rushed to their walls, and watched, and
wondered. The second day they saw the same procession go round the
town. It had ended in nothing on Sunday, so they laughed and pointed
at them. What a ludicrous sight! All those men armed with swords and
spears, who do not use them, those priests blowing the horns as to
encourage the Israelites to battle, and not one rushing forward to
scale the walls. The third day all the women and children were on the
walls, marching round and mimicking them, blowing toy trumpets. What
jokes! What jeers shouted from the walls! So on to the Friday. On
the Sabbath the people got rather tired of this same scene. It was
growing monotonous; so they did not come in such numbers. However,
after the Israelites had marched round once, they began to march round
a second time. Here was something new! Something still more
nonsensical; and the people of Jericho came out on their walls again to
flout them, and pass their jokes. When the Israelites had been round
twice, they started to go round a third time, then a fourth, then a
fifth, then a sixth. The mocking grew more excessive, the ridicule
more keen. But, when the circuit of the city was made the seventh
time, then, the walls of the city fell down, and the Israelites rushed
in over the ruins, and killed all they came across. On whose side was
the laugh then?

II. As I told you at the beginning of my sermon, if you will live
godly in Christ Jesus, you must expect persecution, and the only sort
of persecution you will get is Ridicule.

Therefore, if you will live godly in Christ Jesus, you must be prepared
to be taunted, and made fun of, and teased. The tongues will wag and
say all sort of hard things about you; You are a hypocrite, or you are
going too far, or you are a fine person to set up to be a saint! but
be of good cheer, do not mind the laughter, it is only for a while, and
then the tables will be turned, and the laugh will be on your side.

It is very unpleasant to be made a butt for ridicule. Of course it is,
but it is not so unpleasant as to have your flesh torn off with redhot
pincers. The early Christians who would live godly in Christ Jesus had
to expect that.

It is very galling to have bitter things said of you, often unjust and
untrue, only because you have begun to serve God, and lead a better
life. Of course it is, but it is not so bitter to bear as a cruel
death, and that is what the early Christians had to