On the preceding Lord's Day we set forth that the walls of Jericho were conquered by the priestly trumpets, and that, against order and nature, an insensible thing gave way to the sacred voices by a certain terror of threatening; and that thus at the sound of rebuke everything was overthrown, so that both the strongest fortifications collapsed and a people stripped of sins remained—the former, that it might no longer withstand; the latter, that it might more easily be taken. But we said beforehand that all these things were done then in a figure. For what else do we believe the priestly trumpets of that time to be, if not the preachings of the priests of this time, through which we cease not to announce to sinners with a terrible sound something austere, to foretell something sad, and with a certain din of threatening to strike the ears of the offenders.
For indeed no one will be able to withstand the sacred voices, no one to gainsay them. For how shall things sensible not tremble at the word of God, at which even things insensible then trembled? Or how shall the obstinacy of men be able to resist that before which not even a sound siege-engine had strength to stand? For as the crash of the trumpets, when the walls of mortar were destroyed, reached to the inner parts of the people, so now the preaching of the priests, when wicked thoughts are destroyed, passes through to the naked parts of the soul. For the soul is found naked before the word of God, when all the working of its iniquity is dissipated. And that the soul is naked before God, the Apostle says: But all things are naked and open to his eyes (Heb. 4);
before whom, before the soul knows God and receives the faith of the truth, it veils itself as it were with certain works of superstitions, and cherishes itself round about as with a wall of wickedness, so that it seems to itself able to stand impregnable within the fortifications of its own iniquities. But when the sacred voice has thundered, straightway its despair is undermined, its thought is dissipated, and thus all the fortifications of superstitions are dissolved, and it remains naked; as it is written: The word of God passes through even to the division of spirit and marrow (Heb. 4). As then the sound of the sacred voice destroyed the obstinate people, took it captive, and avenged itself in wrath, so also now the priestly preaching subjugates the sinful people, takes it captive, and avenges;
for so the blessed Apostle says: The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for the destruction of fortifications, destroying counsels and every height that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, taking captive, ready, he says, to avenge every disobedience (2 Cor. 10). See therefore whether there are not, on the tongue of the priests, according to the Apostle's saying, certain weapons of words, by which both vain thought is destroyed, and swollen pride is taken captive, and in speech obstinacy is avenged. For what was then done concerning the city of Jericho, as we said, was done in a figure. Indeed now this very thing has come to pass in truth.
For we read that the priests in that time went round the aforesaid city continually for seven days, and when the band of armed men could not take it, it was overthrown by the sound of the trumpets on every side—trumpets, I say, not with which the fierce soldier sounded, but with which the sackcloth-clad high priest cried out. For who would fear the trumpet of him whose sword he did not fear? On these days, therefore, the walls encircled by the priestly trumpets fell; on these days we read that the works of this world were brought to their consummation. You see then that by this sevenfold number, through the priests, not so much is one city destroyed as the iniquity of the whole world is dissipated.
For just as the whole fabric of the world is prefigured under the name of a single city, so too by the course of seven days are marked out the spans of seven thousand years, through which the trumpets of the preaching priests proclaim destruction to this age itself and threaten judgment; as it is written: 'Because the world shall pass away, and all the things that are in the world; but he who does the will of the Lord abides forever.'