Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-11-19

ply is going to be overcome by world
~ philosophy? Fall backv'
No Backward Movement.
Geology plunges it's crOWbar into the
mountains, and there are a great many
people who say scientific investigation
is going to overthrow the Mosaic &C
count of the creation. Fall backw But
friends of God never have had any
right to fall back. Joshua falls on his
face in chagrin. It is the only time you
ever see the back of his head. He falls
on his face and begins to whine, and
he says: 80 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 Ca
naanites and all the inhabitants of the
land shall hear of it and shall environ
us round and cut off our name from the
earth!' 1 am very glad Joshua said
that. Before it seemed as if he were a
supernatural being and therefore could
not be an example to US, but l find he
is man, he is only a man, just as
sometimes you find man under severe
opposition or in q bad state of physical
health or worn out with overWOrk, ly
ing down and signing about being de-
feated. 1 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 complimentary apos-
trophe? No; he says: Get thee up!
Wherefore lest thou upon thy face"
Joshua rises and, [ warrant you, with
a mortified look. But his old courage
comes back. The fact was that was
not his battle If he had been in it, he
would have gone on to victory. He
gathers his troops around him and
says: "NOw let us 60 up and capture
the city of Al. Let us go up right
away" They march on. He 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 All come
out with a shout. The small regiments
of Israelites in stratagem 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 on a rock. l
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 it is put to the torch,
and then these Israelites in the city
march down, and the flying regiments
of Israelites return, and between these
two waves of Israelitish prowess the
A Il Nd %hn Tow
elites gain the victory
The SUN of the Wicked.
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 five kings after
US. They are going to destroy us.
Send troops quick. Send us help right
away" Joshua has a three days
march, more than double quick. On
the morning of the third day he is be
fore the 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 wall of Jericho
and destroyed the city of All. There is
no use fighting" 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 a
volley of hailstones into the valley, and
oil no nj of 10
bullets of iron. pound the Canaanites
against the lodges Of Bethhoron. ooh"
says Joshua, ''this is surely 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 a longer day
than has ever been seen in this eli
mater What is the matter with Josh
ia? Has he fallen in an apoplectic fit?
No. He is in prayer.
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 OIL the hight SOueIILHeS
will linger around the palaces of the
day. Pointing one hand at the descend
Ing sun and the other hand 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 it was by refractiOn Of the
suns rays or by the stopping Of the
whole planetary system l do not know
and do not care. leave it to the Chris
tan Scientists and the infidel scientists
to settle that question while tell you
have seen the same thing. 'What"
say you. Not the sun standing stilI?"