Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-01-26
TALMAGE"S SERMON.
THE GREATEST SOLDIER OF ALL
TIME, THE TEXT.
There Shall Not Any Man lie Able to
stand Before Thee All the Days of
Thy Life.-' ,JosIus I:J - To the
Soldier Boys.

For the most part when the general
of an army starts out in conflict ne
would like to have a small battle IL
order that he may get his courage up
and lie may rally his troops and get
them drilled for greater conflicts; bus
this first undertaking of Joshua was
greater than the leyeling of Fort Pull
ask or the laundering down of Glib
raitar. or the overthrow of the Bastille.
1t was the crossing of the Jordan 1T
the time OF the spring freShet. The
SHOWS of Mount Lebanon had inst
been melting and they poured down
into the valley. and the whole valley
was a raging torrent. So the Canaan
ties stand on one bank and they look
across and see Joshua and the Israel
ties. and they laugh and say: Aha.
aha, they cannot disturb us until the
frCShetS fall: it is impossible for them
to reach us" But after awhile they
look across the water and they see
movement in the army of Joshua. They
say What's the matter now? Why.
tl'it must III JiilN uLioh7
troops and they are going to fly, or
perhaps they are going 10 try to march
across the river Jordan. Joshua is
luEatic." But Joshua. the chieftain or
the tex. looks at his a. my and crles:
Forward. march," and they star; for
the bank of the Jordan.
One mile ahead go two priests car
rying a glittering box four feet long
and two feet wide. 1t is the Ark of the
Covenant. And they come down. and
no sooner do they just touch the rim Of
the water with their feet. than by an
Almighty fiat. Jordan parts. The army
OF Joshua marches right on without
getting their feet wet. over the bottom
of the river, path of chalk and brOk-
en- shells and pebbles, until they can
get to the other bank. Then they lay
hold of the oleanderS and tamarlSkS
and no sooner have they reached the
bank thirty or forty feet high, and
having gained the other bank. they
clap their shields and their cymbals.
and sing the praises OF the God or
Joshua. But no sooner have they
reached the bank than the waters be-
gin 10 lash and roar. and with ter-
rife rush they break loose from their
strange anchorage Out yOnder they
have stopped. thirty miles up yonder
they halted. On this side the waters
roll on toward the salt sea. But as
the hand of the Lord God is taken
away from the thus uplifted waters
waters perhaps uplifted half mile
as the Almighty hand is taken away.
those waters rush down. and some oil
the unbelieving lsraeliIes say: Alas.
alas. what misfortune, Why could
not those waters have stayed parted?
Because perhaps we may want to go
back Oh. Lord. we are engaged il 4
risky business. Those Canaanites may
eat Us up. How if We want to go
back? Would il not have been a more
complete miracle if the Lord had part
ed the waters to let us come through
and kept them parted TO let us so
back ii We are defeated" My FRIENDS.
God makes no provision for Christ
ian's retreat lie clears the path all
the way TO Canaan. To so back is 20
die The same gatekeeper that swiE2s
back the amethystine and crystalline
gate of the Jordan to let Israel DdSs
through, now swing shut the amethyst
inc and crystalline gate of the Jor-
dan 20 keep the Israelites from going
back / declare it in your hearing to-
day. victory ahead water forty feet
deep III the rear. Triumph ahead.
Canaan ahead; behind you death and
darkness and woe and hell. But you
say. Why didn't those Canaanites.
when they had such { splendid chance
standing On top of the bank thirty
But this is no place Tor the host to
stop. Joshua gives the command.
Forward, march,, In the distance
there is long grove of trees. and at
the end of the grove is a city. 1t is a
city of arbors, a city with walls seem
ing to reach the heavens. to buttress
the very sky. 1t is the great metropO-
lis that commands the mountain pass.
1t is Jericho. That city was after
ward captured by POmpey. and it was
afterward captured by HerOd the Great,
and it was afterward captured by the
Mohammedans: but this campaign the
Lord plans. There shall be no swords.
no shields, no battering ram. There
shall only be one weapon of war, and
that rams horn. The horn of the
slain ram was sometimes taken and
holes were punctured in it. and then
the musician would put the instrument
to his lips. and he would run his fin
ger, over this rude musical instrument.
and make a great deal of sweet har-
mcny for the people. This was the
only kind of weapon Seven priests
were 10 take these rude rustical must
cal instruments. and they were to go
around the city every day for six days
once day for six days. and then on
the seventh day they were to go around
blowing these rude musical instru-
ments seven times. and then at the
close of the seventh blowing of the
rams h0rns on the seventh day the
peroi on of the whole scene was to-
ne shout at which those great walls
should tumble from capstone to base
Joshuas troops may not halt here.
The commands is: Forward. march,"
There IS the city of Al: it must be
taken. How shall il he taken? \
scouting party comes back and says
Joshua We can do that without you
1t Is going To be a very easy job, you
just stay here while We go and cap
ture ii. They march with a small
regiment n front OF that city. The
meE or ri look at them and give one
yelI and tn5 israelites run like rein