Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-10-08
Political Sermon From a
SCripturdI Text.
SUBJECT: FlRMNEss OF PURPOSE.

Text: But as for me and my house we will
serve the Lord-JoShua XXiv:l5. i
Joshua was about to die. His was a
varied history. Sixtyfour years be-
fore he had left Egypt under the
leadership of Moses. With his own
ewes had he witnessed the miraculous
deliverance of Israels hosts and the
inter destruction of Pharaoh at the
Red Sea. He had stood at the foot of
the Mount and heard the thunderings
of Sinai when Moses went up to meet
the Lord. He. with his own hands,
had gathered the mama in the will
derness and had drank of the waters
of Horeb He had also witnessed the
ravages of the serpenls of fire as
thousands of his people fell for their
disobedience. In fact, he had attend
ed the funeral obsequies of every
Israelite who had left Egypt with
him save his faithful companion
Caleb, including the death of Moses
himself, who died in sight of the
promised land.
At the death of Moses Joshua was
chosen the leader of Israel, and it
was he who led them across the Jor-
dan and into the 'land that flowed
with milk and honey" Joshua's
career was about to end, but before
his death he gathered all the tribes
of Israel to Shechem, and called for
the elders of Israel, and for their
heads, and for their judges, and for
their officers; and they presented
themselves before Cod Although
only about a quarter of a century had
passed since their triumphant en-
trance into Canaan, the children of
Israel had forgotten the mighty
works of God, and some of them had
gone off and were serving 1.-The gods
which their fathers had served that
we're on the other side of the flood"
while others we're serving 1.-THE gods
of the Ammonites." Old Joshua was
much grieved at this state of affairs,
and he entreated them to fear the
Lord and serve him in sincerity and
in truth: and put away the gods
which your fathers served on the
other side of the food, and in Egypt:
and serve We the Lord. And if it seem
evil unto you to serve the Lord,
choose We this day whom We will
serve, whether the gods which your
fathers served that were on the other
side of the flood, or the gods of the
Ammonites in whose land We dwell. But
as for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord
The lesson that we desire to draw
from the above is that of firmness of
purpose. The story in which Joshua
was prominent character, whether
divine history or a fiction of the
human fancy, portrays the character
and lie of a firm old man. His ruling
passion was strong, even in death.
Believing, as he did, that he was
right, he tenaciously stuck to it to
the end Although all Israel had de-
serted him and his God and had gone
of after other gods, we hear his
feeble old voice, just before it was
silenced in death, after trying to
dlssuade them from the error of their
way, declaring But for me and my
house, we will serve the Lord" Might
did not make right with Joshua any
more than it does now nor were ques-
tions of morality settled by MAORI
ties. 1t was the same spirit that in
spired the statement expressed by a
modern statesman when he declared
that he would rather be right than
to be president"
The Bible history is full of such
heroes. Many centuries before
Joshua, Noah had stood the jeers and
sneers of multitude while he
preached righteousness and built the
ark. Converts were few, In fact, he
made none. His hearers, If he had
any, were all firm believers in the
doctrine that questions of fact could
be decided by numbers. They wanted
10 go with the crowd; and so they did.
II was not until "the windows of
heaven had been opened and the
fountains of the great deep were
broken up" that they realized the
awful truth of their situation. 1t was
then too late. Noah was right, but
Nc had no following. His whole
career WIS in harmony with our text,
living example of the words, "But
as Tor me and my house, we will serve
the Lord
Passing by many prominent charac.
Iers IL lie El.lu Alsiorl sc svlus t.