The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-01-07

ulu cHdHcc-StdHuliiS On the Top OF the
bank thirty or forty feet high, con-
pletely demolish those poor Israelites
down in the river?" will tell YOU
why. God had made promise, and He
was going to keep it. "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 to
stop. Joshua gives the command, "For-
ward, marchn' In the distance there is
long grove of trees, and at the end of
the grove is city. 1t is a city of arbors,
city with walls seeming to reach to
the heavens, to buttress the very sky.
1t is che great metropolis that COM
mands the mountain pass. 1t is Jericho.
That city was afterward captured by
Pompey and it was afterward captured
by Herod the Great, and it
was afterward captured BY
the Mohammedans,; but this
campaign the Lord plans There shall
be no swords, no shields, no battering
ram. There shall be only one weapon
OF war, and that a rams horn. The
horn of the slain ram was sometimes
taken and holes were punctured in
it, and then the musician would put the
instrument to his lips, and he would run
his fingers over this rude musical instru-
ment and make a great deal of sweet
harmony for the people. That was the
only kind Of weapon. Seven priests
were to take these rude, rustic, musical
instruments, and they were to 60 around
the city every day for six days-once a
day for six days, and then on the sew
enth day they were to go around blow
ing these rude musical instruments
seven times, and then at the close of the
seventh blowing of the rams horns on
the seventh day the peroration of the
whole scene was to be shout, at which
those great walls should tumble from
capstone to base.
The seven priests with the rude mu-
steal instruments pass all around the
city walls on the ,irst day, and fail
ure. Not so much as a piece of plaster
broke loose from the wall-not so much
as loosened rock, not so much as piece
of mortar lost from its place. ''There,"
say the unbelieving Israelites, didn't"
tell you so? Why, those ministers
are fools. The idea of going around the
city with those musical instruments and
expecting in that way to destroy it!
Joshua has been spoiled; he. thinks be-
cause he has overthrown and destroyed
the spring freshet he can overthrow the
stone wall. Why, it is not philosophic.
Don't you see there is no relation be-
tween the blowing of these musical in
struments and the knocking down of
The wall. 1t isn't philosophy" And !
suppose there were many wiseacres who
stood with their brows knitted, and
with the forefnger of the right hand to
the forefnger of the left hand, and
showing that it was not possible that
such cause could produce such an eff
feet. And l suppose that night in the
encampment there was plenty of phi
losophy and caricature, and if Joshua
had been nominated for any high mill
tary position he would not have got
many votes. Joshua's stock was down.
The second day the priests blowing
the musical instruments go around the
city, and failure. Third day, and a
failure; fourth day, and a failure; fifth
day, and failure; sixth day
and a failure. The seventh day
comes, the climacteric day. Joshua is
up early in the morning and examines
the troops, walks all around about
looks at the city wall. The priests start
to make the circuit of the city. They
90 all around once, all around twice
three times, four times, five, six times
seven times, and failure.
There is only one more thing to do
and that is to utter great shout. see
the Israelitish army Strengthening them
selves up, filling their lungs for vocif
Grafton such as was never heard before
and never heard after. Joshua feels
that the hour has come, and he cries out
to his host: "Shout; for the Lord hath
given you the city!" All the people be
gin to cry; "Down, Jericho! Down, Jer
icho" and the long line Of solid ma
sorry begins to culver and to move and
to rock. Stand from under! She falls
Crash go the walls, the temples, tn,
towers, the palaces; the air blackenet
with the dust The huzza of the victo
rious Israelites and the groan of thu
conquered Canaanites commingle, ant
Joshua standing there in the debris o
the wall hears voice saying: "Ther'
shall not any man be able to stand be
fore thee all the days of thy ife." Onl,
one house spared. Who lives there
Some great king? No. Some woman dis
tinguished for great kindly deeds
No. She had been conspicuou
for her crimes. 1t is the house O
Rahab. Why was her house spared
Because she had been grea
sinner? No, but because she repenteJ
demonstrating to all the ages that Their
is mercy for the chief of sinners. Tn
red cord of divine injunction reachin,
from her window to the ground, so tina
when the people saw that red cord the,
knew it was the divine indication the,
should not disturb the premises; max
ing us think of the divine cord of
Saviour's deliverance, the red cord of
Saviour's kindness, the red cord of
Saviour's mercy, the red cord of on
rescue. Mercy for the chief of sinners
Put your trust in that God, and no dam
age shall befall you. When our worl,
shall be more terribly surrounded thai
was Jericho, even by the trumpets O
the judgment day. and the hills and tn
mountains, the metal bones and ribs O
nature, shall break, they who have ha
Rahab's faith shall have Rahab's dc
liverance.