Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-06-01

they clap their shields and their cym-
balls and sing the praises Of the God of
Joshua.
But no sooner have they reached the
bank than the waters begin To dash and
roar, and with terrific rush they break
loose from thciI strange anchorage. Out
yond"r they have stopped; 30 miles up
yondcr they halted. On this side the
waters roll off toward the salt sea. But
rs the hand Of the Lord God is taken
away from the thus uplifted waters
waters perhaps upliftcd half II milc--as
the Almighty hand is taken away those
waters rush down, and some Of the I'M
believing lSraclitcS say: Alas. alas,
what misfortune! Why could not those
waters have Staid parted: Because per
haps We may want to 90 back O Lord.
we are engaged in risky business.
Those CanaIniteS may eat us mp. How
if we want to 20 back? Would il not
have been u more complete miracle if
the Lord had parted the waters to let us
come through and kept them parted 10
let us 90 back if we are dcfcatcd:" My
friends, God makes no provision for
Christians retreat. He clears the path
all the way To Canaan. To 20 back is
odic. The same gatckcepers 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 Israclites from going back. l
declare it i'll your hearing today. victory
ahead water 10 feet deep in the rear.
Triumph ahead. Canaan ahead; behind
You death and darkness and Voc and
hell. But You say, why didn't those
Canaanitcs. when they had such
splendid chancc-Standing ON the top of
the bank 80 or 40 feet high--complctely
demolish those poor IsraeliteS down i'll
the river | will tell you why God
had made promise, and he was going
to keep il. There shall not any man
be able to stand before thee all the days
Of thy life. -
The March.
But this is no place for the host to
stop. Joshua gives the command, For
ward. march, - In the distance there is
long grove of trees. and at the end of
the grove is city. II is city Of ar
bors, city with walls seeming 10 reach
To the heavens. to buttrcSs the very sky.
Ii Is the great metropolis that commands
the mountain pass. Ii is Jericho. That
city was aftcrward captured by Pom
pcy, and it was afterward captured by
Herod the Great, and ii was afterward
capture by the MohammdanS, but this
campaign the Lord plans There shall
be no swords, no shields, no battcring
ram. There shall he only one weapon of
war, and that Il ram s horn. The horn Of
the slain ram was sometimes taken and
holes We're puncturcd III 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 Il 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 We're To 20 around the city ev
cry day for six days-oncc Il 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 peruration of the whole scene was TO
be Il shout. at which those great walls
should tumble from capStonc TO base
The seven priests with the rude music
al instruments pass all around the city
walls OH the first day, and failure.
Not so much as piece Of plaster broke
loose from the wall. not so much as Il
looSencd rock, not 50 much as a piece Of
mortar lost from its place. There. " say
the mhchcving Israclitcs. "Didn' tell
you So: Why, those ministers are fools.
The idea of going around the city with
those musical Instruments and expecting
i'll that way to destroy il Joshua has
been spoiled. He thinks because he has
ovcrthrown and destroyed the spring
frcShct he can overthrow the stone wall.
Why, it is not philosophic. Don't you
see there is no relation between the blow
ing of these musical instruments and the
knocking down Of the wall: 1t isn't
philosophy.
And | suppose there We're many wise
acres who stood with their brows knit
ted and with the forefingcr Of the right
hand To the forcfingcr of the left hand,
arguing it all ont and showing it was
not possible that such cause should
produce such ;n effect. And | suppose
that night in the encampment there
was plenty uf 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 tho musical instruments. go
around the city. and a failure. Third
day, and Il failure; fourth day, and n
failure; fifth day, and failure; sixth
day, and failure The seventh day
comes, the climacteric day. Joshua is
up early i'll 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 90
all around once all around twice, three
| times, fnur 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 Il great shout. | see
i the fSraelltlSll army Strengthening them
selves up. filling their lungs for vocif-
Grafton such us was never heard before
and never heard after. Joshua feels that
the hour has come, and he cries ont to
| his host. Shout for the Lord hath Civ
sn you the city" All the people begin
10 cry Down, Jericho. Down, Jcri-
sho!" And the long line of solid ma
sonry begins to quivcr and to move and
to rock. Stand from under. She falls
Crash 20 the walls, the temples, the
lowers. the palaces The air is black
ened with the dust The huzza Of the
victorious lsraelitcS and the groan Of
the conquered CanamitcS comminglc,
and Joshua, standing there in the debris
of the wall, hears voice saying.
There shall not amy man he able TO
stand before thee all the days Of thy
life "
But Joshua : troops may not halt here
The command is. Forward march!'