The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-12-27
CHRISTIAN WARFARE
Df. Talmage Draws q Lesson from
Joshua's Victories.

raesuraging words for Those En-
gagged In the Battles Of Life
Gsa's Soldiers Never Tara
Backward.
fCopyright. 1900 by Louis Klopsch. N. II
Washington.
In this discourse DR.. Talmage fol-
)ews Joshua ON his triumphal march
and speaks encouraging words to all |
who are engaged in the battles Of this
life; text, Joshua, 1:5: There shall
not any man be able to stand before
thee all the days Of thy life"
{ Moses was dead. A beautiful tradi-
tion says the Lord kissed him and in
that act drew forth the soul of the
dying lawgiver. He had been buried,
only one person at the funeral, the
same one who kissed him. But God
never takes q man away from any
place Of usefulness until he has some
one ready to replace him. The Lord
does not go looking around amid .
great variety of candidates to find
some one especially fitted for the va
Gated position. He makes q 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 magnificent fighter.
but he always fought on the right
side, and he never fought unless God
told him to fight. He got his military
equipment from God, who gave him
the promise at the start: There
shall not any man be able to stand be-
fore 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 regiment
Of whipped towards and the next bat
tling against darkness, wheeling the
sun and the moon into his battalion,
and the last against the king of ter
rors, death-five great victories.
As . rule when the general OF an
ermy starts out Ia . war he would
like to have . small battle in order
that he may get his own courage up
and rally his troops and get them
drilled for greater conflicts, but the
Arst undertaking Of Joshua was
greater than the leveling Of Fort
Pulaski, or the assault of Gibraltar,
or the overthrow of the Bastille. II
was the crossing of the Jordan at the
time Of the spring freshet. The SHOWS
of Mount Lebanon had just been
melting, and they poured down into
the valley, and the whole valley was
i raging torrent. So the Canaanites
stand on one bank, and they look
across and see Joshua and the Israel.
ties, and they laugh and say: AHA,
they cannot disturb us until the
Sreshets fall! It is impossible for
them to reach u.s." But after awhile
they look across the water, and they
see . movement in the army Of Joshua
\ They say: what 10 the matter now
Why. there must be panic among
fhose troops, and they are going to
~, Or perhaps they are going to try
20 march across the river Jordan;
( Joshua Il lunatic." But Joshua, the
ehieftain, looks at his army and cries:
ssForward, marchl'' and they start for
the bank 81 the Jordan. One mile
ahead 80 two priests carrying gilt
\ tering box four feet long and two feet
wide. II II the ark Of the covenant.
And they come down, and no sooner
% they touch the rim OF the water
With their feet than, by an Almighty
Aat Jordan part4 The army oi
Joahua marches right ON without get.
ting their feet wet, over the bottom
g the river. path Of chalk and
broken shells and pebbles, until they
set 70 the other bank. Then they lay
hold Of the oleanders and tamarisks
y end willows and pull themselves up q
bank % or 20 feet high; and, having
Il aained the other bank, they clap theil
eAields and their cymbals and sing
s. - praises Of the God Of Joshua. Blu,
- sooner have they reached the banl
Tim the waters begin to dash and
81 seaf, and with terrific rush they
xsak loose from their strange an
5fage.
the hand Of the Lord God i,
~ away from the thus upliftei
waters perhaps uplifted hal.
they rush down. and some o.
hnbelieving Israelites say: Alas
what misfortune! Why couli
s hose waters have staid parted,
: ese perhaps Ne may want to 6,
n r 80 e. Z