II. PROMPT ACCEPTANCE OF THE INEVITABLE IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST PARTS OF wrsooM. The_ other cities of Canaan were not more brave, they were only more foolish than G1beon. They lacked the imagination of faith which could realise the fate awaiting them. They dreamed of safety without taking measm-es to secure it. They beliernd in that " chapter of accidents which is the Bible of the fool." Like some Oriental gm·erlllllents which we have seen, they stared destruction in the face. and did nothing to ensure success in averting it. Wisdom averts the preYentible, but sets itself to work at once tc accept the inevitable. And Gibeon dese1Tes credit for its clear perception of its danger, and its sagacity in trying to make the best of what could not be avoided. Perhaps, being more republican than an~- of the other nationalities, we have here an instance of the superior wisdom of the popular instinct to that of the rulers'. Without dwelling, however, on the source of their wisdom, we may with advantage follow its example. One of the chiefest parts of the art of life is frankly, promptly accepting the inevitable. What- enr the pressure that you cannot avoid, proceed at once to make the best of it. If it be poverty, do not with desperate ventures attempt tc win back wealth, but with contentment and industry set yourself to make the best of it. If disease affects you from which you cannot free yourself, come to terms with it, Send your ambassadors and make a co,enant with it. And accepting t_he situation in whieh you find yourself, address yourself to gather the" sweet uses of ad.versity," and you will find weakness a great teacher and not without its compensations. If you have done wrong, and to humble yourself is a necessity of honour, do so like Gibeon, at once. If submission tc your redeeming God has become a necessity of your case, do not, like the other cities of Israel, dream and defy, and then fall before the destroyer; but with timely overtures seek Him while He is near. Thus in all relations of life accept frankly the inevitable. Agree with thine adversary quickly, and with the force you cannot resist make such terms as will allow you to enjoy a less dignity, but yet some degree of happiness. III. GOD CROWNS WITH His REWARD ALL GOOD, HOWEVER MIXED WITH EVIL, In the action of the Gibeonites there is the good of a rudimentary faith, there is the en! of deceit. It is tc be observed that, while the evil is punished, the good is not ignored. God does not require the retractation of the oath; -and when, centuries later, Israel breaks the oath, He ..shows His disapproval of their course. God sanctions their being spared, and thus approves the good that is mixed with evil, Happily for us, God is still the same. Perfect motive He never finds, and unmixed good He never looks on. But, in His infinite compassion, whatever of good there is in our action receives a rich reward. His love holds as keen a scrutiny as His justice, and wherever in the action of men the slightest good appears, then He r~wards it. IV. WHATEVER OPPOSES GoD's CAUSE WILL EITHER BE MADE SUBSERVIENT TO IT, OR BE DESTROYED. The fate of Ai or Gibeon, destruction or service, are the only alternatives of Canaan. It is a great pity when the foe qeclines to become a friend, and when those outside lack the aspiration tc be reconciled thoroughly. F?r unreconciled they must serve, or disappear. Philosophies that oppose the gospel will turn round and speed on the triumph of truth, or they will melt away li~e a cloud before the warmth of dawn. Policies that seem adverse to the prospenty of the Church will pro,e productive of advantage to it, or be swept into oblivion. No weapon formed against the Church of God ever prospers. Be not on the wrong &ide. However strong you may appear, if you do not side heartily with the cause of God, you will be made its reluctant servants, or its extinguished foes.-<1. Ver. 14.-The oracle neglected. Between Joshua and Eleazer, the ruler and the high priest, a noble hentage was divided. The one has the obedience of Israel, the other the secrets of God. They have at their command respectively human power and Divine wisdom. According to Num. xxvii. 21, Jos~ua was taugl~t to expect to find a heavenly oracle in the Urim and the ThUlllilllill of t\1e priest; and constantly the promised oracle was given. In this case, ho~ever, it was not sought. Joshua and the rest were :flattered with the story of their fame, and too readily assumed the insigni:fica11ce of the occasion. Otherwise, had they asked ~hey CH, IX, 1-27.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. 161
wouhl have received counsel, and have been set on the track of discovering the fraud. It probably did not materially matter to Israel then. The chief loss to that gonerntion wa,s the booty the:y :would in that case h_a:ve ~vided, and the private a?van~age of so ma.ny slave~ ?'VIded amongst the famibe~, mstea~ of having a ser- vile tr1bo allotted to the mm1stry of the tabernacle. Still the historian notes the neglecte~ oracle as if Joshua. had lea_rned _here a lesson of carrying even things that seemed little to his Goel. The occasion gives two or three lessons worth learning. I. THERE IS AN ORACLE WHICH WILL WISELY GUIDE ALL WHO FEAR Gon. Goel has never been at a loss to guide the willing steps of men ; but to the heart that has sought He has always given guidance. In various ways He has led men. Abraham through a whispering of His great name ; Jacob and Joseph through dreams; :t(!J:oses through voice and vision and miracle alike ; Joshua through some gleaming of the high priest's breastplate ; Gi•ieon through the angel; Samuel through a raised state of every faculty ; the prophets by the breathings of great thoughts and feelings; Jonah's sailors by the lot; the wise men from the East by a star; the Ethiopian by a page of prophecy. He seems to accommodate all and give them their guidance where they expect to find it. God still "fulfils Himself" in many ways, The African rain-maker rebuked Livingstone, by declaring his methods of getting rain were really prayers which the good God was in the habit of granting. The Moravians, who expect Divine guidance through the casting of the lot, doubtless find it there, though no vne else would get it. Sometimes through the providential barring of dangerous paths ; sometimes through a restraint like that which Paul described in the words " the spirit suffered us not ; '' sometimes through inward impulse of a cogent lcind, a being " bound in the spirit to go '' in a certain direction ; sometimes by the mere commendation of certain courses to our taste, our judgment, or our conscience. God still gives guidance to all who ask it.
"No symbol visible We of Thy presence find, But all who would obey Thy will Shall know their Father's mind."