from a people in a distant country, to desire peace and alliance with Israel and to give a colour thereto, they produced their bread, now grown mouldy, by the length and distance of their journey; their leather bottles, their cloaths and shoes, worn out by the way; and flattered their vanity, by pretending to come so far to cultivate their friendship: by this plausible story, and their professing, moreover, a great regard for the God of heaven, who had done so great things for Israel, the fame whereof had reached them, they met with little opposition to their request; and an alliance was ratified with them, by Joshua and all the princes of the congregation. S. Did the Israelites soon discover this imposition put upon them by the Gibeonites? 7. Yes: they discovered the imposture within three days after: and when it was known that they were near neighbours, and some of the very people whom Joshua was commissioned to destroy, the Israelites began to murmur against their princes for their indiscretion, and were for having the league cancelled; but it was confirmed by a solemn oath, they refused to break it; Joshua, however, sent for some of the chiefs of the Gibeonites, and expostulated with them the cheat; and in formed them, that notwithstanding their lives and goods should be sav. ed, because of the solemn league between them, the determination of the princes was, that they should remain in a state of perpetual servitude to the Israelites; to which they acquiesced. T. The Gibeonites were descended from the Hivites, the old inhabitants of that country, and possessed the cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim. They continued always subject to the impositions laid upon them by Joshua; and though they were faithful to the Israelites, Saul, through a mistaken zeal of extirpating all the remains of the Canaanites out of the land, destroyed a great number of them; which cruelty was first punished from heaven with a famine for three years in Israel, and then by the deaths of two of Saul's sons which he had by Rizpah, and of five sons of Merab, Saul's daughter by Adri. el, whom David, by the advice of the prophets, delivered up to the Gibeonites to be hanged, as an atonement for the blood of their brethren. From this time there is no further mention of the Gibeonites as a sepa rate and distinct people; being, as is generally supposed, changed into the name of Nethinims, who were public slaves appointed for the use of the temple, under the priests and Levites S. Which was their chief city? 7. Gibeon, or Gabaa, a city built on an eminence, as its etymology indicates; about two leagues from Jerusalem, northward. Upon some occasion afterwards, the tabernacle and altar of burnt sacrifices, made by Moses in the wilderness, were removed to this city, where Solomon went to offer sacrifices before the temple was built. S. How did the neighbouring states relish this treaty of the Gibeonites with Joshua? T. The confederate princes be S. What account can you give me ing informed thereof, resolved to of the Gibeonites? be revenged of them for their de sertion of the common cause, and marched against them with their united force, and set down before their city. S. Did they succeed in their attempt? T. No: for the Gibeonites sending for help to Joshua, he immediately marched the choice of all the troops of Israel, and by their expedition, and favour of the night, surprised and attacked the kings early in the morning, put them to flight, pursued them as far as the descent to Bethron with great destruction, and took their kings prisoners, whom they hung upon five gibbets. S. Did God seem to approve of this expedition by any visible tokens of his favour? T. Yes: for he first put the army of the confederates into disorder by a great shower of stones, which slew a great number of them; and then in the pursuit, at the prayer of Joshua, he caused the sun and moon to stop their course in the firmament, that the day might not close in, till the Israelites had totally routed the army of the kings. S. How can you account for this alteration in the course of nature? T. It was indeed very miraculous: but, if he who makes a clock, after disordering its motion. can set it to rights again; so much more easy may we imagine it to be to the omnipotest power of God, who created these two great lights, to supersede, or direct their motions; and possibly, by shortening the night as much as the day was lengthened, the whole naturally day, consisting of 24 hours, was of equal length, as at other times: : so that there is no need to suppose, that an extraordinary body of light, representing the sun, was placed in the heavens: besides, the prophet Habakkuk represents it as a thing really done. S. How many kings attacked Gibeon? T. Five Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem: Hoham, king of Hebron ; Piram, king of Jarmuth; Japhia, king of Lachish; and Debir, king of Eglon. S. Where were these kings taken prisoners ? T. In a cave near Makkedah, where they endeavoured to conceal themselves, about eight miles distant from Eleutheropolis, a free city, built since the destruction of Jerusalem; and frequently noted by Eusebius and Jerom as a point from whence they measure the distances of other places. S. What were the consequences of this victory? 7. The first and immediate advantage of this success, was the surrender of the city Makkedah; and then that of Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Eglon, Hebron, Debir, and all the hill-country lying in the south part of Canaan, and all the vale country adjoining to the said hills, and abounding with springs, even from Kadesh-barnea, on the southermost coast of Canaan, to Gaza, in the south-west corner of Canaan, were taken by the Israelites; and all their inhabitants were put to the sword, and their kings hanged up, before Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal. S. Did Joshua pursue his conquests any further? T. He continued in his camp without entering on any fresh action, till he was informed that se T. He surprized this great army; put them to flight; hamstrung their horses, burnt their chariots; pursued them as far as the great city Zidon and Mizrephoth-maim, westward, and to the valley of Mizpah, eastward and having collected and : veral of the princes of the north of Canaan, had united their forces, and with a numerous army of 500,000 foot, 10,000 horse, and 2000 chariots, according to the computation of Josephus, were in full march to give him battle. S. What service could chariots be drawn off his forces from the purof in this expedition? suit, he advanced towards Hazor, and having taken it, he hanged up Jabin, and put all the inhabitants to the sword, and burnt the city to the ground. He also took the other cities, which he made a spoil of, and put the inhabitants to the sword. S. Did none of these Canaanites escape the sword of Israel? T. They were in great use in the battles of the ancients, as may be seen in every author that treats of martial exploits. The beam to which the horses were fastened, was armed with spikes with iron points, which projected forward: the yokes of the horses had two cutting falchions of three cubits length: the T. No doubt, but numbers of axle-trees had fixed to them two them, who saw themselves drove iron spits, with scythes at their ex- to the necessity of death or slavery, tremities: the spokes of the wheels endeavoured, and did escape into were armed with javelins, and the other countries. And, if it be convery fellies with scythes, which tore sidered, that this country bordered every thing they met with to pieces. upon the coast of the MediterraThe axle-tree was longer, and the nean sea, and that the Phoenicians wheels stronger than usual, that they were masters of the sea coasts, by might be the better able to bear a whose assistance the Canaanites shock, and the chariot less liable to might make their escape into what be overturned. The charioteer was parts they pleased: and how it is covered all over with armour, and certain that the Phoenicians are reseated in a kind of tower made of corded to have, about this time, very solid wood, about breast high; sent out a vast many colonies; we and sometimes men well armed were must either suppose the Phoenicians put into the chariot, and fought from to be much more populous, than so thence with darts and arrows, small a country could possibly be; S. Did Joshua go to meet this or the greatest part of these cologreat army? nies sent out in their name, must be presumed to be the refugees of Canaan, who made their escape by shipping to all the coasts which lay round the Mediterranean and Agean seas, and even to other parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. T. Yes and engaged them near the waters of Merom, which some suppose was near to the lake Semechon, between the head of Jordan and the sea of Galilee, not far from Hazor, the capital of Jabin, who was one of the kings that was at the head of the confederacy against the Israelites. S. What success had Joshua? S. How far did these conquests of the Israelites extend? T. From mount, Halak, that 1 joins to Seir, or the country of Edom, southward, to Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon, under mount Hermon, northward. S. How long was Joshua in making these conquests? T. It cannot be thought that he was less than six or seven years in making these great atchievements; because God had said, I will not drive them out before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee; by little and little will I drive them out before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. S- Did Joshua compleat his conquest in the destruction of Jabin and his confederates? T. No: for he did not finish this campaign, till he had utterly destroyed all the Anakims, or men of gigantic stature, that inhabited the mountains, and razed their cities; whereby the Israelites were brought into quiet possession of the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said unto Moses. S. Where the Anakims entirely destroyed on this occasion? T. All that were found in the conquered countries: but some few fled, and took refuge in the land of the Philistines. S. Were there no remains left of the ancient inhabitants, besides the Gibeonites or Hivites? T. Yes; for though these nations and kings of Canaan were brought under the subjection of the Israelites, yet they were not totally extirpated, as God had ordered them; many of them still remained in the land, particularly the Jebusites, who remained unsubdued till the time of David and Solomon; when, and not till then, all the territories of the Canaanites were conquered and brought under the government of the Jews. They who remained till that time, were left as thorns in the sides of Israel, by whom God often punished them for their sins; as he did also by the strong and warlike Philistines, the Moabites and Ammonites, and the kings of Mesopotamia. S. How many kings did Joshua defeat and put to death? T. He subdued and divided the land of one and thirty kings. Here it will be proper to observe, that these kings ruled over so many inferior branches of the seven nations, which God had promised to give the children of Israel and though they were independent of each other, they were rather titular than real kings; none of them having any great number of subjects under their command, and perhaps a few cities only with their dependencies. So that when we read in scripture, of kings, princes, dukes, and nations, in those early times, we ought to limit our ideas within due bounds, and not to imagine, that these titles must necessarily signify as high degrecs of power and honour, as the words in use now do. S. What were the names of the 31 kings on the west of Jordan? T. The kings of Jericho, A, Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, La chish, Eglon, Gezir, Debir, Geder, Hormah, Arad, Libnab, Adullam Makkedah, Beth-cl, Tappuak, He pher, Aphek, Lasharon, Madon Hazar, Shimron-meron, Achshaph, Taanach, Megiddo, Kedesh, Jokneam of Carmel, Dor, of the rations of Gilgal, of Galilee, and of Tirzəb, ́ 8. Did Joshua live to conquer the remaining part of the land, which God had promised to the descendants of Abraham › T. No but after God had told him, that all the country of the Philistines, lying on the borders of she Mediterranean sea southward, and all the territory of the city Geshuri, in the north-east of Canaan; even all the land from the rivulet Sihon, which divides Canann and Egypt to the borders of Ekron northward, a country which originally belonged to the Canaanite, but possessed by five petty princes, Gazahites, Ashdothites, Eshkalonites, Gittites, and Ekronites, with a mixture of Avites, who were the ancient nhabitants of that country and that all the land of the Canaanites, properly so called, which reached from the Philistines on the south, and extends along the coast of the Mediterranean sea, as far as Mearah of the Sidonians, the extremity of Canaan northward, unto Aphek castward; and so to the borders of the Amorites and Gibites: and that all the country of Lebanon, from Baal-gad on the east, to the conEnes of Hamath on the west and that all the inhabitants of the hill country, from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, and all the Sidonians living more west of the said inhabitants of the bill country, tho' as yet muconquered, should be subdued unto the Israelites in due time, if they would be constant in their duty to him. He added, that tho' he did not chuse to let these parts of Canaan, jat mentioned, be now actually conquered by the Israelites; yet, it was his pleasure that Joshua should proceed to divide the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manassch by lot, both what was conquered, and T. He first settled the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manassites, on the cast side of Jordan; and their bounds extended from S. to N. from the river Arnon to mount Hermon, and from E. to W. from the country of the Ammonites, to the river Jordan; he then proceeded to divide the country on the west side of Jordan; and the tribes of Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun, and Issachar, were allotted the nothern parts thereof; Ephraim, and the half tribe of Ma nasseh, the middle parts; and Judah, Benjamin, Dan, and Simeon, the southern part; so that the full extent of their possessions reached from Dan to Beersheba By which the promise made by God 470 years before, was accomplished. But to rescue this division from some objections and cavils, let it be observed, that Jebus, or Jerusalem, possessed by the Jebusites, was partly in the tribe of Judah, and partly in that of Benjamin: though David afterwards made Jerusalem the principal city of the tribe of Judah, and the seat of his empire. Secondly, it will be proper to remember, that in this division, Joshua allots to Caleb, who was of the tribe of Judah, the city of Hebron, and the adjacent territory thereof, within the division of Jadah, which with the town of Debir, were taken before Joshua died; the recapitulation therefore which is made of the taken of these two places, after the death of Joshua, must not be accounted a contradiction, as some have pretended. Thirdly, the |