Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-08-29
Lesson for Sept. 1.


Lesson for Sept. 4.
Golden Text-By faith the walls Of
Jericho fell down, after they were COM
passed about seven days.-Heb. IL; 30.
The Fall of Jericho is tho subject Of the
lesson this week-Joshua o: 500. Jer-
icho represents entrenched worldliness
and wickedness, human might at its
strongest and best Here on the one hand
was the citadel of sin, the seat of idolatry,
the center of usurpation. 1t was strongly
buttressed, strongly manned, apparently
invincible. On the other hand were
Joshua and Israel-and God. Jericho fell.
1t always falls when thus confronted.
The time of patient trumpet-blowing may
be long, but the end is sure. Jericho was
strong, in order that she might show the
weakness Of human strength before God.
snake it sure" said PLATE. snake it as
sure as We can" He was doing it un-
Willingly to the honor of God. "And they
went and made the sepulchre sure, seal
ing the stone and setting a watch" Then
the earthquake and the angel and the
resurrection, and mans assurance proven
presumptuous. Trust God. His weak
ness is stronger than mems might.
The secret of this mighty victory at Jer-
icho is in verse fourteen of the preceding
chapter when Joshua recognizing the
Captain of the host of the Lord" "fell
on his face to the earth, and did worship,
and said unto him. What saith my lord
unto his servantY' Prayer, surrender.
That put Joshua virtually at the head Of
two hosts. The Lord had given Joshua,
as it were his note Of hand. "See, have
given into thine hand Jericho, and the
king thereof, and the mighty men of
valor." Joshua simply went ahead ac-
cording to the conditions eye shall COM
pass the city, He collected, so to speak,
on the note. But he took it all. He did
not go part way, as some of us do, and
win partial conquest, leaving the king.
perhaps, still on the throne and some of
his mighty men saved up. That Saul
tried; not Joshua.
"The rearward came after the ark"
Keep the right order. In other process
sions for victory it is great thing to
keep the rearward in the rear and the
foreward in the fore. Keep in your place,
men! Dress right; mark time. Stay be-
hind the ark. "The priests going on and
blowing with the trumpets." Keep it up,
brethren-"as We go preach" 1t stands
very sententiously in the original: Going
and blowing. Sometimes, we go without
blowing. Sometimes, vice versa, we blow
without going. If you blow a quick step,
let your own feet keep time to Il. If you
sound the onset with your lips. speak it
also with your swift step. Let lip and
life make martial music together about
the walls of our Jerichos. All me, that
any one should sit down and blow, to set
others on!
Then shall We shout" Not until
then" Often we shout before the time,
Amen" before the conditions have been
fulfilled, hallelujahs on the lip when there
are no hallelujahs in the heart. "And
they came into the camp and lodged in
the camp" 1t is the best place to lodge
in days of siege. Do not think to go over
into Jericho after the first day round. A
strange thing we see to-day, people be-
sieging Jericho and lodging in it at the
same time, or close up to the gates. Chris
tan brother or sister, young soldier of the
cross, the best place for you in this
naughty world is in the church and hard
by the cross in the midst.
But when the walls fell fat, then tiat
was the time for going straight into. .er-
icho, straight at it, straight through it,
Why not make thorough work of it! Let
every man draw his sword and hew
straight before him. This is the day of
battles. Fight not for gold, but for God.
And if gold come into the hand, coun, it
as "consecrated unto the Lord" and so
devote it.
Illustrations.
Faith is the victory. This is the vc-
tory that overcometh the 'world even yolr
fa:t ha ca thot ,..l,
had gates of iron and bars of brass. Whit
is stronger than iron gates? Faith. Whit
can break brazen bars? Faith. "R
faith the walls of Jericho fell down." We
used to have a school-boy game, where
ring of sturdy urchins formed, hands
tightly clasped, arms tant and rigid
"What is thisY' said the one confined in
the center. This is iron," one wotid,
say; '"This is BRASS" another. Then the
strong lunge and the bold break for lib
erty. "What is thisY" said Joshua to
Jericho. And Jericho, stout-armed, de
fiant, gave answer: This is IRON" This
is BRASS" "And this" quoth Joshua, lis
faith-God," as he strobe straight through
to victory. Faith is as mighty as ever,
and Gods arm is not shortened.
Faith uses means. Faith has its con-
ditions, or rather it's means Of exercise. 1t
always goes along with implicit obedience
to Gods direction. Faith is not blind, in
this sense; faith is open-eyed. 1t does al
the Lord bids and then trustfully watchts
for the results. In fact, there is kid
of faith, and just as in reference to other
laws you obey the conditions and,you
secure the fruits, so here. To obey God
in faith is to link ourselves with themuni.
tons Of heaven and to call to our aid the
cohorts of Jehovah. There wee more
than few Israelites marching arund the
walls of Jericho. The hosts of God ac-
companied them. There ut Atlantic City
when the Casino went down, we were
looking at it the other day; thy said it
was the rhythmic tramp of me1s feet in
fanciful applause that started he beams
We all know that soldiers breal$tep when
they cross a bridge. The rhythm of their
united tread calls down, as itEere, the
weight and swing of the Iahets and
scarcely anything can withsAiid it, SO
with faith. Israel locked sen with the
invisible powers of God, andsVept all be-
fore her. ~
Next "Caleb's Regard Joshua
IA: 5-14. rf !
To Cure sh.
The only way to ctlAJsin and bring
In the reign of Righteousness is to stress
the doctrine of jusdication by faith.
This means to stvss, internal. purity.
We are losing slit Of this supreme
doctrine in Christianity, the purifica-
ton of the healthy faith. The words
of one of the Sestest of English philos-