The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-06-05

VA stands on Il rocf: ! see his locks
flving in the wind us I've points his
spear toward the doomed city. 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 Israeites in the city march down
and the flying battalion of Israelites
return. and between these two waves
Of Israelitish prowess the men of Al
are DESTROYED. and the Israelites gain
the victory. and while | see the curl
ing smoke of that destroyed city on
the sky. and while l hear the huzza of
the Israelites and the groan of the Ca
naanites. Joshua hears something
louder than it all ringing and echoing
through his soul, There shall not any
man be able to stand before thee all
the days of thy life
But this is no place for the host of
Joshua to stop, Forward, march,"
cries Joshua to the troops. There is
the city Of Gideon. 1t has put itself
under the protection of Joshua. They
sent word, There are five kings after
us; they are going to destroy us; send
troops quick; send US help right
away. Joshua has a three days
march more than double quick. On
the morning of the third day he is be-
fore the enemy. There are two long
lines of battle. The battle opens with
great slaughter, but the Canaanites
soon discover something. They say:
THAT is Joshua; that is the man who
conquered the spring freshet and
knocked down the stone wall and
destroyed the city of Al There is no
use fighting" And they sound re-
treat, and as they begin to retreat
Joshua and his host spring upon them
like a panther, pursuing them over
rocks, and as these Canaanites with
sprained ankles and gashed foreheads
retreat the catapults of the sky pour a
volley of hailstones into the valley,
and all the artillery Of the heavens
with bullets of iron pounds the Ca
naanites against the Lodges of Beth
horon.
oh" says Joshua, this is surely a
victory But do you not see the
sun is going down: Those Amorites
are going to get away after all, and
they will come up some other time
and bother us and perhaps destroy
u.s." See, the sun is going down. oh,
for longer day than has ever been
seen in this climate. What is the
matter with Joshua. Has he fallen in
an apoplectic fit: No. He is in prayer.
Look out when good man makes the
Lord his ally. Joshua raises his face,
radiant with prayer, and looks az the
descending sun over Gibeon and at
the faint crescent of the moon, for you
know the queen OF the night some
times will linger around the palaces
of the day. Pointing one hand at the
descending sun and the other at the
faint crescent of the moon, in the
name of that God who shaped the
worlds and moves the worlds, he cries,
Sun, stand thou still upon Gideon
and thou, moon, in the valley of
Ajalon" And they stood still.
Whether it was by refraction of the
suns rays OR by the stopping Of. the
whole planetary system | do not
kn y, and do not care. | leave it to
the Christian scientists and the infdel
scientists to settle that question, while
I tell you have seen the same thing.
What say you, mot the sun stand
ing still:n Yes. The same miracle is
performed nowadays. The wicked do
not live out half their day, and the
sun sets at noon. But let man start
out and battle for God, and the truth,
and against sin, and the day Of his
usefulness is prolonged and prolonged
and prolonged.
John Summerfeld was a consumpt-
i've Methodist. He looked fearfully
white, am told, as he stood in old
Sands Street church in this city,
preaching Christ, and when he stood
on the anniversary platform in New
York pleading for the Bible until
unusual and unknown glories rolled
forth from that book. When he was
dying his pillow was brushed with the
wings of the angel from the skies, the
messenger that God sent down. Did
John Summerfeld's sun set? Did
John Summerfeld's day end2 Oh, no!
He lives on in his burning utterance
in behalf of the Christian church. The
sun stood still
Robert McCheyne was consumpt-
i've Presbyterian. 1t was said when
he preached he coughed so it seemed
as if he would never preach again.
His name is fragant in all Christen-
dom, that name mightier today than
was ever his living presence. He
lived to preach the gospel,in Aber-
deem, Edinburgh and Dundee, but he
went away very early. He preached
himself into the grave. Has Robert
McCheyne's sun set? Is Robert Nc
Cheyne's day ended: Oh, no. His
dying delirium was filed with prayer,
and when he lifted his hand to pro-
nounce the benediction upon his fam
lily and the benediction upon his coun-
try he seemed to say: Il cannot die
now. I want to live on and on. l
want to start an influence for the
church that will never cease. J. am
only 80 years of age. Sun of my
Christian ministry, stand still over
Scotland. And it stood still.
But it is time for Joshua to go
home. He is 10 years old Washing
ton went down the Potomac, and at
Mount Vernon closed his days. Well
ington died peacefully at Apsley
House. Now, where shall Joshua
rest? Why, he is to have his great
est battle now. After 10 years he has
to meet a king who has more subjects
than all the present population Of the
earth, his throne pyramid of SKULLS,
his parterre the graveyards and the
cemeteries of the world, his chariot
the worlds hearse-the king Of ter
rors. But if this is Joshua's greatest
battle it is going to be Joshua's great
est victory. He gathers his friends
around him and gives his valedictory,
and it is full Of reminiscence. Young
men tell what they are going to do.
Old men tell what they have done.