The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1900-11-23

did not make such rapid time as these
Israelites with the Canaanites after
hem. They never cut such a sorry
figure as when they were on the re-
treat You who go out in the battles
of God with only half a force instead
Of your taking the men of All the men
Of Al will take you. Look at the
church of God on the retreat. The
Bornesian cannibals ate up Munson,
the missionary. Fall back!" said
great many Christian people. Fall
back, o church of God! Borneo will
never be taken. Do you not see the
Bornesian cannibals have eaten up
Munson, the missionary" Tyndall de-
ivers his lecture at the University of
Glasgow, and great many good peo-
pie say: "Fall back, o church of Godt
Do you not see that Christian philoso-
ply is going to be overcome by world
| ly philosophy? Fall back?" Geology
| plunges its crowbar into the noun
| tains, and there are a great many peo-
pie who say: Scientific investigation
is going to over throw the Mosaic ac-
count of the creation. Fall back!"
Gods Soldiers Must Advance,
But friends of God never have had
any right to fall back. Joshua falls
on his face in chagrin. 1t is the only
time you ever 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 con-
| tent and dwelt on the ether side OF
jordan. For the Canaanites and all
| the inhabitants of the land shall hear
OF it and shall environ us round and
| cut off our name from the EARTH"
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 find he is a man,
| he is only man. Just as sometimes
| you find man under severe opposi-
| tion or in bad state Of physical
| health, or worn out with overwork,
! lying down ana signing about being
defeated | am encouraged when l
hear this cry Of Joshua as he lies in
the dust. God comes and rouses him.
How does he rouse him? BY compli.
| mentary apostrophe? No. He says,
Get thee Up. Wherefore lies. 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
go up and capture the city of All. Let
us go up right away" They march
on. He puts the majority of the troops
behind a ledge Of rocks in the night,
and then he sends comparatively small
regiments up III front of the city. The
men OF All come out with q shout. The
small regiments of Israelites 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- q 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 rocke and take the
city, and it is put to the torch, and
then these Israelites in the city march
down, and the flying Israelites return,
and between these two waves of Is-
raelitish prowess the men of Al are
destroyed, and the Israeltes gain the
victory; and while l see the curling
| smoke Of that destroyed city on the
sky. and while hear the huzza of the
Israelites and the groan OF the Ca
NANTES Joshua hears something
louder than it 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 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 walls 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 p panther pursuing them over the
rockn, while the catapults Of the sky
pour voiley of hailstones into the val
ley, and all the artillery of the heav-
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
SOC the sun is going down?
Look out when good man makes