Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1891-01-02
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S SUM-
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT, THE WATERS OF MERox.

We are encanped tonight in Palestine
by the waters OF Merom. After long
march We have found our tents pitched,
our fires kindled, and, though far away
from civilization, variety OF food that
would not compromise first class American
hotel, for the most of our caravan starts al
hour and half earlier in tho morning.
We detain only two mules, carrying
so much OF our baggage as we might acci-
deutally 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 peril
Gus, 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 it is time
that we more minutely examine this Joshua
of whom wo have in these discourses caught
only a mumentary glimpse, although he
crossed and reCrossed Palestine, and next to
Jesus is the most stirring and mighty charac-
ter whose foot ever touched the Holy Land.
Moses was dead. A beautiful tradition
says the Lord kissed him, and IN that act
drew forth the soul Of the dying lawglver
He had been buried, only one Person at the
burial. the same Ono VINO kissed him. But
God never takes a man away from any place
of usefulness but he has some one ready.
The Lord does dot 90 looking around AMID
great variety OF candidates TO find some one
especially fitted for the vacant position. He
makes a man for that place. Moses has
passel off the stage, and Joshua, the hero,
puts his foot on the platform OF history so
solidly that all the ages echo with It's tread.
He was magnificent fighter, but no
ALWAYS fought OIL the right side, and
he never fought unless God told
him TO fight. He got his military equipment
from Coo, who gave him the promise at the
start: There shall not any man be able 70
stand before thee all the days OF thy me- y
God fulfilled this promise, although Joshua 8
first battle was with the spring treshet, and
] the next with stone wall, and the next
/ leading on a rec jment OF whipped cowardS
and the next battle against darsnesS wheel
! ing the sun and Il moon into his battalion,
/ and the last against the king OF terrors,
death-five great victories.
This first undertaking OF Joshua was
greater thai the levellng OF Fort Pulaski, or
! the laundering down of Gibraltar, or the
overthrow OF the Bastile. 1t was the cross
;pg of the Jordan at the time of tho spring
freshet. The SHOWS Of Mount Lebanon had
Just been melting, and they poured down IN
10 the valley, and the wnole valley was a
raging torrent. SO the Canannites stand ou
one lank and they look across and SEE
and say, AHA aha they cannot disturb III
in timc-untl tile freShets fall; 1t is imposs
be for them TO reach u.s." But after {
while they look across the water and they
Sc movement in tie army OF Joshua
They Hay: What's the matter now! Why
there must be panic among these troops
and they are gong TO fly, OF perhaps the,
IRE going TO try 10 march across the rave
Jmsdn. Joshua is llnatic." But Joshua
! 81 a., tt,,,, 10 ut
Forward, march, and they start for tn
bank Of the Jordan.
One mile ahead go two priests carrying
glittering box four feet long and two Zee
wide It is the ark of the convenant- An
they come down, end no sooner do they Jus
touch the rim of the water with their fee
than by an Almighty fat Jordan parts. Tn
army Of Joshua marches right on withou
getting their feet wet over the bottom Of th
river, a path OF chalk and broken shells an
pebbles, until they get to the other banl
Then they lay hold of the oleanders and tau
arisks and willows and pull themselves u
a bank thirty or forty feet high, and, havin
gained the other bank, they clap their shielc
and their cymbals and sing the praises OF tt
God of Josnua. But no sooner have the
reached the bank than the waters begin
,, dash aud roar, and with terrific rush the
break loose from their strange anchorag
! OuI NO0UtT Iuty llhNe btOppcd, thh "
, OF distance they halted. On this side Il
waters roll Off toward the salt sea.
But as the land CT the Lord God Is take
. away from the thus uplifted waters
waters perhaps uplifted half a mile Il
Almighty hand is taken away those waite
rush down, and some OF the unhelievir
Israetes say: Alas, alas what a misto
tunel Why could not those waters hs'
staid partedl Because perhaps we may wa
, to 90 back o Lord, we are engaged in
risky business. Those Canaantes may e
, us up. How il we want to 90 back Won
] 1t not have been more complete miracle
{ the Lord had parted the waters TO let
, como through and kept them parted TO let
go back il we are defeated" My frient
God makes no provision for Christians
7 treat. He clears the path all the way
Canaan. TO 20 back is TO die. The sal
1 gatekeepers that swing back the AMETHYST
= = and crystalline gate OF the Jordan TO
i Israel pass through now swing shut the All
d thvstine and crystalline gate.
+. But this is no time for the host TO SIC
Joshua gives the command, 'Forwai
marchv' In the distance there Is 10
z grove of trees and at the end of the gre
r ac.ty. 1t is city OF arborS, a city "
walls seeming to reach to the heaven,
: buttress the very sky. 1t is the great l
II tropolis that commands the mountain pa
It It is Jericho The city was afterward CT
" turei by Pompey, and it was atterwi
>, captured by Herod the Great, and it
:, afterward captured by the Mohammeda
al but this campaign the Lord plans. Th
p. shall be no swords, no shields, no batter
ram. There shall be only one weapon
~ war and that rams horn. The horn
IL the slain ram was sometimes taken,
holes were punctured i'll 1t, and then
musician would put the instrument to
lips, and he would run his fingers over
rude musical instrument and make a e.
Al deal OF sweet harmony for the people. /
-, was the only kind of weapon. Seven prl'
III were to take these rude rustic musical
IN struments and they were TO go around
~ city every day for six days-once day
ho six days and then on the seventh day u
were to go around blowing these rude mus
So instruments seven times, and then at
or close of tho seventh blowing OF the ia
he horns on the seventh day the peroratonl
o, the whole scene was to be shout at WI
a. those great walls should tumble from
cu stone to base
ve The seven priests with the rule r ,us
IA instruments pass all around the city wall
- the first day, and failure. Not so niue
o II piece Of plaster broke loose from the
he not so much as n loosene rock, not so n
Ma as piece of mortar lost from It's pi
-, There" say the unbelievng leraeH
aS didn't tell you SO? Why, those minis
lc- are fools. The idea of going around the
with those musical instruments, and exp
Ing in that way to DESTROY It'll Joshua
been spoiled; he thinks because he has o
thrown and destroyed the spring fre
G he can overthrow the stone '
~ Why, it is not phioSophic D
o., you see there is no rea
nd between the blowing of these musical ins
is inents and the knocking down Of the '
Ior 1t isn't philosophy" Aud 1 suppose t
M were many wiseacres who stood with
ties brows knitted and with the forehnger o.
le. right hand to the forefnger OF the left |
ii arguing it all out and showing that 1t
~. not possible that such cause ould pro
MS such an effect. And suppose that mig
e." the encampment there was plenty of pt