The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-22
THE WATERS OF MEROM.
SCENE OF TIE LAST BATTLE
FOUGHT BY JOSHUA.

Gods Promise the All-Sufacient Ex-
planation of the Victory.
BROOKLYN, Dec. u. - DIR. TaImags
preached the following sermon this morning
in the Academy OF Music In this city. and
again in the evening at the Christian
| Herald service in New York. His text was
Joshua IL, 5: "And when all these kings
wero met together, they came and pitched
| together at the waters Of Merom to fight
against Israeli
We are encamped to-nightin Palestine by
the waters OF Merom. After long march
we have found our tents pitched, our fires
kindled, and though far away from ciyili-
zation, variety OF food that would not
compromise tlrst-class American hotel.
| for the most of our caravan starts an hour
| and half earlier in the morning We de-
tain only two mules carrying so much OF
| our baggage es we might accidentally need,
and "A tent for the monday luncheon The
malarias around this Lake Merom are so
| poisonous that at any other season of the
year encampment 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 carcasses. Indeed,
this Joshua of whom we have, in these dis
courses, caught only II momentary glimpse,
although he crossed and recrossed Pales-
tine, and, next TO Jesus, is, the most stirring
and mighty character whose foot ever
| touched the Holy Land.
Moses was dead. beautiful tradition
says the Lord kissed him, and in that act
drew forth The soul OF the dying lawglver.
lie had been buried, only one Person at the
funeral, the same One who kissed hind. But
God never takes a man away from any
place Of usefulness but he has some one
ready. The Lord does not go looking
around amid great variety of candidates
to find some one especially fitted for the
vacated position. He makes a man for
that place. Moses has passed off the stage.
and Joshua, the hero puts his foot on the
platform of history so solldly that ell
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 military equipment from God,
who gave him the promise at the start:
There shall not any man bo able to stand
before thee all the days of thy life." God
fulfilled this promise. although Joshua's
first battle was with the spring freshet; and
the next with stone wall and the next,
leading on a regiment of whipped towards;
and the next battle, against darkness, wheel
WI.
and the last against the King OF Terrorg.
Death--hve great victories
For the most part when the general OF
an army starts out in n conflict he would
lire to have small battle IN order that he
may get his courage up and no may rally
his troops aud got them drilled for creator
conflicts; but this first undertaking Of
Joshua was greater than the leyeling of
Fort Pulaski, or the laundering down of
Gibraltar. or the overthrow of tho Bastile
IL was the crossing OF the Jordan at the
time of the spring frcshet. The SHOWS of
Mount Lebanon had Just been melt
ing and they poured down into the
valley, and the whole valley was q raging
torrent. SO the Canaanites stand on
one bank and they look across and see
Joshua and the Israelites. and they laugh
and say: "Ahal ahas they cannot disturb
us in time-until the frsshets fall; It Is i'm
possible for them to reach usn But after
awhile they look across the water and thew
sec a movement in the army of Joshua.
They say, "Wnat's the matter nowg Why
there must be panic among these troops.
and they are going to fly. or perhaps they
are going to try TO march across the river
Jordan. Joshua Is a lunaticn But Joshua.
the chieftain. looks at his army and criss.
'tForward. march p and they start for the
bank of the Jordan.
One mile ahead 90 two priests CARRYING
n plittering box fanr feet long and two feat
80 N--N~ 49, 49,.