The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-11-30

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piece of plaster broke loose from the
wall, not so much as a loosened rock,
not SO much as a piece Of mortar lost
from its place. There" say the un-
believing ~Israelftes, did / not tell yen
so? Why, those ministers are fools.
those musical instruments and expect
ing in that way to destroy 1t. Joshua
has been spoiled. He thinks because
he has overthrow n conquered the
spring freShet he a overthrow the
stone wall. Why, il is not p~hilosophic.
Do o not see there Is no relation be-
tween the blowing OF these musical in
struments n the knocking down OF
the wall? 1t IS not philosophic." And
l suppose there were many wise-acres
who stood with their brown knitted n
with n forefinger of the right hand
to the foreinger OF the left hand ar
guing IL all out and showing hat it
was not possible that such a cause could
produce such an effort. And l suppose
that night in the e-ncampment there was
plenty Of ~caricature, and if Joshua a
been nominated for any high military
position he would not have received
many votes. JoShua'S stock was
down The second day the priests blow
ing the musical instruments go around
the city and again a failure. The third
day and a failure, fourth day and a
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day and a failure. The seventh day
comes, the climacteric day. Joshua is
up early in the morning n examines
the troops, walk all about, look at the
city wall. The priests start 10 make
the circuit of the city. They go all
around once, all around twice, three
times, four times, five times, six times,
seven times, and a failure There is
only one more thing to do, and hat is
to utter a great shout. l see the Is
raelitish army Strengthening themselves
up, filling their lungs for a vocifera-
ton such as was heard before
and never heard after. Joshua feels
that the hour has come, and he cries
out to his host, Shout, for the Lord
hath given o the city" All together
the troops shout Down. Jericho!
Down, Jericho!" And the long line
Of solid masonry begins to CULVER and
to move and to rock. Stand from un-
der! She fails! Crash go the wallis
and temples, the towers, the palaces,
the air blackened with the dust. The
huzZa of the victorious Israelites and
the groan of the conquered C~anaanites
cOmmingle, and Joshua, standing there
in the debris of the walls, hears a
voice saying, There shall not any man
be able to stand before thee all the days
of thy life"
THE SAVIOUR'S DELIVERANCE.
Only one house spared. Who lives
there? Some great king? No. Some
woman distinguished for great kindly
deeds? Nc. She had beer conspicuous
for her crimes. 1t is the house of
Rahab. Why was her house spared?
Because she had been a great sinner?
No, but because she repented, demon
strating to all the ages that there is
mercy for the chief of sinners. The
red O Of divine injunction reaching
from her window to the ground, so
that when the people saw the red cord
they knew it was the divine Indication
that they should not disturb the premi-
ses, making us think of the divine cord
of a Saviour's deliverance, the red
cord of a Saviour's kindness, the red
cord Of a SaviOu's mercy, the red cord
of our rescue. Mercy for the chief of
sinners. Put your trust in that God,
and no damage shall befall you. When
our world shall be more terribly sur
rounded than was Jericho, eve by the
hills n the mountains, he metal
bones and ribs of nature shall break.
they who have had Rahab'S faith shall
have Rahab's deliverance.
When wrapped in fire the realms of
And heavens last thunder shakes the
earth below,
Thou, undismayed, shalt DER the ruins
smile
And light thy torch at natures funeral
pile.
But Joshua's troops may not a
here. The command is, Forward,
march," THERE'S the city of All. 1t
must be taken. How shall it be taken?
A scouting party comes back and says
Joshua, We can do that without you.
1t is going to be a very asy job. You
must stay here while we go and cap
ture it" They march with a small regi-
ment in front of that city. The men of
All look at them and give one yell, ano
the Israelites run like reindeer. The
northern troops at Bull Run did not
make such rapid time as these Israel
ties with the Canaanites after them.
They never cut such a sorry figure as
when they were on the retreat. You
who go out in the battles of God with
only half a force instead Of your TAX
ing the men of All the men Of Al will
take you. Look at the church of God
on the retreat. The Bornesian canni-
balls ate up MunSon, the missionary.
Fall back!" said a great many Chris
tan people. Fall back, o church Of
God! Borneo will never be taken. Do
you see the Bornesian cannibals have
eaten up Munson, the missionary"
L INCL uClANSIS LIS at lHC AA-
versity of Glasgow, and a great many
good people say: Fall back, o church
of Godi Do o not e that Christian
philosophy is going to be overcome by
worldly philosophy? Fall back!" Ge-
ology plungeS it's crowbar into the
mountains, and there II a great many
people who say Scientific inveStiga-
tionS is giong to overthrow the Mosaic
account of the creation. Fall back!'
GODS SOLDIERS MUST ADVANCE.
But friends of God never nave had
any right to fall back. Joshua falls on
his face in chagrin. 1t is the only time
o eve see the back of his head. He
falls on his face 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 content and
| dwelt on the other side of Jordan. For
the Canaanites and ali the inhabitants
Of the and shall hear of it n shall
environ us round and cut off u name
from the earth" 1 am very glad
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