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I beseech you, beloved, to gather all your thoughts together now, and trouble them not with thinking upon other things; think upon that which you are about now; have the sense of God’s presence; and let your souls be present, and think it not enough for you to be present in your bodies. I told you that silence was enjoined to these people, that their hearts might be exercised about faith, for it was only by faith that these walls were taken down; so I would have you to be exercised about faith now. For us to tell what were the things whereupon they exercised their faith, we cannot, for that is not revealed; but I may say there were variety of purposes into their hearts: for all the thirteen times they did compass the walls, there would be enough to hold their minds well exercised. And if you yourselves will consider what you have been hearing and doing these years past, you need not to want enough to think upon; albeit we should speak no more to you than was spoken at the beginning, you need not to want matter of meditation.
Whatever was the matter of their meditation, they might have thought upon that which is set down in Hebrews 11:3; and we may think also upon these; and we will find it not to be unprofitable for us. “By faith we believe that the world was made;” we have no warrant to believe that it was created but only by the word of God. And so they might have thought, God has made all the world, which is greater than Jericho, and he can destroy it again when he pleases; and so may not he also destroy this strong city for us? And if we think right upon it, it may put us in hope of two very great works; first, of our regeneration; second, of our resurrection. When he created the world, he did no more but spoke a word, “Let there be light,” and it was so; and so if the Lord shall but say the word, “Let there be light into our dark souls,” it must be so also. He says that at that last day he shall raise up these ugly bodies of ours, and instead of corruption they shall put on incorruption; then if you believe that the world was made by him, and he destroyed it, and made it to flourish again, you will also believe the resurrection. So we can look upon none of the creatures but we may think it was God who made this, he can ruin it when he pleases, and he can restore it again; so can he do with body and soul.