Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-01-10

groan OF the C~anaanites,- Joshua hears
something louder than it all. ringing and
echsing through his soul. There snai NOT
any man be able to stand before thee all the
days ofthy life"
But this is no place for the host OF Joshua
to stop. Forward, march" cries Joshua
to the troops. There is the city of Gibeon
1t has put itself under the protection OF
Joshua. They sent word, There are nse
kings after US; they are gong TO oestroy Us;
send 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 is before the enemy There are
two long lines Of battle The battle opens
with great slaughter. but the Canaanltes
soon discover something They say: That
ia Joshua. That is the man who conquered
the sDriDg- freshet and knocked down the
stone wall and destroyed the city of Al
There is 10 use fighting" And they sound
a retreat, and as they begin to retreatJ oshna
and his host spring upon them IKE 4
panther. pursuing them over the rocks and
as these Canaanites with spralned ankles
and rashed toreheads retreat. tie eatapults
81 the sky pour a volley Of h~ailstohes into the
valley. aud ali the artillery OF the heavens
with bullets of IRON pound the CanaanItes
against the lodges of Beth boron.
OH says Joshua. this Is surely a VIC
tory" But do YOU not see the sun(ls gong
down Those Amorites are eoiHg to get
awav after all. ami then they will come up
some other time and bother US, and perhaps
destroy us See. the sun is going down
Oh. for q longer day than has ever been seen
in this climate, What is the matter with
,Joshuao Has he fallen in an apoplectic fit
No. He is in prayer. Look out when Il good
man makes the Lord his ally. Joshua
raises his lace, radiant with prayer, and
looks at the descending sun over GIDEON and
at the faint crescent Of the moon. Tor YOU
know the queen Of the night sometimes VIII
L. aina1 - tha dow ~
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. he e:1es.
"Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon: and
thou moon, in the valley of Ajalon.' They
halted
whether it was by refraction of the suns
rays CT by the stopping of the whole plan
etary system | do not know and do not
care. | leave it TO the Christian scientists
and the infdel scientists to settle that ques-
ton. while l tell you | have seen the same
standing stln'' Yes. The same miracle is
| performed nowadays. The wicked DO not
! live out half their day, and the sun sets at
noon. But let n man start out i'll battle for
God and truth and against sin, and the day
and prolonged.
But it is time for Joshua to 20 home.
He is 10 years old. Washington went
down the Potomac. aud at Mount Vernon
closed his days. Wellington died peace
fully at Apslev House. Now, where shall
Joshua rest Why, he is to have his great
7est battle now After Il hundred and ten
years he has to meet n king who has more
subjects tban all the present population OF
the earth, his throne IL pyramid OF skulls.
/, his parterre the grave yards aud the Gene
teries Of the world, his chariot the world $
hoo rSo-tbo Il mo Of Torrorc R,t &c ftia IS
Joshua's battle, it is going to he Joshua s
greatest victory. BE gathers his friends
around him and gives his valedictory. and
it Is full OF "Reminiscences. Young pen tell
what they are going 10 DO; old men tell
what they have done. And as you hGFa
heard a grandfather or great-grandfathe7.
seated by the evening fire, tell of Monmouth
or Yorktown. and then lit the crutch OF
staff as though it vera n musket, to fight
and show how the old battles were won. 81
Joshua gathers his friends around his dv.
ing couch, and he tells them the story OF
what he has been through, and as he lic=
there, his white locks showing down on his
wrinkled forehead. | wonder if God has
kept his promises all the way through.
As be lies there he tells the story one, tvc
or three times-you have heard old reopl.
tell Il story two or three times overland he
answers: Il go the way of all the earth and
not one word of the promise has failed,
hoh 'tit NoIt tHelcOl HIS IHlipU, all mas
come 10 pass, not one word thereof has
failed" And then he turns to his family,
as Il dying parent will, and says Choose
now whom you will serve. the God OF Israel
or the God of the Amorites. As Tor me and
my house we will serve the LORD" A diving
parent cannot be reckless o T t~houghtless il
regard to his children. Consent to part Will
them forever at the dCor of the tomb W.
cannot By the cradle N which their iu
fancy was rocked. by the bosom on which
they first lay, by the blood Of the covenant
by the God Of Joshua it shall not be. ",
VIII not part, we cannot part. Jehovat
Jlreh. we take thee at thy promise. -
will he a God to thee and thy seed afte,
thee.
Dead. the old c~hieftain must be laid ont.
Hande him very gently; that sacred body
rs owe" q hundred and ten years of age. Lay
him out. stretch out those feet that walked
ury-saod the parted Jordan. Close thos.
lips which helped blow the blast at which the
walls OF Jericho fell. Fold the arm tina
lifted the spear toward the doomed city 81
Al. Fold 1t right over the heart that ~exnlted
when the tive kings fell. But where shall VIC
get the Furnished granite for the headstone
ana the footstone? | bethink myself now.
image that for the heads it shall be the SIN
that stood still upon Gihcon, and for the
loot the moon that stood still in the valley
Of Aialou.