by the selfish aims of those who carried selfishness of his associates, his fe.ith, cou- them on. Selfishness inspires distrnst, 1tnd rage, e.nd perseverance carried e. struggle distrust produces disunion. But where hopeless e.t the ontset to a triumphant con- "the Lord God fights for Israel," where clusion. Men may cry that "Providence i~ noble objects are pursued by worthy means, on the side of the big battalions," but "the there is e. morn! strength which trinmphs Lord's hand is not waxen short." over the gre1ttest obste.cles. Such e.n instance Ver. 43.-Unto the camp at G!lgal. Seq we h1tve in modern history in the ce.reer of note, eh. ix. 6 ; eh. x. 15 con.firms the view 11 me.n like William the Silent. Nearly ta.ken in eh. ix. 6. ruined by the cowe.rdice, obstine.cy, and
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-43.-The great victory amd its results. Many of the considere.tions which this passage suggests have been already anticipated. Thus the celerity of Joshua's march (ver. 9) suggests the same set of ideas as eh. iv. 10. The destruc- tion of the cities teaches the same lessons as the destruction of Jericho ; while the miraculous interposition in the battle of Beth-boron is hardly to be distinguished, as a source of spiritual instruction, from the destruction of Jericho. Again, the confederacy of the kings (vers. 1-5) has been already treated under eh. ix. 1, 2. Yet some few points remain to be noticed. I. DIVINE HELP DOES NOT EXCLUDE HUMAN EXERTION. Joshua went forth to battle relying upon a special promise of God. Yet he went up" suddenly," we are told. Thus, so far from the certainty of success diminishing energy, it should rather increase it. The apostles went forth relying on a Divine promise that God'ii truth should permeate the world. But though this promise relieved them from the restless anxiety which too often oppresses their successors in the work, it diu. not relieve them from the necessity of exe1-tion. And accordingly we find tliem untir- ing in tliei.i· exertions to spreacl the gospel, and also to lay fu-mly the foundations of the Christian Church. The same untirmg spirit of eurtion shoulcl animate us now. Success is assured in the end, and for that very reason we should not slacken, but rather the contrary, in our efforts to propagate tl'Uth. The two opposite errors which retard the success of God's cause are (1) a needless anxiety for immediate results, which cause us to take measures which betray a want of faith, and which therefore, relying on the arm of flesh, are predestinecl to fail ; and (2) a blind fatalism which leaves all to God, forgetting that the forces of His kingdom require to be set in motion by man before they can take effect. What is wanteu is (1) 11 sublime carelessness about results, when the means God has directed to be employed have been employed; and (2) 11 continual effort to put those means in operation. Untiring in preaching the gospel, in using the means of grace, and in "good works and alms- deeds," we are yet to be content with doing what is ordained, and leaving God to prosper, as He pleases, what we have done. II. 'fHE ANSWER TO PRAYER IS MORE EFFECTIVE Tl!AN OUR WORK. Had Joshua not done his best, the hailstones woulcl not have fallen. But i.i111smuch as he was doing his work, God helped him, and more execution was clone by Goel from heaven than by Joshua's troops on earth. So he who works and prnys not will be rewarded with less success than he who works and pro.ys. If we are not as successful as we could wish, we may ask whether we have asked Goel to work with us. It is a touching story which has been told of Sir D. Brewster's father, that he was so well known as a man of prayer that when any unexpectecl and almost marvellous con- version occurred in his parish, it was attributed by his people to his prayers. Per- haps one of the reasons why the Roman Catholic Cliurch still maintains so strong 11, hold upon the world is because of the fervent belief still retained among her people of the power of prayer. Such prayer is often sadly misdir~cted, and yet, as a recognition of a power above that hears and answers prayer, it must be more ac- ceptable in God's sight than the philosophical Protestantism which clenies the existence of a Father in heaven, ridicules prayer to God, especially for temporal .blessinge, on the g1·ound of the invariability of law, and thus practically abolishes 174 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. rcH. X. 1-48,