Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1895-06-01
ACCOMAO c. H. VA. SATURDAY. JUNE l. 1895

the Almighty hand is taken away those
waters rush down, and some of the I'M
believing Israelites say: "Alas, alas,
what misfortunel Why could not those
waters have staid parted? Because per-
laps we may want to go back. 0 Lord,
we are engaged in risky business.
Those Canaanites may eat US up. How
if we want to go back? Would it not
have been more complete miracle if
the Lord had parted the waters to let us
come through and kept them parted to
let us go back if we are defeated" My
friends, God makes no provision for a
Christian S retreat. He clears the path
all the way to Canaan. To go back is
to die. The same gatekeepers that swing
back the amethystine and crystalline
gate of the Jordan to let Israel pass
through now swing shut the amethystine
and crystalline gate of the Jordan to
keep the Israelites from going back. L
declare it in your hearing today, victory
ahead, water 10 feet deep i'll the rear.
Triumph ahead, Canaan ahead; behind
you death and darkness and woe and
hell. But you say, "Why didn't those
Canaanites, when they had such. a
splendid Misunderstanding on the top Of
the bank 80 or 40 feet high-completely
demolish those poor Israelites down i'll
the riyer?" I 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. -
Tho March.
But this is no place for the host to
stop. Joshua gives the command, "For-
ward, march p In the distance there is
a long grove of trees, and at tho end Of
the grove is n city. 1t is Il city of ar
bors, a city with walls seeming to reach
to the heavens, to buttress the very sky.
1t is the great metropolis that commands
the mountain pass 1t is Jericho That
city was afterward captured by Pom
pey, and it was afterward captured by
Herod the Great, and it was afterward
capture by the Mohammdans, 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 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 instrument, and
make 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 go around the city ev-
cry day for six days-once day for six
days, and then on the seventh day they
were to go around blowing 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 music
al instruments pass all around the city
walls on the first day, and failure.
Not so much as piece of plaster broke
loose from the wall, not so much as a
loosened rock, not so much as piece of
mortar lost from its place. "There, say
the unbelieving IsraeGtes. Didn't I 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 because he has
overthrown and destroyed the spring
frcshet he can overthrow the stone wall.
Why, it is not philosophic. Don't you
see there is norelation between the blow
ing of these musical instruments and the
knocking down of the wall? 1t isn't
philosophy.
And L suppose there were many wise
acres who stood with their brows knit
ted, and with the forefinger of the right
hand to the forefnger of the left hand,
arguing it all out and showing it was
not possible that such a cause should
produce such an effect. And suppose
that night in the encampment there
was plenty of philosophy and caricature,
and if Joshua had been nominated for
any high military 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 o 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 go
all around once, all around twice, three
times, four times, five times, six times,
seven times, and failure.
The Shout at the Fall.
There is only one more thing to do,
and that is to utter great shout. I 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 Civ
EN- you the cityr' All the people begin
to cry: "Down, Jericho! Down, Jeri-
cho!" And the long line of solid ma
sonry begins to culver and to move and
to rock. Stand from under! She falls !!
Crash go the walls, the temples, the
towers, the palaces! The air is black
ened with the dust. The huzza Of the
victorious Israelites and the groan of
the conquered Canaanites commingle,
and Joshua, standing there in the debris
of the wall, hears voice saying,
"There shall not any man be able to
stand before thee all the days of thy
life.
But Joshua S troops may not halt here.
The command is, Forward, narchl |"
H. o,o ie +lo oitv of Al II muSt he Talk