The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-06-06

/ treat The BOrnesian cannibals nte
up Munson, the missionary. "Fal
backv' said great many Christian
people, "fall back, oh, Church Of God
BOrneo will never be taken. Don't
you see the Bornesian cannibals have
eaten up Munson the missionary?
Iyndall delivers his lecture at the
University Of Glasgow, and q great
many good people say, Stall back, Oh.
Church of God! Don't you see that
Christian philosophy is going to be
overcome by worldly philosophy? Fall
back" Geology plunges it's crowbal
into the mountains, and there are a
great many people who say, "'Scien-
titic investigation is going to over
! throw the Mosaic account Of the crea
ton. Fall back" Friends of God
have never any right to fall back
Joshua fell on his face in 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 saws.
"Oh, Lord God, wherefore hast thou
at all brought this people over Jordan
| to deliver us into the hand Of the
Amorites, to destroy us? Would to
| God we had been content and dwelt
on the other side of Jordan! For the
| Canaanites and all the inha bitants Of
| the land shall hear Of it, and Shall
environ us round and cut off our name
| from the EARTH
I am very glad Joshua said that.
Before it seemed as if he We're a su-
| pernatural being, and therefore could
not be an example to us; but l find he
| is man, he is only Il man. Just as
| sometimes you find Il man under Sc
we're opposition, or in a bad state of
| physical health, or worn out with
overwCrk, lying down and signing
about everything being defeated. l am
encouraged when I hear this cry OF
| Joshua as he lies in the dust.
God comes and arOuSes him. How
does he rouse him? BY compliment
airy apostrOphe? No. He says, Get
| thee up. Wherefor Hest thou upon
thy face" Joshua rises, and 1 war
rant you, with mortified look. But
| his old courage comes back. The fact
was that was not his battle. If he
had been in it he would have gone to
victory. He gathers his troops around
him and says: "Now let us 80 UP
| and capture the city of All; let us so
up right away"
They march on. He puts the ma
jority Of the troops behind ledge Of
rocks in the night, and then he sends
a comparatively small battalion up in
front of the city. The men of All come
out with a shout. This battalion in
|. stratagem fall back and fall back,
and when all the men of Al have left
the city and are in pursuit of this scat
tered or seemingly scattered battal-
ion, Joshua stands on a rock-I see
his locks flying in the wind as lie
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 Israelites in THE
city march down and the flying bat.
talon of Israelites return, and be.
tween these two waves of Israelitish
prowess the men of All are destroyed,
and the Israelites gain the victory;
and while l see the curling smoke Of
that destroyed city on the sky, and
while I hear the huzza of the Israel.
ties and the groan Of the Canaanites,
Joshua hears something louder than
it all, ringing and echoing through
his SOUL '"There shall not any me- IN
be able to stand before thee all tile
days of thy life" J.. L. IL /;
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 three days
:a1~
the morning of the third day he is
before 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 de-
stroyed the city Of All. There is no use
fighting" And they sound a retreat
and as they begin to retreat Joshua
and his host spring upon them like
panther, pursuing them over the rocks,
and as these Cannanites, with sprain-
ed ankles and gashed foreheads, re-
treat the catapults of the sky pour
vOley 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
boron.
"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 a
longer day than has ever been seen
in this climate! What is the matter
with Joshua? Has he fallen in an
apoleptic fit? No. He is in PRAYER.
Look out when a good man makes the
Lord his ally. Joshua raises his face,
radiant with prayer, and looks at the
descending sun over Gideon and at the
faint crescent Of the moon, for you
know the queen of the night sometimes
will linger around the palaces Of the
day. Pointing one hand at the descend
ing sun and the other hand at the faint
crescent Of the moon, In the name of
that God who shaped the worlds and
moves the worlds, he cried: "Sun
stand thou still upon Gideon; and thou,
moon, in the valley of Ajalon" And
they stood still. Whethcr it was by
refraction of the suns rays or by the
stopping Of the whole planetary sys-
tenn, do not know, and do not care.
L leave it to the Christian scientists
| t6o inf ~ al; l.