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beauty. There, too, were all kinds of fragrant, beautiful, and useful herbs and shrubs, amongst which we must mention the hyssop, the rose, and the lily, the myrtle, and the mustard-tree; besides those we have already mentioned as growing upon Mount Lebanon. Of each flower and tree which I have told you of, I could give you a most interesting account, but that I cannot wait to do it here, and that I should like you to search for such delightful knowledge yourself in books which I can show you.

Of the forests of cedars on Mount Lebanon, and of the oaks of Bashan, we have already spoken; but among all the trees which adorned Palestine, there was one the most graceful and most useful of all, which I have not mentioned yet. This was the lofty palmtree, which gave a refreshing shade, an agreeable fruit, and a delicious wine, and was, perhaps, more beautiful in appearance than any other on which the eye could rest. The finest palm-trees grew near Jordan, and especially in the plains of Jericho, which was once called the city of palm-trees.

Yet lovely, Edward, as Palestine certainly was, and abounding with comforts of every kind, there was yet enough of evil to remind those who dwelt in it, that it was but a part of that earth which had been spoiled by sin. The withering heats of summer, and the piercing colds of winter, were felt even here.

The plague, too, a sickness of a most deadly kind, famines long and severe, earthquakes, floods, the poisonous wind called the simoon, and war, that most dreadful of all the evils which sin has brought into the world; all these, in turn, have often visited Ca

naan, changing that land which was before beautiful as the garden of the Lord, into a desolate wilderness, a scene at once of misery and ruin: so that when in reading of Palestine, we find it called in the Bible, 66 a field which the Lord hath blessed;" we find it also written of it, that a "fruitful land maketh He barren, for the wickedness of them that dwelt therein."

But we have talked a long time to-night, Edward, and must now leave off.

FOURTH SUNDAY EVENING.

ISRAEL SETTLED IN CANAAN.

LAST Sunday, my love, I tried to give you some account of that country which Joshua divided amongst the tribes of Israel. Each tribe among them had a share of this good land which God had given them, excepting only the tribe of Levi. This tribe had been set apart for the sacred service of the sanctuary of the Lord; they had been chosen by God to be his priests and ministers in holy things; and, therefore, it pleased God to take care of them himself, and to be himself their portion. By this I mean, that he chose that their wants should be supplied from his altar which they served, without any labour or care of their own.

That you may the better understand this, Edward, I must tell you, that at the time when God had given

the children of Israel so many laws and commandments by the lips of his servant Moses, he had required that his people would offer up to him in sacrifice a tenth part of all that they had. A tenth part of the corn, and of all the seed of the land ; a tenth of their fruits, of their herds, and of their flocks; a tenth of their wine, and of their oil, they were to give unto the Lord; and it was from these offerings and sacrifices, made to him by his people, that God was pleased to supply the wants of his ministers. They gave them unto the Lord, and he gave them unto his priests of the tribe of Levi ; and thus he made a great difference between those which served in his tabernacle, and the rest of the children of Israel, condescending to attend himself to their wants, and to honour them beyond all others, “ by feeding them from his own table, and supporting them out of his own treasury, that so they might never know want or poverty, so long as the people continued to bring their offerings into the house of the Lord.”

For this reason, it is said in the Bible, “Unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not an inheritance or portion; the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance :” and again, “I am their inheritance, saith the Lord; and ye shall give them no possession; I am their possession.”

And was not the tribe of Levi, when thus provided for by God himself, far better off than if the fairest portion of the land of Canaan had been theirs ?

Might not each one of them exclaim with joy, as they saw the promised land dealt out in portions to their brethren, “ Thou, Lord, art the portion of my cup, and of mine inheritance; thou shalt maintain

my lot! the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage."

The next thing that we read of in the Bible, Edward, is, that the whole congregation of Israel met together, at a place called Shiloh, and set up there the tabernacle of the Lord.

Where is Shiloh, mamma?

This place lay in the southern part of that portion of land which had been given to the tribe of Ephraim, and was only a short distance from Jerusalem. Here was placed that tabernacle of the Lord, which had gone before them in all their wanderings, accompanied them into the promised land, and now dwelt among them, reminding them continually of the presence of God, and of the worship and service which he expected from them.

Had there been no house of the Lord among them, the children of Israel might soon have forgotten to call upon his name, busy as they were in settling themselves in this new country, and happy in the enjoyment of all the comforts and blessings which were so abundant there. But with the sanctuary of the Lord amongst them, how could they forget him? In that holy and beautiful place, between the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy-seat, the cloud or presence of the Lord might still be seen there too had been placed many things which must remind his people of their past sufferings and of his great mercies. There might be seen a golden vessel filled with the manna on which they had been so wonderfully fed: there too were the tables of stone, on which were written those commandments which had been given to them in so awful a manner by the Lord him

self: and there the service of the Lord was continually carried on.

How then should Israel forget God? Would they not rather, in the midst of all their business and all their happiness, look upon that tabernacle with delight, and rejoice to think, that they had not, in leaving the desert, left behind them the presence of God? That the Lord God still dwelt amongst them; that he who had made even the wilderness to smile, was with them now to give his blessing, without which all the comforts of Canaan could not have made them happy?

E. Did Joshua continue to govern the children of Israel, mamma, after they were settled in Canaan?

M. Yes, my love; he governed them for about seventeen years; but, after that, the time drew near that he must die ; for he was then“ an old man and full of years.” The last moments of his life, like those of Moses, were spent in doing good to the people of God: we read that, before his death, he called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, and for their judges, and having put them in mind of all the goodness of God, both to them and to their fathers, entreated them to cleave unto the Lord their God, and to take great care they continued to love and serve him. He called upon them to say, whether one of the good things had been kept back from them, which God had promised; and assured them that, as every blessing of which God had spoken was now theirs, so in like manner all the dreadful evils, which he threatened against disobedience, would most certainly fall upon them, if they should ever depart from God, and forsake his worship and service. He showed them, how the Lord had saved their fathers froia

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