prem
ises, making US think OF the divine cord o a
Saviour's deliverance, the red cord OF
Saviour's kindness, the red cord OF
Sayiours mercy, the red cord OF our rescue.
Mercy for the chief OF sinners. Put your trust
In that God. and no damage shall bc!asl you
When our world shall be more terribly sn
rounded than was Jericho, even by the trum
nets OF the Judgment day. and the hills and
The mountains. tbs metal bon IS and ribs o.
nature shall break, they who have had Ia
hab's faith shall have Rahabs dellveranee.
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 taken2 A scouting party comes
back and says, Joshua, We can do that
without you; it is going to be very easy
Jon; You just stay here while we 60 and
CAPTURE it, They march with small regi-
ment in front OF the city. The men OF Al
look at them and give one yell, and the Is
raeites run like reind err. The Northern
troops Mt Bull Run d not make such rapid
time as hese lsraelites with the CanaanlteS
after them. They never cut such sorry
figure "a when they were on the retreat.
Anybody that goes out IN the battles OF
God with only half a force, instead OF
your taking the men OF Al, the men OF Al
will take you. Look at the churcn of God
on tine retreat. The BOrnpsan cannibals ate
up Munson. the missionary. Fall back
said a great many Christian people. Fan
back. 0 church of God BorneO will never he
taken Don't you see the Bornesian canni.
bais have eaten uD Munson, the missionary
Tyndall delivers his lecture at the University
o. Glasgow. aud great many good people
say: Fall back D church Of Cod Don't
you see that Christian philosophy is going
to BIZ overcome by worldly philosophy? Fall
back" GEOLOGY plunges its crowbar into
the mountains, and there are a great many
people who say: Scientific investiga ion IA
going to overthrow the Mosaic account OF
the creation. Fall back" Friends OF the
chu ca have never had any right to tall
back
Joshua falls on his face in chagrin. Ii ia
rhe only time YOU ever see the back OF his
head. lie falls on his face and begins to
whine. and he saws: ooh, Lord God, where
fore hast thou at all brought this people
over Jordan to deliver us into the hand OF
the Amorites to destroy us? Would to God
We hal been content aud dwelt on the
other side of Jordan. For the Canaanltes
and all the inhabitants Of the land shall
hear Of it, and shall environ us round and
cut of our name from the earth.
God comes and rouses him. How does he
rouse him? By complimentary apostrophe?
No. lie SAYS: "Get thee up wherefore hest
thou upon thy lace? Joshua ris.s, and
warrant YOU with mortified look, but his
old courage comes back The fact was that
Wis NOT his bottle. IL he had been in it he
would have gone on to victory. tie gathers
his troops around him and says, wow, let
Us 20 no AMI capture the city OF III; let n
go NJ right away"
They march on He puts the majority OF
the troops behind n ledge Of rocks IN the
night. AMI then he sends comparatively
small regiments up in front OF the city. Inc
men OF Al come ont with a shout. The
small regiments OF Israelites in stratagem
fall back and fall back, and when all the men
OF Al have left the citg and are in pursuit OF
these scattered, or seemingly scattered
regiments. Joshua stands on rOck-l see
his locks flying in the wind as he points
his spea towards the doomed city, and that
is the signal. The men rush out from be-
hind the rocks and take the city, and it Is
put to the torch and then these lsraelites
in the city march down. and the flying regl-
mcnts of Israetes return and between these
two waves of israelitish proves the men OF
Al are destroyed, and the lsraeites gain the
victory. And while see the curling smoke
o that DESTROYED city on the sky. and while
! hear the huzza oi the lsraelites, and the
cruan OF the Canaanites, Joshua hears
somethug louder than il all, ringing and
cchoing through his soul. "Ihere shall not
any man be able to stand before thee all the
days ofthy lie.
But this Is NJ place for the host OF Joshua
to stop. Forward, march," cries Joshua
10 the troops. There is the city OF Gideon
IL has put itself under the protection OF
Joshua They sent word There are five
kings after US; they are going to destroy us;
senl troops quick; send US help right away.
Joshua has a three days march at more
than double quick On the morning OF the
third day he * be ore the enemy There are
two long lines of battle. The battle opens
With great slaughter but the Canaanites
soon discover something They say: That
is Joshua. That is the man who conquered
the spring reshet and Knocked down the
stone wall and destroyed the city o. Al.
There is no use fighting. And they sound
a retreat and as they begin 90 retreat Joshua
and his host spring upon them Ike
pan her, pursuing them over the rocks and
as these Canaanites with spralned ankles
and gashed ioreheais retreat, the catapu.ts
OF the SKY pour a yOlley of hailstOnes into the
valley, and all the artillery OF the heavens
with bullets OF iron pound the Caraan.tes
against the lodges OF Beth boron.
"Oh," says joshua. this II surely vac
tory "But do you not see the sun Is gong
down? Those Amortes are going to get
ava, alter all. and then they will come UP
some other time and bother US md perhaps
destroy us" See. the sun is going down.
Oh, for a longer day than has ever been seen
in this climnte What is the matter with
Joshua? Has ne fallen in an apopectic nj!
No. He is in prayer. Look out when good
man makes the Lord his ally. Joshua
raises his lace. radiant with prayer, and
looks at the descending sun over GiDeon aud
at the faint crescent OF the moon, Tor you
know the queen OF the night sometimes VIII
linger around the palaces OF the day. Point-
ingone hand at the descending sun ana the
other at the faint crescent OF the moon, IN
The name of that God who shaped the
worlds and moves the worlds, ne cries:
"Sun. stani thou still upon Gideon; and
thou moon. in the valley OF Aialon." They
halted.
Whether it was by refraction Of the suns
rays or by the stopping OF the whole plan
etary system | do not know and do not
care. leave it to the Christian scientists
and the inddel scientists to settle that ques-
tion. while tell you'll have seen the same
thing. What" say Won, mot the sun
standing STIR Yes. The same miracle II
performed nowadays. The wicked do not
live out hall their day, and the sun sets at
uOUUs Isul ~ n ulhh START Nul III NhAA' W
God and truth and against sin and the day
of his usefulness is prolonged and prolonged
and prolonged.
But it is time for Joshua to go home
He is ! 10 years old. Washington went
DOM the Potomac, and at Mount Vernon
closed his days Wellington did peace-
fully at Apsley House Now. where shall
Joshua rest? Why, he is to have his great
est battle now. After hundred aud ten
years he has To meet king who has more
subjects tdan all the present population OF
the earth, his throne "A pyramid OF skulls,
his parterre the grave yards and the GENE
teries Of the world, his chariot the worlds
hearse-the King of Terrors. But il this is
Joshua's battle, it is going to be Joshua.s
greatest victory. BE gathers his friends
around him and gives his valedictory, aud
it is full o. "Reminiscences. Young men tell
what they ore going to do; old men tell
what they have done. And "a you have
heard grandfather or great-grand'athe
seated by the evening fire, tell OF Monmouth
or Yorktown, and then lit the crutch or
stat as though it we're a musket, to hght
- a. 10 tho old hattlaa we're won.