Christians around him: he lives consciously hidden in the secret of
God's presence.

2. _Defeat and failure are always owing to the loss of God's
presence._--It was thus at Ai. God had brought His people into Canaan
with the promise to give them the land. When the defeat at Ai took place
Joshua felt at once that the cause must be in the withdrawal of God's
power. He had not fought for them. His presence had been withheld.

In the Christian life and the work of the Church, defeat is ever a sign
of the loss of God's presence. If we apply this to our failure in the
prayer-life, and as a result of that to our failure in work for God, we
are led to see that all is simply owing to our not standing in clear and
full fellowship with God. His nearness, His immediate presence, has not
been the chief thing sought after and trusted in. He could not work in
us as He would. Loss of blessing and power is ever caused by the loss of
God's presence.

3. _The loss of God's presence is always owing to some hidden
sin._--Just as pain is ordered in nature to warn of some hidden evil in
the system, defeat is God's voice telling us there is something wrong.
He has given Himself so wholly to His people, He delights so in being
with them, and would so fain reveal in them His love and power, that He
never withdraws Himself unless they compel Him by sin.

Throughout the Church there is a complaint of defeat. The Church has so
little power over the masses, or the educated classes. Powerful
conversions are comparatively rare. The fewness of holy, consecrated,
spiritual Christians, devoted to the service of God and their fellowmen,
is felt everywhere. The power of the Church for the preaching of the
gospel to the heathen is paralysed by the scarcity of money and men; and
all owing to the lack of the effectual prayer which brings the Holy
Spirit in power, first on ministers and believers, then on missionaries
and the heathen. Can we deny it that the lack of prayer is the sin on
account of which God's presence and power are not more manifestly seen
among us?

4. _God Himself will discover the hidden sin._--We may think we know
what the sin is: it is only God who can discover its real deep meaning.
When He spoke to Joshua, before naming the sin of Achan, God first said,
"They have transgressed My covenant which I commanded them." God had
commanded (vi. 19) that all the booty of Jericho, gold and silver and
all that was in it, was to be a devoted