Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-11-22

he rails on his race and begins to
whine, and he says, 20 Lord God,
wherefore hast thou at all brought this
people over Jordan to deliver us into
the hands OF the Amorites, to destroy
us? Would to God we had been con-
tent and dwelt on the other side Of
Jordan. For the Canaanites and all
the inhabitants OF the land shall hear
OF 1t and shall environ US round and
cut of our name from the EARTH" l
am very glad Joshua said that. Before
1t seemed as II he were supernatural
being and therefore could not be an
example to rs, but l find he IL a man.
ne Is only man. Just as sometimes
YOU find n man under severe opposi-
ton or In bad state of physical
fealth, or worn out with overwork.
lying down ana signing about being
defeated. ! am encouraged when |
hear this cry of Joshua as he lies In
the dust, God comes and rouses him,
How does he rouse him? By compli
ment1ry apostrophe? No. He says
Get thee tip. Wherefore liest thou
upon thy face?" Joshua rises, and,
warrant you, with mortified look.
But his old courage comes back. The
fact was that was not his battle. II
he had been in II he would have gone
on to victory. He gathers his troops
around him and says Now. let us
so up and capture the city of Al. Let
us go up tight away" They march
ON. lie puts the majority OF the troops
behind ledge of rocks In the night.
and then he sends comparatively small
regiments up In front OF the city. The
men OF Al come ont with shout. The
small regiments of lsraelites In strata
gem fall back. and fall back, and when
all the men OF Al have left the city
and are In pursuit of these scattered,
or seemingly scattered, regiments.
Joshua stands en- rock--I see his
locks flying in the wind as he 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 IL Is put to the torch, and
then these Israeltes In the city march
| down, and the flying Israelites return.
and between these two waves OF Is
raelitlsh prowess the men of Al are
| destroyed, and the Israelites gain the
victory; and while ! see the curling
| smoke OF that destroyed city on the
| sky and while hear the huzza OF the
lsraelites and the groan of the Ca
NANTES. Joshua hears something
! louder than IL all, ringing and echo
ing through his soul, There shall not
any man be able to stand before thee
all the days OF thy life"
No Place to stop.
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
| send word: There are Ave 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 OF the third day he Is be-
fore tho 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 walls of
Jericho and destroyed the city of Al.
There Is no use lighting" They sound
retreat, and as they begin to retreat
Joshua and his host spring upon them
like panther, pursuing them over the
rocks, while the catapults of the sky
pour volley Of hailstones into the val
ley, and all the artillery OF the heay-
ems, with bullets of iron, pound the
Canaanites against the lodges OF Beth :
boron. oh" says Joshua, this Is
surely n victory!" But do you not
see the sun Is going down? Those
Amorites are going to get away after
all. and then they will come up some
other time and bother us, and perhaps
destroy us. See, the sun Is going down.
Oh, for longer day than has ever
been seen In this climate!"
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 descending sun and the other
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
Ajalon!" They halted. Whether 1t was
by refraction of the suns rays or by
the stopping of the whole planetary
system | do not know and do not care.
| leave 1t to the Christian Scientists
and the infldel scientists to settle that
question, while tell you 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 their sun sets at noon.