Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-06-12

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peroration Of the whole scene was to be
shout, at which those great walls shoul
tumble from capstone to base.
The seven priests with the rude musical In
struments pass all around the city walls o.
the first day, and a failure. Not SO much a
| piece Of plaster broke loose from the wall
| not so much a loosened rock. not so much a
q piece Of mortar lost from its place
| "There," say the unbeIieving Israelites
| "Didnt tell you so? Why, those minister
are fools. The idea Of going around the cit
| with those musical instruments and expect
Ing In that way to destroy it, Joshua ha
been spoiled. He thinks because he ha
0verthrown aud destroyed the spring freshe
he can overthrow the stone wall. Why, it
not philosophic. Don't you see there is n
relation between the blowing of these musi
sal Instruments and the knocking down Q
The wall? 1t isn't philosophy"
And / suppose there were many wiseacre
Who stood with their brows knitted, ana
with the forefinger of the right hand to the
forehnger of the left hand arguing it all out
and showing 1t was not possible that such Q
cause should produce such an effect And
suppose that night in the encampment there
was plenty OF philosophy and caricature. and
II Joshua had been nominated for any high
military position he would not have got
many votes. Joshua's stock was down. The
,econd day. the priests, blowing the musical
Instruments, go around the city, and fall
qre. Third day. and failure; fourth day,
and a failure; fifth day, and a failure; sixth
day, and failure. The seventh day comes,
the climacteric day. Joshua is up early In
tho morning and examines the troops, walks
all around about, looks at the city wall. The
pries.s start to make the circuit Of the oity
They go aIl around once, All around twice.
three times, four times, five times, six times,
seven times, and a failure.
There is only one more thing to do, and
chA r
Israelitish army strengthening themselves up,
filling their lungs for a vociferation such as
was never heard before and never heard at-
ter. 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 peo-
pie begin to cry; ''Down. Jericho! Down,
Jericho!' 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 blackenei with the dust.
The huzza Of the victorious 1sraelites and
mingle, 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 Joshuas troops may not halt here
The command is, "Forward, marchr' There
Is the city OF Al. 1t must be taken. How
shall it be taken? scouting party comes
back and says: "Joshua, we can do that
without you. 1t Is going to be a very easy
Job. You just stay here while we go and CAP
ture it." They march with small regiment
In front OF that city. The men of All look at
them and give one yell, and the Israelites
run like reindeers. The northern troops at
Bull Run did not make such rapid time as
these 1sraelites with the Canaanites after
them. They never cut such a sorry figure
is when they were on the retreat.
Joshua falls on his face In chagrin. 1t Il
the only time you ever see the back OF his
aead. He falls on his face and begins to
aaSt Thou at all brought this people over
Jordan to deliver us into the hand OF the
Amorites to destroy US? Would to God We
had been content and dwelt on the other side
of Jordan! For the Canaanites and all the
inhabitants Of the land shall hear Of it and
1hali environ US round and cut of our name
from the earth"
am very glad Joshua said that. Before
( seemed rs IL he were a supernatural being,
and therefore could net be an example to us. |
butt find he Is a man, he is only man. Just
rs sometimes you find a man under severe |
opposition, or in bad state of physical
health. or worn out with overwork, lying |
DOWN and signing about everything being |
defeated. am encouraged when l hear this |
sry OF Joshua as he lies in the dust
God comes and rouseS him. How does |
de rouse him? By complimentary apos- |
.foPnes NO. ne says: 'Tet thee up. Where |
'ore liest thou upon thy face?" Joshua
-ises, and. 1 warrant you, with a mortified |
ook. But his old courage comes back Tho |,
act was that was not his battle. II he had |
been in 1t, he would have gone on to victory, !
he gathers his troops around him and says: |
Now let us go up and capture the city Of |
Al: Let US go up right away"
They march on. He puts the majority O. |
he troops behind n ledge OF rocks in the |
light. and then he sends comparatively /
mail battalion up in front of the city. The !
men OF Al come out with shout. This bat +,
alion in stratagem fall back and fall back, |
md when all the men of Al have left the city |
md are in pursuit OF this scattered or SEEM |
nSly scattered battalion Joshua stands on q |
'ock see his locks flying In the wind az |
10 points his spear toward the doomed city. |
md that is the signal. The men rush out
rom behind the rocks and take tho city, and |
I Is put to the torch. and then these Israel
tes In the city march down, and tho flying
battalion OF Israelites return, and between (,
hese two waves Of Israelitish prowess the |
men OF Al are destroyed, and the Israelites !
,ain tho victory, and while / SEQ the curling |
moke Of that destroyed city on the sky, and |
While hear the huzza Of the Israelites and |
he groan OF the Canaanites, Joshua hears
omethinS louder than it all, ringing and |
'choing through his soul, "There shall not |
my man be able to stand before thee all the |
lays Of thy life"
But this is place for the host of Joshu, I
o stop. Forward, march," cries Joshua to |
he troops. There is the city of Gibeon. II |
las put itself under the protection of Joshua.
They sent word: "There are five kings after |
ls. They are going to destroy US. Send |
roops quick. Send US help right away"
joshua has three days march more than |
louble quick. On the morning of the third |
lay he is before the enemy. There are two |
ons lines OF battle. The battle opens with |
QlonOnfar hnt
discover something. They say: "That is |
he spring freshet and knocked down the |
tone wall and destroyed the city OF All. |
There Is no use fighting" 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 |
q these Canaanites, with sprained ankles |
md gashed foreheads, retreat the catapults |
II the sky pour q vofley of hailstones into |
he valley, and all the artillery of the |
leavens with bullets Of iron pounds ths |
against the lodges of Beth-horon. |
"Oh," says Joshua, this Is surely a |
ictoryw but do you see the sun is going !
lown? Those Amorites are going to get away |
after all, and they will come up some other |
lime and bother US. and perhaps destroy u.s." |
See, the sun is going down. Oh, for a longer !
lay than has ever been seen in this climate |
What Is the matter with Joshua? Has he !
ahOh Al oh opopicliO Ats NO. no Is lu |
prayer. Look out when q good man makes |
he Lord his ally. Joshua raises his face, |
'adiant with prayer, and looks at the de-
'cending sun over GiDeon and at the faint I
'rescent Of tho moon, for you know the
queen OF the night sometimes with linger
around the palaces of the day Pointing one
hand at the descending sun and the other
hand at the faint crescent of the moon. in the
name Of that God who shaped the words and
moves the worlds, he cries, ''Sun, stand thou
still upon Gibeon, and thou, moon, in
the valley Of Ajalon." And they stood
still Whether it was by rsfraction OF the
un's rays or by the stopping II the wnoio
lanetary system do not know and do not
are. leave il to the Christian scientists
nd the infldel scientists to settle that ques- |
lon, while tell you / have seen the same |
hing. "What," say You, "not the sun stand'
ng still?" Yes. The same miracle Is per. |
ormed nowa1a:s. The wicked do not live /
ut half their ty, and the sun sets at noon:
,ut let a man start out and battle for God, ;
4 ,.ok ryvx nd