_—"Have I not commanded thee...Be strong and of good courage... afraid...neither be thou dismayed for the Lord Thy God is with thee. soever thou geest." Joshua 1, 9.
ERMAN preached by Dean Trivett in Holy Trinity Cathedral at Evensong:—These words were spoken to a soldier—not altogether untried—but who had just stepped into a veteran's place afd who was to lead the army of Israel forward into a stern and hazardous campaign. They were marching against a foe of whom little was known save by vague rumour, but those rumours had invested that foe with superhuman powers. They were giants—it was reported—men of enormous stature and physical prowess. They possessed chariots and horses in abundance. They had well equipped armies and strongly entrenched cities.
Moreover, the men of Israel who were going into this business hardly seemed to be made of the stuff that endures and overcomes. They had proven themselves often untrustworthy, fickle and even cowardly. They had run away from more than one critical battle. They had shown themselves woefully weak in moments of crisis and peril. Joshua might well have hesitated before undertaking such a venture humanly speaking, it seemed an impossible task, but here we read of the charge that was given to him from heaven and which inspired him at the beginning of his labours. "Have I not commanded thee... Be strong and of good courage.
Be not afraid neither be thou dismayed...for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou geest."
Now these are words that everyone in the vast machine which does not:|of us can appropriate. They are bear his mark, and is not designed words which God speaks to everyone for noble and for honourable uses. who goes forth at His bidding to any The meanest task is seen as import-service or duty—into any sphere of ant when we realize the divine com-conflict, to any moral effort or ven-mission—"Have I not commanded ture of faith.- Again and again we thee." It is when we fail to realize find it recorded in this Book that this that we are apt to become words like these, or to the same cowardly and discontented. With the Oh Song—effect, have been spoken to God's soldiers. In the Old Testament it runs like a refrain through the sacred stories, The patriarchs, the leaders, ehudi Menuhin the kings, and the prophets are sus-thought the Wald tained by promises and exhortations by: Beniamino, Gigli couched in different words perhaps, of India" and but all can be summed up in "Be strong and of good courage....for the Lord thy God is with thee" In the New Testament the field is changed. The fight is lifted to a higher arena. The wrestle is not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual wickedness in high places, and with forces of evil. Still we hear the same voice. Still we are incessantly urged to be strong, to be undismayed, to press on with cheerful courage—"To fight the good fight of faith," "To endure hardness,' "To meet our foes and battle against our temptations as those who have been called and equipped of God, Still we are warned against fearfulness and faint-heartecness, and told that without a determined will and confident trust in God, we cannot accomplish anything.
"Be strong and of good courage, but not afraid, neither be thou dis-
London mayed," said the Lord to Joshua. And om all through the ages since men have 19 (GSF) metre bands (GSD) metre band after been encouraged and inspired by these words, they have been appropriated for the commissioning of pro- every Christian soldier.
They are addressed to us this evening, Then let us consider them carefully and see what they contain for us.
Xe Solicitor. la of Britain. Talk by The Divine Commission
And in them first of all, I think, we H. B. Elliston, find the reason, the source and the foundation of a courageous heart and temper, it lies in the divine commis. "NORTH-CHINA DAILY NEWS" sion—"Have I not commanded thee.
XMHD
7k. ihe "Christian ten Not only the preacher, the missionary, doctor or false philosophy of Omar Khayyam we feel that since we came "into this universe and why, not knowing, nor "whence like water willy-nilly flowing we can treat life's battle as a sort of scrimmage into which we have been cast by chance, or by some impossible circumstance, and our only care is to struggle through it with the least possible pain and trouble. But He has commanded us, Know that your life is of consequence to Him, that He knows your strivings, that He hears your your prayers, and more than that, He has put you where you are because He has need of you there. And there you are to render your simple witness of patience and goodness, never forgotten by Him... never overlooked. And that will give you an entirely new outlook on life. Tt will give you a sense of dignity. It will arm you against the evils of the world, It will keep you stead~ fast and upright. Each day you will go forth with the consciousness of a high vocation and serious responsibility. I am here by the will of God—"Have I not commanded you."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.