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النشر الإلكتروني

THE

YOUNG CHRISTIAN'S

SUNDAY EVENING.

FIRST SUNDAY EVENING.

ISRAEL PASSING OVER JORDAN.

MAMMA. We have now, Edward, come to an end of that part of Scripture History which is to be found in the first five books of the Bible. These first five books were written by Moses and are generally called the Pentateuch; a hard word, taken from two Greek words, meaning five and book. Besides this name for the whole of them together, they have each a separate name, taken also from the Greek language; and I think you would like to know the meaning of them, even though they should be rather difficult to remember.

The word Genesis means generation ; and the first, book is so called, because it begins by telling us how the heavens and the earth were generated or produced, and then goes on to speak of the different generations of men in this early time of the world.

The second book is called Exodus : a word which means departing or going out, because it gives an account of the Israelites going out of Egypt. VOL. II,

B

Leviticus is the name given to the third book of the Bible; which is so called, because it gives a full account of the duties of the priests who were Levites, that is, men chosen from the tribe, or family of Levi.

The fourth book of the Bible is called the Book of Numbers; because it begins with God desiring Moses to number the children of Israel.

The fifth book is called Deuteronomy, a word which comes from two Greek words meaning Second and Law; because it repeats a second time all the Laws given to the children of Israel, of which we had an account at first in the book of Exodus.

Now all this first part of the Holy Scriptures was written, as I have said before, by Moses: and the other different parts of it were written by other holy men of old, as you will learn by and bye. These holy men were employed by God to write this Blessed Book, which is called the Word of God, because He put into their hearts, by his Holy Spirit, what they were to write; so that in the Bible we have not the words of man, but the words of God himself.

EDWARD. Are you going on now, Mamma, with the history of the children of Israel?

M. Yes, my love, we are now come to the book of Joshua, so called, because it was written by him; and this book tells us a great deal more of that people of whom you have already heard so much. Do you remember at what part of their history we left them?

E. Yes, Mamma; we left them, I think, still on the plains of Moab, waiting till God should give them leave to go over the river Jordan. How sorry they

must have been that they had not got Moses to lead them over!

M. I dare say they felt the loss of Moses very much at first; but they had been long used to Joshua, whom God had chosen to take the place of Moses, that is, to be their leader in his stead. Then the thoughts of entering Canaan must have filled their minds, and have been some comfort to them in their trouble. For " after the death of Moses, the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now, therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you. From the Wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto the Great River, the river Euphrates, and unto the Great Sea, towards the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.” Now, from these words, we learn that the land of Canaan, which the Lord gave to the children of Israel, extended from the wilderness of Zin in the south to the mountain of Lebanon on the north, which was so high that they could see the top of it plainly from the place where they then were; and that it stretched as far as to the river Euphrates on the east, and to the Great Sea, or Mediterranean, on the west, or towards the going down of the sun, as it is here called. Let us see all this for ourselves, Edward, on the map; that we may have a clear idea of the situation of that land of which we hear so much in the Bible.

Then the Lord comforted Joshua in the great work which He had given him to do, saying unto him "Be strong and of good courage : be not afraid, for the

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them among some stalks of flax which she had laid upon the roof. Thus boldly did Rahab show her faith in God, declaring plainly, by her conduct, that she feared the King of heaven and earth far more than any earthly monarch.

And the persons who had been sent by the king of Jericho, having sought in vain in the house of Rahab for the men of Israel, went in search of them towards Jordan, and were obliged after all their trouble to return to the king without them.

As soon as Rahab was quite sure that they had left the city, she went up unto the men of Israel upon the top of the house, and let them down into the street by a cord through the window, that they might return to Joshua. But before they went they learnt from Rahab, that the king of Jericho and all his people “ were sore afraid of the children of Israel, so that their hearts melted near fried up the Red Sea had hendi for them, and what they had done already to many of their enemies; therefore “ a great terror had fallen upon them ; neither did there remain any courage in any man, because of the children of Israel.” This was welcome news for the spies to carry back to the camp of Joshua : for if such were the feelings of their enemies, there would be no great difficulty in taking the city of Jericho.

And Rahab made the men promise, that in return for the kindness she had shown them, they would show kindness to her and her father's house, and save alive her father and mother, and brethren and sisters, and all that they had, and deliver their lives from death. And the men promised to her, saying, “ It

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