Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-05-30


huzza of the Israelites and the groan
of the Canaanites, Joshua hears some
thing louder than it all, ringing and
echoing through his soud: 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 three days march more
than double quick On the morning 81
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 some
thing. 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 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 Canaanites with
sprained ankles and gashed foreheads
retreat, the catapults of the sky pour
volley of hailstones into the valley and
all the artillery of the heavens with
bullets of iron pounds the Canaanites
against the lodges of Beth horon.
"Oh! says Joshua, this is surely
victory" But do you not see the sun
is going down? Those Amorites arc
going to get away after all, and they
will come up some other time and both
er 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 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
at the descending sun over Gideon, 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 hand 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 Ala
lon." And they stood still. Whether it
was by refraction Of the suns rays, or
by the stopping of the whole planetary
system, I do not know and do not
care. I leave it to the Christian scien-
lists and the infidel scientists to settle
that question, while I tell you I have
seen the same thing. WHAT say
you, mot the sun standing still?" Yes.
The same miracle is performed nova
days. 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 pro-
longed, and prolonged and prolonged.
But it is time for Joshua to go home.
He is a hundred and ten years old.
Washington went down the Potomac,
and at Mount Vernon closed his days.
Wellington died peacefully at Apsley
House. Now, where shall Joshua rest?
Why, he is to have his greatest battle
now. After a hundred and ten years
he has to meet a king who has more
subjects than all the present population
of the earth, his throne a pyramid Of
skulls, his parterre the graveyards and
cemeteries of the world, his chariot the
worlds hearse-the King of Terrors.
But if this is Joshua's greatest battle,
it is going to be Joshuas greatest VIC
tory. He gathers his friends around
him and gives his valedictory, and it
what they are going to do; old men tell
what they have done.
And as you have heard a GRANDPA
Their, or great-grandfather seated by
the evening fire, tell of Monmouth, or
Yorktown, and then lift the crutch or
staff as though it were a musket, to
fight, and show how the old battles
were won-so Joshua gathers his
friends around his dying couch, and
he tells them the story of what he has
been through, and as he lies there, his
white locks showing down on his wrin-
killed. forehead, I wonder if God has
kept his promise all the way through
the promise of the text. AS he lies
there he tells the story one, two, or
three times-you have heard old people
tell a story two or three times over
and he answers: II go the way of all
the earth and not one word
of the promise has failed,
not one word thereof has
failed; all has come to pass, not one
word thereof has failed" And then he
turns to his family, as a dying parent
will, and says: Choose now whom
you will serve, the God of Israel, or the
God of the Amorites. AS for me and
my house, we will serve the Lord" A
dying parent can not be reckless or
thoughtless in regard to his children.
Consent to part with them at the door
of the tomb we cannot By the cradle
in which their infancy was rocked, by
the bosom on which they first lay, by
the blood of the Covenant, by the God
of Joshua, it shall not be. We will not
part, we cannot part. Jehovah Jireh,
we take thee at thy promise: Il will
be a God to thee and thy seed after
thee"
Dead, the ola chieftain must be laid
out. Handle him very gently; that sa-
cred body is over a hundred and ten
years of age. Lay him out, stretch out
those feet that walked dry shod the
parted Jordan. Close those lips which
helped blow the blast at which the
walls of Jericho fell. Fold the arm that
lifted the spear toward the doomed
city of All. Fold it right over the heart
that exulted when the five kings fell.
But where shall we get the FURNISHED
granite for the headstone and the foot
stone? 1 bethink myself now. / mag
inc that for the head II shall he tho SIM