rity, and to take the priesthood upon themselves. But their rebellion was punished in a wonderful manner for the earth opened under them, and they, and all that belonged to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them.

The Israelites then wandered up and down from place to place, and in the sandy deserts of Kadesh they murmured for water. Moses therefore struck

a rock, and it poured forth streams before them: but upon this occasion Moses and Aaron neglected to give the glory of the miracle to God, and assumed the honour and power of it in some degree to themselves, at which God was so highly offended, that he declared that they should not enter the land of Promise.

From thence the people journeyed to Before Mount Hor, where Aaron died; and being Christ refused by the king of Edom to pass 1452. through his country, and being in want of provisions, they again rebelled against Moses: for which crime God sent fiery serpents among them, by whose bites many were destroyed; but upon their humility and repentance, he commanded Moses to hang a brazen serpent upon a cross; and the wounded persons, by looking upon it, were healed.

What a lively emblem was this of Him who offered himself a sacrifice upon the cross; and upon beholding whom, with true repentance and faith, the wounded conscience obtains pardon and peace!

After several marches, and encampments, they arrived at Pisgah, and having gained several victories over the Amorites, proceeded to the plains of Moab. Balak, the king of Moab, terrified at their approach, sent for the prophet Balaam to curse them in a solemn manner; but when he came, the prophetic Spirit of God overruled his intentions, and caused him to bless them.

At length Moses, being one hundred and Before twenty years old, and knowing that the Christ time of his death drew near, set before the

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people the repeated mercies and commands of God, and exhorted and pressed them, both by promises and threatenings, to a faithful and constant obedience. After which, having taken (from the top of Mount Pisgah) a view of the country of Canaan, which the Lord had promised to the posterity of Abraham, and which they were soon to take possession of, he died in peace, and was translated into the heavenly Canaan, that better country, where are rivers of pleasure, and joys for evermore.

UPON the death of Moses, God appointed Joshua to be commander and judge over the Israelites, and to conduct them into the land of Canaan: and, as no less than the Divine aid could support him in such a difficult undertaking, the Almighty endued him with strength and wisdom equal to the work, and encouraged him with this gracious promise, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Every

sincere Christian may apply these words to himself, and in the midst of the greatest fears and dangers, not only trust but even boast in the Divine presence and protection, boldly saying, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear what man shall do unto me; for God hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Joshua, having learnt the state of the country, and the disposition and strength of the inhabitants, by two spies whom he sent to Jericho, the first city on the other side of the river Jordan, led the army to the bank of the river; and the priests, by Divine direction, went before the people, bearing the Ark of the Covenant. The ark was a small chest, or coffer, overlaid with gold; the lid or cover of which was called the Mercy-seat, being considered as the place

of God's special and gracious presence. It was called the Ark of the Covenant, because it was a symbol or representation of the covenant made between God and his people; and contained the two tables of the law, which they were required on their part to fulfil.-God was pleased to confirm the authority of Joshua at Jordan, as he had before confirmed the authority of Moses at the Red Sea; for, as soon as the feet of the priests touched the extremity of the river, the current was stopped; the dry ground appeared; and the people passed over in safety.

Joshua immediately laid siege to Jericho; and after a solemn procession of the army, with the priests bearing the ark, round the city once a day for seven days, the walls of it suddenly fell down flat to the ground; so that the Israelites entered and took possession of the place without any difficulty. The Lord had commanded them utterly to destroy all the people of the land, on account of their gross idolatry and monstrous wickedness, and thus to make them a monument of his just displeasure and hatred against sin; they therefore put all the inhabitants to the sword, and spared not a living creature, except Rahab and her family, who had entertained the spies, and obtained from them a promise of safety.

As soon as Joshua had restored order to the camp, after the destruction of Jericho, he sent three thousand men against the city Ai, where they met with an unexpected repulse, on account of the impiety of Achan, who, contrary to the express direction of God, had taken and concealed a rich garment and a wedge of gold, part of the plunder of Jericho.

Take heed and beware of covetousness.The treachery, however, being discovered, and the people sanctified by the punishment of the offender, they again attacked the city and took it. Upon this the neighbouring kings where alarmed, and

joined their forces together; but the Gibeonites, fearful of the event, sent messengers to Joshua, and by a stratagem obtained an alliance with him. He afterwards defeated the army of the Canaanites, and put the confederate kings to death. The power of God was remarkably displayed upon that occasion: for, during the flight of the enemy, the clouds were converted into very large hail-stones, by which more were destroyed than by the sword; the sun and the moon also stood still, and the day was considerably lengthened, so that the zeal of the Israelites was not obstructed in the pursuit and slaughter of their adversaries.

Thus the Lord God fought for Israel, and led them on to successive victories, till the Canaanites were almost wholly subdued. Then Joshua applied himself, by the direction of God, to the division of the land; an exact survey of it having been taken, each tribe had a possession by lot: and the land so allotted was divided among the several families of the tribe, according to the number of persons belonging to it. The tribe of Levi, indeed, had no share or portion in the division of the land: because, being chosen by the Lord to be his priests and ministers, to preserve knowledge and preach the law, they were to be intermixed for that purpose with the other tribes, and to be supported by tithes and the offerings of the altar.

Joshua governed the Israelites in peace and prosperity about seventeen years after their establishment in Canaan: when, finding himself drawing towards his end, he assembled all the heads of the tribes before the Lord; and, having reminded them, in a very pathetic speech, of the many wonderful mercies which God had bestowed upon them and their fathers, and shewed them how much it was their interest, as well as duty, to persevere in the pure worship of the Deity, and the faithful observance of his laws, he exhorted them to renew their covenant with God, in such a

solemn manner as might fix a lasting impression upon their hearts. To which they all cheerfully assented, and engaged themselves by the most sacred protestations and promises, declaring publicly, The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE HISTORY OF THE JUDGES.

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THERE is no express record that any par- Before ticular person immediately succeeded Joshua Christ in the title and power of Judge of Israel: yet there is great reason to apprehend that Caleb acted in that great character, who, at the head of the tribe of Judah, gained many victories over the neighbouring nations; several other tribes also gained great advantages over those people near whom they were planted. The Lord, however, did not entirely drive out the Canaanites; but, on account of the disobedience of the Israelites, suffered some to remain, as instruments of their chastisement, declaring to them, They shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

Accordingly, indeed, by conversing with the heathens and intermarrying with them, (which they were forbidden to do,) they soon forgot the Lord God, who had done such great things for them, and served the gods of those countries, called Baalim. The word Baal signifies Lord: these false gods were generally worshipped upon high places, which were full of trees and shady groves.

How should we learn from the example of the Jews to avoid the company of the wicked and profane; for evil communication corrupts good manners. -In consequence of their idolatry and wickedness,