Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-05-27

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 their strange anchorage. Out
yonder they have stopped; 30 miles uI
yonder they halted. On this side the
waters roll off toward the salt sea. But
as the hand of the Lord God is taken
away from the thus uplifted waters
waters perhaps uplifted half mlle-as
the Almighty hand is taken away those
waters rush down, and some of the I'M
believing Israelites say: 'fAlas, alas,
what misfortune Why could not those
waters have staid parted? Because per-
haps we may want to go back. O Lord,
we are engaged in risky business
Those Canaanites may eat us up. How
if we want to go back? Would it not
have been a more complete miracle if
the Lord had parted the waters to let us
come through and kept them parted to
let us go back if we are defeated?" Ny
friends, God makes no provision for a
Christian S retreat. He clears the path
all the way to Canaan. To go back is
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 Israelites from going back I
declare it in your hearing today, victory
ahead, water 40 feet deep in the rear.
Triumph ahead, Canaan ahead; behind
you death and darkness and woe and
hell. But you say, "Why didn't those
Canaanites, when they had such a
splendid demonstrating on the top of
the bank 80 or 40 feet high-completel
demolish those poor Israelites down in
the river?" I will tell you why. God
had made promise, and he was going
to keep it. ''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
a long grove of trees, and at the end of
the grove is city. It is a city of ar
bors, a city with walls seeming to reach
to the heavens, to buttress the very sky
1t is the great metropolis that commands
the mountain pass. 1t is Jericho That
city was afterWard captured by Pom
pey, and it was afterward captured by
Herod the Great, and it was afterward
capture by the Mohammdans, but this
the Lord plans. There shall
be no swords, no shields, no battering
ram. There shall be only one weapon of
war, and that a rams horn. The horn of
the slain ram was sometimes taken and
holes were punctured in 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 a 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 were to go around the city ev-
cry day for six days-Once day for six
days, and then on the seventh day they
were to go around blowing these rude
instruments seven times, and
then at the close of the seventh blowing
of the rams horns on the seventh day
the perOration of the whole scene was to
be shout, at which those great walls
should tumble from capstOne to base.
The seven priests with the rude music
al instruments pass all around the city
walls on the first day, and a failure.
Not so much as a piece of plaster broke
loose from the wall, not SO much as a
rock, not so much as piece of
mortar lost from its place. "There," say
the unbelieving Israelites "Didn tell
you so? Why, those ministers are fools.
The idea Of going around the city with
those musical instruments and expecting
in that way to destroy it Joshua has
been spoiled. He thinks because he has
overthrown and destroyed the spring
freshet 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? It isn't
And [ suppose there were many wise
acres who stood with their brows knit
ted, and with the forefnger Of the right
hand to the fOrefinger of the left hand,
arguing it all out and showing it was
not possible that such a cause should
produce such an effect. And [ suppose
that night in the encampment there
was plenty Of 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 the musical instruments, go
around the city, and failure. Third
lay, and a failure; fourth day, and a
failure; fifth day, and a failure; sixth
lay, and a failure. The seventh day
comes, the climacteric day. Joshua is
up early in the morning and examines
he troops, walks all around about, looks
1T the city wall. The priests start to
make the circuit of the city. They go
Ill around once, all around twice, three
times, four times, five times, six times,