Milford chronicle., 1895-05-31

Of the lsraelitcs and the groan Of the Ca
NANTES, Joshua hears something l0ude
, than it all ringing and echoing through
. his soul, There shall not any man be abb
. TO stand before thee all the days Of tn,
y life. "
His Strange Command.
But this is no place for the host Of Josh
{, ua to stop Forward, marchr cries Josh
ua to the troops. There is the city Of Glib
con. 1t has put itself under the protection
4 Of Joshua. They sent word, ''There ar,
five kings after us; they are going to de
stroy us; send troops quick; send us hell
right away. Joshua has a three days
march more than double quick. On The
morning of tho third d.,y he is before The
enemy There are two long lines Of battle.
The battle opens with great slaughter, but
the Canaaniues soon discover something.
They say; "That is Joshua; that is the
man who conquered the spring frcshot and
knocked down the stone wall and destroyed
the city of Al There is no use fighting -
And they sound retreat and as they be-
gin to retreat Joshua and his host spring
upon them like panther, pursuing thom
over tho rocks, and rs these Canaanites
with spraned ankles and gashod foreheads
retreat the catapults of the sky pour a vol
ley Of hailstones into the valley, and all
the artillery of the heavens with bullets OF
iron pounds the Canaanites against the
lodges Of Beth-horon.
"Oh, says Joshua, "'this is surelya vic
toryV But do you rot see the sun is go
ing down? Those Anorites are going to
1 get away after all, and they viii come up
some other time and hotherus and perhaps
destroy us. - See, the sun is going down.
Oh, for a longer day than has ever been
! q hot d Il
with Joshtay Has he fallen in an apoplec-
! tic ttg No. He is in prayer. Look out
when good man makes the Lord his ally.
Joshua raises his face radiant with prayer
and looks at the descending sun over Glib
con and Mt tho faint crescent Of the moon,
for you know the queen of the night some
times will lingor around the palaces of the |
day. Pointing one hand at the descending
sun and the other hand at the faint cres- |
cent Of the moon, in the name of that God /
who shaped tho worlds and moves The /
worlds, he cries, "Sun, stand thou still |
upon Gideon; and thou, moon, in tho val 4
ley of Ajalon." And they stood still. |
Whether it was by rcfraction Of the suns I
rays or by the stopping of the whole plan
etary system ! do not know, and do not
care. / leave it to the Christian scientists
and the infidel scientists to settle that
question, while tell you / have seen the
same thing. "Whatl say you, 'not the
sun standing stilli" Yes. The Same mira
Gle is performed nowadays. The wicked do
not live out half their day, and the sun
sets at noon. But let a man start ont
and battle for God, and the truth, and
against sin, and the day Of his usefulness
is prolonged and prolonged and prolonged
John Summerleld was a consumptive (
Methodist. He looked fearfully white, l
am told, as he stood in old Sands Street
church in this city, preaching Christ and ,
when he stood ON the anniversary platform
in Now York pleading for the Bible until I
unusual and unknown glories rolled forth I
from that book. When he was diving his !
pillow was brushed with the wings of the {
angel from tho skies, the messenger that
God sent down. Did John Summe. fields
sun setS Did John Summorfeld's day endf
Oh, mol He lives on in his burning ut
Lerance in behalf Of the Christian church.
The sun stood still.
Robert McCheyne was a consumptive
Presbyterian. It twas said when he preached
le coughed so it seemed as if he would
never preach again. His name is fragrant
n all ChristendOn, that name mightier
oday than was ever his living presence.
He lived topreach the gospel in Aberdeen,
ard Dundee, but howe away
cry early. He preached himself into the el
grave. Has Robert McCheyne's sun sets II
> Robert McCheyne's day endcdY Oh, no u
lis dying delirium was filled with prayer, "
nd when he lifted his hand to pronounce y
he benediction upon his family and the b.
enediction upon his country he seemed SC
0 say: l cannot die now / want to live K
n and on. l want to start an influence
0r the church that will never cease. 1
m only 30 years of age Sun of my Chris
an ministry, stand still over Scotland. - III
md it stood still.
JOshua's Death.
But it is time for Joshua to go home.
-e is 10 years old. Washington went
own the Potomac, and at Mount Vernon ~
oscd his days. Wellington died peaceful an
r at Apsley House. Now, where shall SIC
oshua resty Why, he is to have his great az
It battle now. After 10 years he has TO 40 40
eet king who has more subjects than ~
l the present population of the earth, his vi
rome pyramid of skulls, his parterre ru
10 graveyards and the cemeteries of the Os'l
orld, his chariot the world hearse-the
ng of terFors, But If this is Joshuais
eatest battle 1t is going to be Joshua's
eatest victory. He gathers his friends era
ound him and gives his valedictory, and his
is full of "reminiscences. Young men tell abe
nat they are going to do. Old men tell
nat they have done.
And as you have heard grandfather or the
great grandfather seated by the evening 81
e. tell OF Monmouth, or Yorktown, and
en- lift the crutch or staff as though it and
re musket, to fight, and show how the salt
battles were wOn-sO Joshua gathers tlce
J friends around his dying couch and he sw6
Is them the story Of what he has been mel
rough, and rs he lies there, his white fros
ks showing down ON his wrinkled fore %
ld, IwOnder if God has kept his promise g
the way through-the promise of the you
t. As he lies there he tells the story yerl
}, two or three tines--yOu have heard g
people tell story two or three times 20 f
r and he answers; 81 90 tho way Of seer
the earth, and not ono word Of the be i
mise has failed, not one word thereof ar n
failed; all has come to pass, not one :"
Il thereof has failed" And then he tie
rs to his family, as a dying parent q
|, and says; Choose now whom You oaru
serve the God Of Israel OF the God OF q
AmOrites. AS for me and my house, nffe,
viii serve the Lord. A dying parent snid
not be reckless or thoughtless I'm regard -
is children. Consent to part with them nnti
he door Of the tomb we cannot. By the -
lle in which their infancy was rocked, 81
he bosom on which they first lay, by and
blood Of the covenant, by the God Of ~
lua, it shall not be. We will not part eonl,
'annot part. Jehovah Jireh, we take Is
at thy promise, II will be a God to ~
ana thy seed after thee. mari
cad, the old chioftain must be laid out. later
die him very gently; that sacred body
yer 10 years Of age. Lay him out,
oh out those feet that walked dry shod
parted Jordan. Close those lips which WI
cd blow the blast at which the walls jour-
erichO foil. Fold the arm that lifted it We
spear toward the doomed city of Al. case,
it right over the heart that exulted Ame
q the five kings fell. But where shall New
et FURNISHED granite for the maidstone Quito
the footstone? 1 bethink myself now. QUITO
agine that for the head It shall be the an il,