Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-05-31

Didn't I tell You so Why, those ministers
are io1l.. Toe idea Of going around the city
with those musical instruments and expect
Ing Ia that way O. DESTROY il, J1=huA hiss
been spoiled. Re thinks because he has
oyenhrown sul drstroyeithe spring fresnet
h. can overthrow the stone wall. Why, il :
not phil0s0phir Don't you see there Is no
relation between the blowing al these musi-
cal instruments and lha knocking down %
the wallg Il isn't philosophy"
And suppose there We're many wisea'res
who stood with their brows knitted, Gld
with the foreinger oi the right hand u the
forennger Of the left hand. arguing IL all out
aud showing 1t was not possible that such
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
second day. the priests. blowing the musical
instruments, 10 around the city, and a fail
ure. Third day. aud failure; fourth day,
and failure; lith dav. aud failure; sixth
day, aud failure. The seventh day comes,
the climactrrir day. Joshua l. up early In
the morning an examines the troops, walks
all around about. looks al the city wall. The
prizes. start to make the Circuit Of tue city.
They 60 all around once, all around twice,
three times, four times five times, six times.
seven times. and failure.
There is only one more thing to do, and
that is to utter great shout. | see the
lsraclitish army Strengthening themselves up,
Nlling their lungs Tor yOcieration such a.
was never heard before and never heard a.
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, Jerichoi Down,
Jericho" And the long line OF solid ma
sonry begins 10 quiyer and to move aud to
rock. Stand from under! She falls! Crash
90 the walls, the temples. the towers, the
palacesi The air is hlackenel with the dust.
The huzZa Of the victorious lsr2eliteS and
the grOan Of the conquered Canaanites com
mngle. 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.
Bat JOshua's troops may lot halt here
The command is, Forward. marchI' There
is the city OF Al. Ii must be taken. How
shall it be taken? 4 scouting party comes
/ back and says: Joshua, We can do that
without you. 1t is going 10 be a very easy
job. You just stay here while we 90 and cap
! ture it, They march with AsmalI regiment
( in front OF that city. The men OF Al look al
/ them and give one yell. and the Isra-lites
run like RENDERS. The northern troops At
Bull Run did not make such rapid time as
these Israeltes with the Canaanites after
them. They never cut such sorry figure
a when they were on the retreat
Joshua falls on his face Ia chagrin. 1t Is
/ the only time you ever see the back OF his
head. He falls on his face and begins to
whine, and he says; 30 Lord God, wherefore
hast Thou at all brought this people over
Jordan to deliver us into the hand OF the
Amorites to destroy rs? Would 10 God we
had been content and dwelt IN the other side
of Jordan. For the Canaanites and all the
inhabitants OF the land shall hear OF it and
shalt environ Us round and cut of our name
from the earth.
am very glad Joshua said that Before
il seemed As If he were supernatural being
and therefore could not he an example tn Us,
but find he is a man, he is only man. just
as sometimes you lind man under severe
opposition, or in bad state OF physical
health. or worn out with OyerwOrk, lying
down and signing about everything being
defeated, | am encouraged when ! hear this
cry Of Joshua a. he lies in the dust
God comes and rouses him. How does
He rouse him? BY complimentary apOs-
trophe? No. He says Get thee up. Where
fore liest thou upon thy face Joshua
rises. and. | warrant you, with a mortified
look. But his Old courage comes back. The
fact was that was not his battle. II he had
been in it, he would have gone on 10 victory.
He gathers his troops around him and says:
Now let US go up and capture the city Of
Al Let US 60 up right away.
They march on. He puts the majority OF
the troops behind a ledge Of rocks in the
night and then he sends comparatively
small battalion up in front OF the city. The
men OF Al come out with a shout. This bat
talon in stratagem fall back and fall back.
and when all the men OF Al have left the city
and are in pursuit Of this scattered or seem.
ingly scattered battalion Joshua stands on a
rock | see his locks flying in the wind "a
he points his spear toward the doomed citv
and that is the signal. The men rush out
from behind the rocks and take the city. and
it Is put to the torch. and then these Israel
ties in the city march down, and the Tying
battalion Of Israelites return. and between
these two waves OF lsraetish proweSS the
men of Al are destroyed, and the Israelite-
gain the victory, and while | see the curling
smoke of that destroyed city on the sky. and
while hear the huz2a Of the lsraeliteS am
the groan of the Canaantes. Joshua hear
something louder than it all. ringing ant
echoing through his soul, There shall mol
any man be able to stand before thee all the
days of thy life.
But this is no place for the host of Joshut
to stop. Forward, march, cries Joshua I,
the troops. There is the city of Gideon.
has put itself under the protection oiJoshua
They sent word: There are five kings afte
US They are going to destroy us Sen,
troops quick. Send us help right away.
Joshua has a three days march more thai
double quick On the morning of the thir,
day he is before the enemy. There are tw
long lines of battle. The battle onens Wit
= great slaughter but the Canaanites sooi
discover something. They say: THAT il
Joshua. That is the man who conquered
the spring freshet and Knocked down thu
stone wall and destroyed the city OF Al
There is no use flghtng.' And they sount
q retreat, and as they begin to retrea
Joshua and his host spring upon them like
7 panther, pursuing them over the rocks, AM
a as these Canaanites, with sprained ankle
and gashed foreheads. retreat the catapult
of the sky pour a volley of hailstones int
i, the valley, and all the artillery OF tn
heavens with bullets of iron pounds tn
, Canaanites against the lodges Of Beth-horon
; "Oh,n SAYS Joshua. this is surely
a victory "But do you see the sun is goin
down? Those Amorites are going to get ava
after all, and they will come up some othe
, time and bother us, and perhaps destroy us.
i, See, the SUMS going down. Oh tor lOnge
= day than has ever been seen in this climate
! What is the matter with Joshua? Has h
!, fallen in an apopletc fit? No. He is i
y prayer. Look out when good man make
h the Lord his ally. Joshua raises his face
radiant with prayer aud looks at the de
a scending sun over Gideon and at the fain
q crescent of the moon, for you know tn
{, queen of the night sometimes with hinge
f around the palaces of the day. Pointing on
:, hand at the descending sun and the othe
!; hand at the faint crescent of the moon. in tn
:, name of that God who shaped the worlds an
\ moves the worlds, he cries, Sun, stand tho
4 still upon Gideon, and thou, moon, i
"a the valley of Ajaton." And they stoo
4 still. Whether it was by refraction of tn
K suns rays or by the stopping of the Who'll
a. planetary system do not know and do no
"a care. leave it to the Christian scientist
10 and the inldel scientists to settle that ques
+ ton, while tell you I have seen the sam
d thing. What, say you, mot the sun stand