tyrs of the ancient clays, now the stalwart heroes of Puritan times, are gilded with our rever_eut memory; and then rises the pensive thought that" the tender grace of the day that 1s cload" will never return. "As I was with Moees, so will I he with thee." Revere t_he sainUy past, hut recogn_ise the Divine present. The great ones have gone; that winch macle them great remams. The fixed constancy of their maturer service makes us forget with what gradualness their characters grew. How by lowly ven- tures, by difficult waiting, by support only sufficient to prevent despair, they rose step by step ; God's grace entering them ever the more largely and obeyed ever the more fully. So, blade to ear, ear to full corn in the ear, their character grew; and so may ours. To-day the Spirit of all grace broods on humanity, kindling all wakeful spirits, entering and employing them. Still Christ's love helps and harbours all. The peculiaritin of the nineteenth century do not enfeeble God. Auel He is here, fresh and strong to-day. He will hallow, not equalise, varieties of constitu- tion; will not make a Joshua into a Moses, nor an Elisha into an Elijah; but with special grace for their special task will equally endue each. Despair not of God's Church ; tremble not for the ark of God; despair not of our country, or of mankind. Whoever, whatever has gone, God remains. "As He was with our fathers, so He will be with us." II. WITH EVERY DUTY COMES THE POWER TO DO IT. "I will not fail thee, nor ' forsake thee." If the first clause of the text promised the presence, the second pledges the power and help, of God. He will be with Joshua-not merely in sense of ubiquity, but in sense of interest; not to watch faults and failures, but to pre- vent them. There was the fear that in this enterprise many things might "fail" them. The people's courage might fail; they might withdraw from allegiance to him; his wisdom might be at fault, his endurance might fail. But Goel comes in and says, "I will not fail thee.'' Will disappoint no expectation, withhold no needed help; will not fail you when you are weak, nor forsake you when you are faulty. With the duty there will be the power, for God will not fail us. There is no part of the gospel more necessary or more sweet than this-that with duty power al ways comes; they walk hand in hand. The moment the Saviour's precept makes it the man's duty to stretch forth his hand, that moment he has power to do it. When the disciples are bidden to feed the multitude they have power to do so. The ac- ceptance of a charge opens the heart to God, and He floods it with His grace. If the disciples arn sent out to cast out devils they haxe the power to tlo so, for God does not fail them. They never get power a.pa.rt from Him, of which they can be conscious and proud. But He is there-by them, in them; and when they are feel- ing all weakness, and unfitness, He, not failing, charges them with all the grace tbey need. You o,re called to confess Christ; to forsake some pleasant or profitable comse of evil; to sto,nd alone; to take up some forlorn hope of philanthropy. . . . and you feel no strength, energy, vigour for your task. Take this comfort: with duty there invariably comes the power to discharge it. "I will never fail thee, nor forsake thee." Observe lastly- - III. COURAGE IS THE SUPREME REQUIREMENT OF Goo's SAINTS, AND STRENGTH GOES WITH IT. "Be strong and of a good courage." It is striking how large a place exhorto,tions to courage hold in all the Bible. " Atld to your faith, courage " (not virtue), says Peter; and so saying sums up many testimonies. You cannot easily count the " fea.1· nots" of the Bible. And these ltre not merely soothing words, calming solicitude, but quickening words, calling to conflict aml to victory. Take the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, and you will find thut in almost every instance in which the writer attributes men's greatness to their faith he might have done so with equal truth to their courage. Fear is the parent of ernry kind of vice; fear of conflict, fear of shame, fear of failure, fear that God will leave fidelity umeward_ed and prayer unanswered. "They were a.fraicl to confess him," says. the Ernogelist of those who sold their birthright for a mess of pottage. "I was afraHl and went ltnd hid my talent." Fear exaggerates difficulties, mumrnrs at duti~s, shrinks from re- proo,ch, postpones duty, then neglects it, and then hates Goel with the b~tterness of despair. Be of goocl courage. If seeking God, seek hopefully,_expectm_g to find Him. If distressed with doubts, face them bravely, and calmly wait the nsm~ of th.i 14 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [cR. I. o-9,
broader light which will include all that is be.st of old and new, Are you e-filicted, her<'aYed, and broken? Be braYe and of good courage. Look the grave in the face, anrl summon your energy to meet the falsehoods of despair. Are you failing- " feet almost gone,., " pe111lexed," and all but in despair? Be of good cow·age for hardihood of spirit, while it is need~d, \s s1~ffi~ient for what you have to do. St?-e:i,gth goes u•1 t h d. The mome_ntnm ?fa projectile ts the product of its mass and velocity; 1md a hghter ball, 1f dr:tYen with greater force, will do nil the work of a heavier one tha.t moves more slowly. Aud this law of mechanics is true of souls. There is nrnny a soul light, fragile, weak, but which hurls itself with energy against resisting forces, which has a power of overcoming far in excess of that possessed by many stronger and lordlier natures. Be strong and of good courage. If God ap- points the task and leads the way, you are in a course in which fear of failure is snperflnons. Let the eye be brighter ; go not to your task burdened with melan- ehoJ~- of dark foreboding. Courage gladdening, strengthening you is duty and strength in one. Joshua obeyed the precept, and exceedingly abundantly above all he thought realised the promise. Let us act like him, and then from a pinnacle of high pe1formance and blest success we shall look back and praise our God for the "faithful word on which be caused us to bope."-G.