The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1907-03-07

| tailed report from the elders. Thus
| the weeks aud months slipped by. and
more aud more Joshua and those
about him realized that the inarmi-
ties OF age were telling upon him.
mo. 1t will not be long before the
Lord will come for me-" he said one
day 'But am ready to go. for
peace has come to the land and the
people are wholly given to the serv-
ing OF the Lord"
iIut that night his sleep wac trou-
bled. and he beheld strange things in
his dreams. lie thought Moses stood
by his side and was pointing towards
the people gathered before the taber-
nacle. and saying:
"llow soon they will forgett How
soon they will forgeti Az IN former
time so will they again turn FROM the
| Lord"
Aud ss he turned to protest, Moses
vanished from his sight aud he 'swoke
| with a start.
The dream troubled him and for
days he studied over II. until II seemed
| that 1t must have beeh. vision and
not dream, and that Moses had
really spoken to him Would the peo-
| pie turn from the Lord after he had
| gomez Would they forget his mercies
and blessings and go after the gods
of the people about them? he asked
| himself. over and over again
Before go must warn them. My
last message shall be an appeal to
them to he faithful to the God who
has been so faithful to them"
| And so Joshua sent his messengers
| through all the land whittier the
children of Israel had settled. asking
that they all come to Shechem. Now
Shechem was the place where sol
emn convocation had been held when
they had first come into the land
years before, and the blessings and
the cursings of God had been read in
their ears by the LevHes. And It was
here that Joshua gathered the people
together with their elders and their
officers and judges, and said unto
them:
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel:
Your fathers dwelt on the other side
Of the food in old time. even Terah,
the father of Abraham. and the father
of Nachor; and they served other
gods. And took your father Abra-
ham from the other side Of the flood.
and led him throughout all the land
of Canaan and multiplied his seed
and gave him Isaac. And i gave unto
Isaac Jacob and Esau; and I gave
unto Esau Mount Seir, to possess 1t;
but Jacob and his children went down
into Egypt"
Joshua paused in his hasty review
of the early history of the nation. and
if there had been any inattention at
the beginning, at the mention of
Egypt all eyes and ears were turned
towards him. He then went ON to-
rapidly cover Gods wonderful deal
lngs with them in Egypt, of his lead
ing them out under the hand OF
Moses; of his miraculous deliveranceR
and care all through the wilderness
journey, and of his bringing them at
last into the promised land and CIV
ing them the victory over all their
enemies.
Now. therefore," he concluded.
fear the Lord and serve him In sin~
cerity and truth; and put away the
gods which your fathers served on the
other side of the flood and in Egypt.
and serve ye the Lord. And IL 1t seem
evil unto you to serve the Lord.
choose you this day whom ye will
serve: whether the gods which your
fathers served that were on the other
side OF the food, or the gods of the
Amori,es, In whose land ye dwells
but as for me and my house we will
serve the Lord"
The voice of the aged Joshua waa
almost a sob as he concluded his APP
peal. and with difficulty he controlled
his feelings, for, as he was speaking.
there was but one vision before him.
that Of Moses standing at his side
painting ut the people and saying:
las in former time so will they
again turn from the Lord
hut all this faded before the shout
which went up from the people as
they answered and said:
God forbid that we should forsake
the Lord. to serve other gods; for the
Lord our God, he 1t is that brought us
up anu our ldtnciS Out VI tuc iduu VI
Egypt, fram the house of bondage.
and which did those great signs in
our sight, and preserved us In all the
way wherein we went. and among all
the people through whom We passed.
And the Lord drove out from before
MS all the people. even the Amorites
which dwelt In the land; therefore
will we serve the Lord: for he is our
God"
And Joshua said unto the peoples
"Ye are witnesses against your
selves that ye have chosen the Lord,
TO serve him
And they said:
I'VE are witnesses"
So Joshua, the aged leader. made =
covenant with the people that day
and set them "a statute and an ordi-
nance In Shechem. Aad he wrote
these words of the people In the book
OF the law OF God, and took great
stone and set II up there under an
oak that was by the altar that had
been reared to the Lord In that place,
Aud Joshua said unto all the people:
"Behod. this stone shall bo a wit
ness unto us: for II hath heard all tho
words OF the Lord which he spake
unto us; II shall be therefore 4 wit-
ness unto you lest ye deny your
God"