-after which he went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain Abarim to the top of Pisgah, (one of the heights of the mountain,) whence he was permitted to behold the promised land; after which, on mount Nebo, another of the peaks of the same mountain, he died “in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord." —“And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days.”

CHAP. LIII.-None of the generation of the Hebrews, whom the Lord had delivered out of the hand of Pharaoh, survived Moses, save the two faithful spies who had brought up a true report of the good land; Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Hoshea the son of Nun. The name of the latter had been changed by Moses to Joshua (or, as in after ages he was called, Jesus,) which signifies a Saviour-And Joshua "was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him, and the children of Israel hearkened unto him."

And the Lord commanded Joshua, saying, "Arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them."-"There shall not a man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life as I was with Moses so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee;""be strong, and of a good courage:""for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." And Joshua sent "two men to spy secretly, saying, Go, view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's

And it was

house, named Rahab, and lodged there.*" told the king of Jericho," and he "sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee.""And the woman took the two men, and hid them." "And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us."-And she added, "For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath." And she made them swear unto her, "It shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee." And the men returned and came to Joshua, "and told him all things that befell them: and they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us."—"And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves, for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you." And they came to Jordan— the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord before the people. And it came to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, that the waters of Jordan were divided, and rose up upon an heap, and the priests and all the people passed over on dry ground. See Josh. ch. iii.

And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the

Cruden says that "some think that Rahab was only an hostess, or innkeeper, and that this is the true signification of the original word." He adds, if she had been a person of improper character, could she, according to the law, have been married to Salmon, a prince of Judah, and an ancestor of Christ?

bottom of Jordan for a memorial of the miracle-and by his direction one man of each tribe brought up from Jordan a stone-and Joshua pitched these stones in Gilgal for a testimony to succeeding generations, and "that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty." And the Israelites kept the Passover, on the fourteenth day of the month, at even, in the plains of Jericho: and they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, and the manna ceased on that day.

"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so." We may clearly perceive that this "MAN" whom Joshua worshipped, and in whose awful presence he was commanded, (as Moses had been at the burning bush in Horeb,) to put off his shoes from his feet, could be no other than the manifested Deity-Jehovah in human form-the same divine Person that had appeared unto Abraham, Jacob, and Moses, and who now, as Captain of the Lord's host, came to encourage and strengthen his servant Joshua.

CHAP. LIV. "Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel."-"And Jehovah said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho and the king thereof and the mighty men of valour." And, by the command of the Lord, the Israelites compassed the city seven days-the priests bearing before them the ark of the Lord. And on the seventh day, as the priests blew a long blast with ram's horns, "the wall of the city fell down flat." And Joshua took the city and destroyed the inhabitants; save that the two spies, who had been sheltered by Rahab, went to her house, and brought her, "and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had, and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel."-" By faith," says the Apostle, "the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." Inadequate indeed, to the view of human reason, were the means by which this city was taken, and all the enemies of Israel slain with the sword. Thus it is, in the experience of the Christian disciple, who relying not on his own strength or prowess, but depending only on the guidance and omnipotence of his heavenly Captain, can wage war in righteousness against all that opposes his advancement towards the celestial Canaan. So, also, is the company of faithful believers-the visibly gathered church of God-rendered powerful to subdue the dominion of Satan. May the Almighty Ruler of the

universe be graciously pleased to hasten the day, when His people, of every name and clime, regardless of distinctive notions or questions not essential to salvation, may, as one united host, take unto them "the whole armour of God,"-"having their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;" and in the invincible might of the Spirit of Truth, become effectually instrumental to establish, throughout the nations of the earth, the government of him, who is "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;" and of bringing many immortal spirits from under the power of darkness, into that kingdom, which consists in "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." But the mind that hallows the Name of our Father who is in heaven, and fervently breathes the prayer, "Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven;" may naturally admit the discouraging suggestion, which filled with dismay the heart of Joshua, when Israel, at Ai, "could not stand before their enemies."—"Oh Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies?" The conviction must be admitted, that, in the professing Church of Christ, there is, in wide extent, the prevalence of Achan's spirit, of which his true confession must be made, "When I saw among the spoils, a goodly Babylonish garment, and an hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted. them, and took them, and behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent."

When the accursed thing which Achan had coveted