The Washington weekly post., 1900-11-20

Rev. T. De Witt Talmage preached last
evening al the West Street Presbyterian
Church, on r street, between Thirty -nrsf
and Thirty-secand streets northwest. tfe
occasion being the rec0nsecration OF the
Ccifice. Since last July the edihee has
been undergoing repairs. and IN the inter
Val religious meetings have been conduct
I'd In the chapel next door. The services
were attended by a congregation when
occupied all available seats. and also
filled the aiSles The choir VAS increasc1
by the addition Of several new MEMBER
and the music waich was under the d.
rectl0n OF Mr.. Hunter was special feat
ure.
Rev. W. G. Alexander, d. D., who for
seven years has ofiiciated as pastor II
West Street Church. introduced Dr. Tai
mage with a few appropriate words Df-
Talmage's subject was THE Five victor
ies" He took his text from Joshua, 10;
There shall not any man be able 10 stand
before thee an the days Of thy life His
sermon vas as follows;
."Congratulations TO the pastor OF this
church and all his people on the beautify-
ine OF this church How amiabie are
Thy tabernacles 0 Lord OF Hos,s' What
God thinks Of attractive places OF wor-
shiD l learn from the directions he gave
Tor the adOTnment or the temple at Jeru-
salem. describing everything down TO the
SuufIcTs nf The candlestiCks and the tongs
on the altar. Because Christ was born
IN a .manger we need not therefore wor-
shin Him tn barn. And now as you
wish. on this congTatulatory occasion, 10
make a new start. i put before you the
heTOics OF nv text;
A LaatrFfffsl FFa AfffAY
saws the Lord kissed him. and In that act
drew forth the soul Of the dying law
piyer. He had been buried. only one Per
son az the funeral. the same One who
kissed him. But God never takes a man
away from any place OF usefulness until
He has some one ready 10 replace him.
The Lord does not go looking around
amid great variety of candidates 10 find
some one especially fitted for the vacated
position. He makes man for that place.
Moses has passed OF the stage. and
Joshua. the hero. puts his foot on the
platform Of history so sOlidly that all
The ages echo with the tread. He was a
magnificent fighter but he always fought
on the right side. and he never fought
unless God told him 10 fight He got his
military equipment from God who gave
him the promise at the start: There shall
not anv man be able TO stand before thee
all the days OF thy life God fulfilled this
promise, although JOshua's first battle
was with the spring freshet; the next
with stone wall: the next. leading on a
Regiment of whipped towards, and the
next battling against darkness, wheeling
the sun and the moon into his battalion,
and the last against the king of terrors,
death-iiye great battles. and five great
victories.
AS a rule, when the general OF an
army starts out In a war he would like 10
have small battle in order that he may
get his own courage up and rally his
troops and get them drilled for greater
coniiictsi but the first undertaking OF
Joshua was greater than the assault Of
Gibraltar, or the overthrow of the Bas-
tile, or the taking of Sebastopol 1t was
the crossing of the Jordan at the time Of
The spring freshet. The Jordan Is always
swift. When 1 went into it il was in its
tamest mood, yet II was so swift and
suong that II was as much as we could
do 10 keep oCr foothold as with a candi-
date for holy baptism we waded in, and
i baptized him in the name of the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, while a
choir made up from different nations sang
the old gospel hymn:
''on Jordan's stormy banks I stand. .
And east wIstful eye aSsS
To Csnaan's fair and happy land, -
Where my possessions lie.
'But the Jordanic scene of which !
speak WIS in time of spring freshet
Lieut.. MulyneuX at such a time explorinl :
Jordan lad his five or six copper-bottomed
heats destroyed by that river. At the
time Joshua crossed IL the SHOWS OF
Mount Lebanon had just been melting end
they poured down into the valley, and the
whole valley was raging torrent So the
Canaanites stand on one bank and they
icck across and see Joshua and the Israel.
ties, and they laugh and say: Aha! they
cannot disturb US until the freshets fall
II Is impossible for them TO reach us
but alter while they looked across the
water and they see a movement in The
army OF Joshua. They say: What is tht
matter now? Why. there must be a pani,
among those troops, and they are going
10 fly, or perhaps they are going to try
10 march across the river Jordan. Joshua
Is a lunatic But Joshua. the chieftain
looks at his army and cries: Forward
marchr and they start for the bank O
The Jordan One mile ahead go two priest.
carrying a glittering box four feet Ions
and two feet wide. II is the Ark OF tn,
Covenant. And they come down, and Il,
sooner do they just touch the rim OF tn,
water with their feet than by an Al
mighty ilat Jordan parts. The army o
Joshua marches right on without gettin,
their feet wet, over the bottom OF tn
river. path OF chalk and broken sheI
and pebbles, until they get 10 the othe
bank. Then they lay hold of the oleand
ers and tamarisks and willows and pul
themselves up, and having gained tn
bank. they clap their shields and thei
Cymbals. ard sing the praises OF the Co
OF Joshua. But no sooner have the,
reached the bank than the waters begii
10 cash and roar. and with a terrific rusl
they break loose from their straEg
anchorage, AS the hand OF the Lord Co
s. taken away from the thus uplifted wa
ters-waters perhaps uplifted forty feet
they rash down, and some OF the unbeliev
ing lsraelites say: Alas, alas! what
misfortune! Why could not those water
have stayed parted? Because perhaps
We may want TO go back. o Lord. We ar
engaged IN risky business. Thos
Canaanltes may eat Us up. How II "
want 10 go back? Would il not have bee
i, more complete miracle II the Lord hal
parted the waters 10 let Us come through
anu kept NheH parted 10 let US go back
We are defeatedg My friends. God make
TO provision for a Christians retreat. II
clears the path all the way 10 Canaan
To go back Is 10 die. The same gatekeep
trs that swung back the amethys;ine an
chrystalline gate of the Jordan TO le
Israel pass through now swing shut IN
ametlystiRe and chrystalline gate OF th
Jordan 90 keep the Israeiites from goiIl
back. Victory ahead, but water thirt,
feet deep behind, surging to death an
darkness and woe But you say: VIII
did not these Canaanltes, when they ha
such a splendid chance. standing ION tn
top OF the bank thirty or forty feet high
completely demolish those poor Israclite
Gown IN the riverT ] will tell you WHY
Coo had made a promise and He was go
ing 10 keep H. There shall not any ma
be- able 10 stand before taee all the day
of thy life
But this IS no place for the host I
stop. Joshua gives The command: For
ward. march" In the distance there IS