The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1895-06-07

| turn. and between these two waves of
| Israelitish prowess the men of Al are
DESTROYED, and the Tsraelites gain the
victory; and while see the curling
smoke of that destroyed city on the
sky, and while hear the huzza of the
Israelites and the groan of the Ca
naanites, Joshua hears something loud
er than it all, ringing and echoing
through his soul: 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 of
Joshua to stop Forward, march!"
cries Joshua to the troops. There is
the city of Gideon. It has put itself
under the protection of Joshua They
sent word: There are five kings after
us; they are going to destroy us; send
troops qIick; send us help right
away" Joshua has a three days
march more than double quick. On
the morning of the third day he is be-
fore the enemy. There are two
long lines of battle. The battle
opens with great slaughter. but
the Canaanites soon discover
something. They say: THAT is
Joshua; that is the man who con-
quered the spring freshet and knocked
down the stone wall and destroyed
the city of All. There is no use fight
ing" And they sound retreat, and
as they begin to retreat Joshua and
his host spring upon them like a
panther, pursuing them over the rocks,
and as these Canaanites, with sprained
ankles and gashed foreheads, retreat.
the catapults of the sky pour volley
of hailstones into the valley, and all
the artillery of the heavens, with bull
lets of iron, pounds the Canaanites
against the lodges of Beth-horon.
"Oh!" says Joshua, this is surely a
victory" ''But do you not see the sun
is going down? Those Amorites are
going to get away after all, and they
will come up some other time and
bother us, and perhaps destroy u.s."
See, the sun is going down. Oh, for
longer day than has ever been seen in
this climate, What is the matter with
Joshua? Has he fallen in an apoplec-
tic fit? No He is in prayer. Look
out when a good man makes the Lord
his ally. Joshua raises his face, radi-
ant with prayer, and looks at the de-
scending sun over Gideon and at the
faint crescent of the moon, for you
know the queen of the night sometimes
will linger around the palaces of the
day. Pointing one hand at the de-
scending sun and the other hand at
the faint crescent of the moon, in the
name of that God who shaped the
worlds and moves the worlds, he cries:
"Sun, stand thou still upon Gideon;
and thou. moon, in the valley of
Ajalon." And they stood still
Whether it was by refraction of the
suns rays or by the stopping of
the whole planetary system, l do
not know, and do not care. leave it
to the Christian scientists and infidel
scientists to settle, while tell you
have seen the same thing. What"
you say, mot the sun standing still?"
Yes. The same miracle is performed
nowadays. The wicked donot live out
half their day, and the sun sets at
noon. But let a man start out and
battle for God, and the truth, and
against sin. and the day of his useful
ness is prolonged, and prolonged, and
prolonged.
Robert McCheyne was a consump-
tive Presbyterian. It was said when
he preached, he coughed so it seemed
as if he would never preach again.
His name is fragrant in all Christen-
dom, that name mightier to-day than
was ever his living presence. He lived
to preach the gospel in Aberdeen, Ed
inburgh and Dundee, but he went away
very early. He preached himself into
q
sun set? Is Robert McCheyne's
day ended? Oh, mol His dying delirium
was filled with prayer, and when he
lifted his hand to pronounce the benz
ediction upon his country, he seemed
to say: Il can not die now; l want to
live on and on. I want to start an in
fluence for the church that will never
cease. l am only thirty years of age.
Sun of my Christian ministry, stand
still over Scotland" And it stood still.
But it is time for Joshua to go home.
He is one hundred and ten years old.
Washington went down the Potomac,
and at Mount Vernon closed his days.
Wellington died peacefully at Apsley
House. Now, where shall Joshua
rest? Why, he is to have his greatest
battle now. After one hundred and
ten years he has to meet q king who
has more subjects than all the present.
population of the earth, his throne
a pyramid of skulls, his parterre the
graveyards and the cemeteries of the
world his chariot the worlds hearse-
the king of terrors. But if this is
Joshua's greatest battle, it is going to
be Joshuas victory. He gathers his
friends around him and gives his vale4
dictory, and it is full of reminiscence.
Young men tell what they are going
to do; old men tell what they have
done.
Dead, the old chief ftain must be laid
out. Handle him very gently; that
sacred body is over one hundred
and ten years of age. Lay
him out. stretch out those feet
that walked dry shod the parted Jor-
dan. Close those lips which helped
blow the blast at which the walls
of Jericho fell. Fold the arms
that lifted the spear toward the
doomed city of All Fold it right
over the heart that exulted when the
five kings fell. But where shall We get
the FURNISHED granite for the head
stone and the footstone? l bethink
myself now / imagine that for the
head it shall be the sun that stood
still upon Gideon, and for the foot the
moon that stood still in the valley Of
Ajalon.
We are more Jealous of frivolous
With brilliant Succasa