mendous hail-storm to pour down its fury upon them; and the falling stones were of such an enormous size, crushing to death those upon whom they fell, that more were destroyed in this manner than by the sword of the Israelites. How terrible is Jehovah when he comes out in anger against those who offend him! And his indignation is as just as it is terrible. It was so in the case of the idolatrous and sinful Canaanites. It will be so in the final punishment of the wicked—” when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." Reader, how wilt thou meet this coming in judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ? CHAPTER XI. The sun and moon stand still at the command of Joshua, at Gibeon. Further destruction of the Canaanites, and of the five kings. Other victories of the Israelites. Our history now brings us to the recital of one of the most stupendous miracles which this world has ever witnessed. Various expositions have been attempted, to explain away the literal account of it given in the Sacred Scriptures, lest this should involve such a sudden stopping of the whole course of nature in the movements of our planetary system, as to throw it into utter and irremediable confusion. These attempts are among the saddest exhibitions of human weakness, and of the want of faith in God; as if the infinite power which is essential to the performance of a miracle, could not with equal success be employed to cause that miracle to harmonize with all the other operations of the Almighty hand. Bearing this in mind, we proceed with the narrative. The day was probably drawing near its close, when the Israelites were still engaged in the pursuit and slaughter of their enemies. As the night Joshua & Judges. 6 should come on, Joshua feared that vast numbers of them might make their escape in the obscurity in which all would be enveloped. For the moon, though just risen, would not for some time, if at all, furnish light enough to enable him and his army to prevent this. He was moved, undoubtedly, in these circumstances, by a divine impulse, to exercise a faith in God, and, under his direction, to utter a command the result of which would prolong the continuance of daylight, and secure the complete overthrow of the Canaanites. "He said, in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. The sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel." It may be inquired, why it was necessary to arrest the moon in its course, when the sun would afford sufficient light for the continued pursuit of the Canaanites. The reply is an obvious one. Such an event was necessary to preserve the harmony of the miraculous scene. The further motion of the moon would ill accord with |