The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-12-24

Israelites with the Canaanites after
them. They never cut such sorry fig
ure as when they were on the retreat
Anybody that goes out in the battles OF
God with only half force, instead OF
your taking the men OF AL, the men OF
Al will take ycu. Look at the church
OF God on the retreat. The Bornesian
cannibals ato up Munson, the mission
ary "Fall back" said great many
Christian people--"Fall back, o, Church
OF God Borneo will never be taken.
Don't you see the Bornesian cannibals
have eaten up Munson, the Missionary
Tyndall delivers his lecture at the Uni
versity OF Glasgow, and great many
good people say, Fall back, o Church
Of God! Don't you see that Christian
philosophy is going to be overcome by
worldly philosophy? Fall back" &C.
ology plunges its crowbar into the
mountains and there are great many
people who say, Scientific investiga-
tion is going to overthrow the Mosaic
account OF creation. Fall back!' Friends
OF the church have never had any right
to fall back.
Joshua falls on his face in chagrin.
1t is the only time you ever see the back
of his head. He falls on his face and
begins to whine, and he says 20, Lord
God, wherefore hast thou at all brought
this people over Jordan to deliver us
into the hand OF the Amorites to destroy
us? Would to Goo, I'VE had been content
and dwelt on the other side Of Jordan!
For the Canaanites and all the inhab-
itants OF the land shall hear Of IL, and
shall environ US round and cut of our
name from the earth"
am very glad Joshua said that DO
fore, 1t seemed as II he were a super
natural being, and therefore could not
be an example to us; but / find he is
man, he is only man. Just as some
times you find man under severe OPP
position, or in bad state Of physical
health, or worn out with overwork, ly-
ing down, andsighing about every thing
being defeated. am encouraged when
I hear this cry OF Joshua as he lies in
the dust.
God comes and rouses him. How does
he rouse him? BY complimentary
apostrophe? No. He says: Get thee
up. Wherefore liest thou upon thy
face?" Joshua rises, and warrant you
with mortified look. But his old
courage comes back. The fact was that
was not his battle. II he had been 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 All; let us go up right away"
They march on. He puts the majority
of the troops behind ledge OF rocks in
the night, and then he sends compara-
lively small regiments up in front OF
the city. The men OF Al come out with
n shout The small regiments Of Is
raelitos in strategem fall back and fall
back, and when all the mon OF AL have
left the city and are in pursuit Of these
scattered, or seemingly scattered regi-
ments, Joshua stands on rock-I 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 rocks and take the city;
and It Is put TO the torch, and then
these Israelites in the city march down
and the flying regiments Of Israelites
return, and between these two waves OF
Israelitish prowess the men OF Al are
destroyed, and the Israelitos gain tho
victory; and while | see the curling
smoke Of that destroyed city on the
sky. and while hear the huzza of the
Israelites, and the groan Of the Canaan
ties, Joshua hears something louder
than it all, ringing and echolng through
his soul, There shall not any man be
able to stand before thee all the days Of
thy life"
But this Is no place for the host OF
Joshua to stop. Forward march. y
cries Joshua to the troops. There Is
the city OF Gibeon. IL has put itself
under tho protection Of Joshua They
send word There arc FIVE kings after
US; they arc going to destroy us; send
troops quick; send us help right away. v
Joshua has three days march 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
tho Canaanites soon discover something
They say, THAT is Joshua;that is the mar
who conquered the spring freshet and
knocked down the stone wall and de-
stroyed 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 pan
ther, pursuing them over the rocks, and
as these CanaaniteS with sprained an
kles and gashed foreheads -otreat,, the
catapults Of the sky pour volley Of
hailstones into the valley, and all the
artillery OF the heavens with bullets OF
iron, pound the Canaanitos against the
lodges OF Bethhoron.
'ohp says Joshua, 'this is surely q
victory" "But do you not see the sun
is going down? Those Amorites are go
ing TO get away after all, and then will
come up some other time and bother us,
| and perhaps destroy u.s. See, the sun
is going down. o, for longer day than
has ever been seen In this climate
What Is the matter with Joshua? Has
he fallen in an apoplectic At? No. He Is
in prayer Look out when good man
makes the Lord his ally. Joshua raises
his face, radiant with prayer, and looks
at the descending sun over Gideon,
and at the faint crescent OF the moon,
for you know tho queen Of the night
sometimes will linger around the pal
aces OF the day. Pointing one hand at
the descending sun and tho other hand
at the faint crescentof the moon, in the
name OF that God who shaped the worlds
and moves the worlds he cries: "Sun,